Homebrew PCBs

In a message dated 8/15/2004 2:33:20 PM Central Standard Time, 
tomg@... writes:
I am interested in trying to solder whole pcboards at once, with something 
like a solder pot.  Has anyone here had any experience with that?  Has anyone 
done it "at home"?   Anything to share about it?
If you have never DONE that for hours in a "professional assembly house", you 
are asking for PAIN and damage!  

This process is done by "wave soldering" where a WAVE or "linear bump" of 
solder is pumped up with the rig, in the middle of a tank of molten solder, so 
that the crest of the wave just-touches the bottom of the PCB as it moves along 
on a speed-controlled track. 

Go trying to "dip-solder" an entire board will WARP the boards, NOT solder 
every point, cause a general mess with lots of "solder-bridges" that will have 
to be cleaned off manually, which will take even LONGER than simply soldering 
the entire PCB with a good clean iron of the correct size/tip!

Solder-alloy (tin/lead) costs a FORTUNE, these days, and if OSHA ever gets 
wind of your hopes of doing this, they will come knocking at your door, asking 
for the assay of your solder, to insure there is less than 0.003% lead in it 
(or whatever bureacratically-chosen number), and that all the equipment you are 
using is approved by the FDA, FEC, surely several federally sanctioned 
labor-unions, etc.  Next, DOING a few boards, assuming you manage to get it working 
as you want, will result in contamination of the solder-pot, requiring some 
metal-purification proceedures I don't even KNOW where/what/ how-much!  Not to 
mention the effects dissolved COPPER has on the solder (same story).

COOKING UTENSILS are not DESIGNED for melting 20 kG of solder, and even if 
you DO manage to find something that will make a giant solder-pot that will melt 
60-40, it probably won't remain mechanically intact long enough for you to 
shut it down, after the first trial, and you will become an involuntary 
track-star, running from the giant hungry puddle of molten solder chasing you across 
the floor and out into the street!

If you think I sound like a pessimist, read this again while you are laid-up 
with your feet bundled in greasy medicated gauze in a "cranked up" 
hospital-bed, as you read your medical invoice!

Jan Rowland, OLD troll who has BEEN there, but (barely) had sense enough NOT 
to have DONE that!


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