DIY Mini Heating Plate from a Broken Rice Cooker

If you're interested in building a DIY mini heating plate, this article is worth reading.

If you happen to have a broken rice cooker, instead of throwing it away, you can turn it into a DIY mini heating plate.

First, after disassembling the rice cooker, you should test the heating coil to make sure it is still working and has no open circuit. Then, you can find a suitable enclosure and a switch, while keeping the wires removed from the rice cooker for reuse.

Next, you should mark the approximate positions of each opening on the enclosure. Then, use an angle grinder to cut the openings. After the holes are ready, you can begin wiring everything together. The switch is a double-pole switch, so you can connect a 220V fan on one side for cooling and the heating plate on the other side. When you turn off the heating plate, the fan will automatically start running to help dissipate the heat.

After everything is complete, you can power it on and test it. It takes only about 30 seconds to melt lead-free solder, which is fast enough for most applications. The heating coil is rated at 500W, making this a very simple and practical DIY project.