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

[Ian Fritz]

At 12:04 PM 6/7/2012, colin f wrote:
>I find assembly is quicker because I'm not having to pre-form component
>legs, the board can lie flat on the bench while all the SMD components go
>on, and there is no turning the board back and forth, and snipping legs
>after soldering.
>Thru-hole is kinda tedious.

Yes, but it's a lot easier if you just solder the component leads from the 
top side.  I usually leave the leads a bit long so the components sit a bit 
above the board -- that way it's easier to get the grabber clips on for 
testing/troubleshooting.  Of course some components like IC sockets require 
flipping the board over, but this method is much quicker overall than 
mounting on top and soldering on the bottom.

Ian