[sdiy] Opinion poll - Through Hole ~vs~ SMT

[jays at aracnet.com]

I was resisting doing SMT for quite a while. Then about 17 years ago I
got forced into it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
The key is good tools and a good workspace (magnifier, lighting). Also
at this point of time some chips are just being made in surface mount
packages and that is going to become more common.

What I'd say is SMT is fine and a number of my boards are SMT. But for
home work I'd stay above 0805 parts and 0.05 pin pitch (but a lot of
chips are 0.02 pitch now). BUT! Use big pads and don't pack the PCBs as
dense as you can. One of my pet peaves about some of the hobby boards is
that they are done with maximum density and small pads that you can't
unsolder. I have 48 years of soldering in (tubes were cheaper than
transistors when I started) and still won't fix some stuff at home. I
usually have the option of taking it to work and working with a real
rework station. Think what it's like for someone without that experience
trying to repair or rework a board.

Jay S.