Homebrew PCBs

You wouldn't _have_ to upset the rivet.  Insert rivet, solder head side, invert board, solder tails, pick up rivets whose heads weren't soldered, repeat.  I do know that you wouldn't get the stability that the double head would give you doing this, but it might be OK for low volume, non-critical boards.  For volume or critical, THP is the only way to go.

I was surprised at the size of the head of those 0.4mm rivets.  I wouldn't have thought that much head was necessary or desirable.  But I don't know anything about this process.

Donald.
----- "Philip Pemberton" <ygroups@...> wrote:

> sailingto wrote:
> > Phil, I have used rivets very similar to those in the .8mm size.
> The
> > tool I have is a Panapress with the punches - they work nice
> indeed.
> > High density would be a problem.  My use is normally for via from
> one
> > side of board to other and my boards are NOT dense.
> 
> I take it you mean something more like this?
> 
> http://www.megauk.com/through_hole_rivets.php
> 
> The drill sizes seem a little more reasonable (0.8mm rivet needs 1.0mm
> 
> hole, and there's a 0.4->0.6mm rivet for finer pitch work), as do the
> 
> prices (about £25 for a pack of a thousand rivets, about 1/10th of the
> 
> price of the CIF parts). Problem is the tooling is much more 
> expensive... £250 for the press, then £91 for each die set (one
> required 
> for each size). Ugh.
> 
> Think I'll stick with wire-wrap wire, the 0.5mm drill bit and a needle
> 
> file for now...
> 
> -- 
> Phil.
> ygroups@...
> http://www.philpem.me.uk/
>