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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=686425215-19072017><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial>Yeah, Tim, I see your point. The bottom line is that I
just do not enjoy SMD hand assembly, and when it comes to the point when that is
all that is available to me, I'll find a new hobby. Hopefully that day
never comes. Maybe I should start buying resistors by the 1000s just in
case.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> Synth-diy
[mailto:synth-diy-bounces@synth-diy.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Tim
Ressel<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, July 19, 2017 8:13 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
synth-diy@synth-diy.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [sdiy] Need help with a SMD kit
(OT?)<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<P>So you're welcoming our robot masters? ;-)</P>
<P>I am with you on all that .. I also have CDS (Chronic Dropsy Syndrome) and
mourn all the SMTs that have gone into the black hole under the bench. And I
have old eyes. PTH is easier to lay out as well as assemble. And yes, SMT was
designed so robots would have something to do. I often lament the irony: when
my peepers were young the parts were huge, now that I'm decrepit the parts are
tiny. Why could it not be the other way around?<BR></P>
<P>But SMT is here and it means smaller circuits, and if you want to take
advantage of the smallness then you need to get a system that works for you. I
would not dream of hand soldering SMTs without a Metcal station. My mag lamp
has excellent glass, unlike my first foreign knock-off mag lamp which had
every form of optical distortion known to man, and I eschew anything smaller
than 0805. And then you need tiny solder, tiny solder wick, tiny tweezers,
tiny containers for the tiny parts, tiny everything! <BR></P>
<P>And then there is the relentless March of Progress i.e. new parts are not
available in PTH. So if you're totally over the moon with, say, the new
OPA1678, you're out of luck. I use PTH in my kits for obvious reasons, but the
mainline products get the SMT treatment.<BR></P>So I get you, I really do. But
when you have to, you figure out a way.<BR><BR>--timbo<BR><BR><BR>
<DIV class=moz-cite-prefix>On 7/18/2017 4:58 PM, David G Dixon
wrote:<BR></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=312215223-18072017><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial>Well, the key is WHY it is frustrating. First of
all, I have dropsy -- I drop every component at least once, it seems, on my
lap or on the floor. Drop a TH part, no big deal. Drop an SMD
part, and it winks out of existence in this part of the universe and ends up
in Captain Janeway's minestrone. Second of all, I don't see all that
well close up anymore. Third, I have never ever made what looked like
a decent looking solder joint on an SMD part. My TH joints look like
perfect little shiny volcanoes. Fourth, I have a system for TH work
which makes it go extremely quickly.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=312215223-18072017><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial>The bottom line is that I can spend more time trying to
install a single SMD resistor on a board than it takes me to stuff the
whole board with TH resistors. And when I'm done, the TH resistors
will look perfect and the SMD resistor will be at an ugly 30-degree angle to
its pads with solder all over it.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=312215223-18072017><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial>SMD was developed for robots. I don't feel a need to
hone a skill to compete with a robot, thanks.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> Tom Wiltshire [<A
class=moz-txt-link-freetext
href="mailto:tom@electricdruid.net">mailto:tom@electricdruid.net</A>]
<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, July 18, 2017 4:18 PM<BR><B>To:</B> David G
Dixon<BR><B>Cc:</B> 'Elain Klopke'; '*SYNTH DIY'<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re:
[sdiy] Need help with a SMD kit (OT?)<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>It's only
frustrating until you get some good at it. then it can be quite rewarding
to do something that you initially thought was impossible. That's pretty
much the definition of learning any new skill, isn't it?
<DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Tom</DIV>
<DIV><BR>
<DIV apple-content-edited="true">==================<BR>
Electric Druid<BR>Synth & Stompbox
DIY<BR>==================<BR><BR></DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>On 18 Jul 2017, at 22:23, David G Dixon <<A
href="mailto:dixon@mail.ubc.ca"
moz-do-not-send="true">dixon@mail.ubc.ca</A>> wrote:</DIV><BR
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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=103502221-18072017><FONT
color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial>This post sums up why I simply will not
do SMD by hand. Not... worth... the...
frustration.</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> Synth-diy [<A
class=moz-txt-link-freetext href="mailto:synth">mailto:synth</A>-<A
href="mailto:diy-bounces@synth-diy.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">diy-bounces@synth-diy.org</A>] <B>On Behalf Of
</B>Elain Klopke<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, July 18, 2017 12:16
AM<BR><B>To:</B> *SYNTH DIY<BR><B>Subject:</B> [sdiy] Need help with a
SMD kit (OT?)<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>Hey list,
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I've stepped away from the kit so I don't do more damage or throw
it against the wall in frustration.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Thanks in
advance.</DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>_______________________________________________<BR>Synth-diy
mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:Synth-diy@synth-diy.org"
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</PRE></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><PRE class=moz-signature cols="72">--
--Tim Ressel
Circuit Abbey
<A class=moz-txt-link-abbreviated href="mailto:timr@circuitabbey.com">timr@circuitabbey.com</A></PRE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>