Homebrew PCBs

Hi,

I think it was Stefan that had asked me if the tips for this unit were
plated and I didn't know what to say.  Since I have 3 SMD PCBs waiting to be
assembled, I figured it was time to use this unit.  I had tried in the past,
but the ends of the tips had an usable angle, making it virtually impossible
to pick up the components properly.

So I aligned the tips on the tweezers, fired up a narrow cutting disk and
squeezed it with the tweezers making for a nice flat contact area.  The new
finish appeared to be identical to the rest of the tip, it looked like the
entire tip was fabicated with the same metal.  It's always possible that the
plating was the same colour, but I couldn't tell outside in mid-day sun.
I've uploaded 2 pictures here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/files/Surface_Mount/

The inside of the tip appears orange, but that's because I took the picture
AFTER making a few test solders.  It was initially the same colour as the
shiniest silver near the base of the tip.  The modified tips worked
beautifully; the components pick up nicely and heat transfers very well now.
I have no idea how long they will last, time will tell.  Actually,  I will
tell, 'cause I'll report back here if these suckers don't last the rest of
the day.

Technique:
- I applied a bit of solder on each land using my regular soldering iron
then I picked up the component with the soldering tweezers and put it in
place, piece of cake.  Moving a misaligned component was a breeze, just let
the tips dip into the solder at both ends and re-arrange the component to
your liking.
- The station came with a rubber pad that you can unpack your components
onto, so they don't run away when they fall out the tape.  I used fine
tweezers to flip them right-side-up, I like being able to see the values on
assembled components.  You can bring this rubber pad close to your work and
pick the components with the soldering tweezers without having to hold them
too long.

Robert
:)



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