[sdiy] More SMT project pictures

[Tony Clark]

> Some people even do the solder paste thing at home, but that's a bit 
> more of a pain because the paste only stays good for so long and you 
> need decent control over temperature.

   My advice:

   DON'T DO SOLDER PASTE AT HOME!!!!

   First of all, since lead _IS_ a poisonous substance, dealing with 
paste can be dangerous since it is in a liquid suspension and can easily 
contaminate anything it touches!
   Second, solder paste is designed to be put through a carefully 
controlled temperature cycle in order to properly bond compnents to the 
PCB.  While I'm sure it could be done (poorly) with a standard oven, I 
don't recommend it.
   Third, paste flux is a fickle beast.  It tends to change properties 
the longer it is exposed to air (meaning short life cycle in production 
environments).  Even at work, we have to buy flux thinning agents to keep 
the paste batch from drying out.
   So in short, it is really too expensive (and dangerous) of a prospect to 
attempt paste at a home or DIY level.

   Cheers,

   Tony

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