You already know most of it through reasoning.
The glue thing is done industrially sometimes esp. for bottom side wave
soldering. I don't think it is practical at home.
Hand soldering can be done in two simple ways:
Tin one pad, place component with tweezers and tack this pad, solder other
pad, return to do first pad properly.
Same works for ICs and stuff, start with diagonal pads.
Version two, take a wood board, and attach a piece of steel wire to one
corner (maybe 2mm dia, if nothing else is at hand coathanger should work)
Bend the wire around in a upside-down U so the other end presses down
about in the center of the board. This will be your third hand that holds
the compoent in place while you solder. Sounds a bit awkward to use, but
it's surprisingly easy.
Or you can use solder paste, you need special SMD solder paste which is
solder bearing and stays gel like even when heated. Plumbing paste doesn't
work. You apply small dabs of it on the pads, and roughly place the
component (it will self-center). Then you heat the thing with hot air
(good heat gun), or in a small oven, or on a hotplate like a skillet if it
is single-sided. For ICs you can make beads of paste that go right across
the pins, it will be pulled to the pins by surface tension.
ST
On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 05:50:31 +0100, Dale Mosby <dale@...> wrote:
> I have made some printed circuit boards using common components
>
> requiring drilling. I would like to start using some simple surface
>
> mount resistors, capacitors, and transistors to reduce drilling and
>
> reduce space. I am wondering about the best techinque to use these
>
> devices on boards.
>
>
> I did a bit of experimenting with a board using some 1206 size
>
> resistors and it seems that using these components will be quite a
>
> useful addition to board construction.
>
>
> One recommendation I heard was to use just a small bit of glue to hold
>
> the components in place, then once all places come back and solder
>
> them all. I tried this and it did work, but I have some concern about
>
> the stability of the glue over time and how this might impact long
>
> term reliablity.
>
>
> I also tried just holding a resistor in place with some tweezers and
>
> soldering them. This also worked but obviously requires an extra hand.
>
>
> I would like to know what sort of techniques people use to place
>
> these. I also see mention of using flux paste and I am wondering if
>
> this is solder bearing paste. Does this hold a component in place such
>
> that it won't simply adhear to the tip of the soldering iron?