[sdiy] Need help with a SMD kit (OT?)

Wed Jul 19 02:51:10 CEST 2017

Agreed, SO14 and 1206 I have no problems with and are worth the space 
saving.  I'll even do some 0805 for bypass caps directly on power rails, 
but usually only a few per board.

On a side note, anyone know the state of SMT resistors these days?  Are 
there choices that are as good as 1/4 watt metal film through hole parts 
for noise performance?  Googling only seems to turn up older articles 
and discussions.

Dave

On 07/18/2017 04:19 PM, Tim Ressel wrote:
> I'll do simple prototypes but bigger projects with lots of fine pitch 
> parts I send out for fab. I wanna keep what little hair I have left...
> 
> --timbo
> 
> 
> On 7/18/2017 4:16 PM, Quincas Moreira wrote:
>> right on
>>
>> On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 6:10 PM, <rsdio at audiobanshee.com 
>> <mailto:rsdio at audiobanshee.com>> wrote:
>>
>>     Sure, it's not that hard. I have soldering tweezers for SMD
>>     resistors, capacitors, and even ICs up to 14-pin. But at a certain
>>     point you reach diminishing returns. There is time and money
>>     invested, and I'd rather save my time and money for things that I
>>     cannot pay someone else to do. I make a whole lot more progress
>>     towards my electronics goals by avoiding 99% of SMD work.
>>
>>     I will admit that it's good to spend some amount of time honing
>>     the skills. I recently designed a board with an optional op-amp
>>     that ended up performing worse than a straight connection.
>>     Fortunately, I design the PCB with traces for a SMD jumper so I
>>     could remove the op-amp and still connect the signal directly. I
>>     did that rework myself, because removing an 8-pin SMD and adding a
>>     two-conductor 0-Ohm resistor was a cinch. So, there's a balance
>>     between doing a lot of manual SMD versus just hitting a couple of
>>     parts for a quick mod.
>>
>>     Brian
>>
>>
>>     On Jul 18, 2017, at 3:57 PM, Quincas Moreira <quincas at gmail.com
>>     <mailto:quincas at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>     > Oh, c'mon it's not that hard, just takes some getting used to!
>>     I've only done the Ornament and Crime so far, but I'm looking
>>     forward to more :)
>>     >
>>     > On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 5:17 PM, <rsdio at audiobanshee.com
>>     <mailto:rsdio at audiobanshee.com>> wrote:
>>     >> Same here. I just pay shops like Printed Circuits Assembly
>>     Corp. or Schippers & Crew to do SMD work. They have all the tools,
>>     microscopes, and experience. PCA will also do rework, which I take
>>     advantage of when replacing a component with more than two leads.
>>     >>
>>     >> I realize that not every city has multiple assembly shops, and
>>     some don't even have one, but these services are becoming
>>     available remotely. Advanced Circuits (4PCB.com) offer services
>>     where they'll make the PCB and stuff the parts for you. Not sure
>>     about the prices there, but it's got to be cheaper than buying the
>>     tools yourself and losing money every time you make a mistake.
>>     It's probably a bit difficult to get a kit made, but it's worth
>>     requesting a quote.
>>     >>
>>     >> I once needed a pull-up resistor added to a 144-pin DSP, and
>>     PCA asked if they could use any size resistor. I agreed, and when
>>     it came back, the flying wire and resistor were so small (0201)
>>     that I couldn't see them. Saved me from spinning the board for
>>     that one change, and also saved me from the risk of ruining one of
>>     only two prototypes that I had.
>>     >>
>>     >> Brian
>>     >>
>>     >> On Jul 18, 2017, at 2:23 PM, David G Dixon <dixon at mail.ubc.ca
>>     <mailto:dixon at mail.ubc.ca>> wrote:
>>     >> > This post sums up why I simply will not do SMD by hand. 
>>     Not... worth... the... frustration.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > From: Synth-diy On Behalf Of Elain Klopke
>>     >> > Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2017 12:16 AM
>>     >> > To: *SYNTH DIY
>>     >> > Subject: [sdiy] Need help with a SMD kit (OT?)
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Hey list,
>>     >> >
>>     >> > I bought the Elements diy kit from Synthcube and managed to
>>     get all the surface mount components attached using solder paste,
>>     a tiny syringe, and a hot plate. Everything melted nicely and I
>>     only burnt the solder mask a bit because I wasn't quick enough
>>     getting it off the hot plate, but the copper traces appear to be
>>     still attached to the board so I'm not too worried.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > And then the problems started. I let the board cool down and
>>     then started going about eliminating solder bridges on a couple of
>>     the ICs. I cleaned up one side of the microcontroller and then
>>     made the other three worse. I got one chip that was a little
>>     crooked seated properly and then another popped free and I
>>     couldn't get it resoldered.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > I've stepped away from the kit so I don't do more damage or
>>     throw it against the wall in frustration.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Is there anyone experienced in surface mount soldering
>>     (preferably in the US) that would be willing to fix this mess for
>>     me. I'm way out of my depth and am willing to pay postage both
>>     ways and a fee for your time.
>>     >> >
>>     >> > Thanks in advance.
>>     >> >
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> Quincas Moreira
>> Test Pilot at VBrazil Modular
>>
>>
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> 
> -- 
> --Tim Ressel
> Circuit Abbey
> timr at circuitabbey.com
> 
> 
> 
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