I've got a question for all you SMT gurus:
So... I've designed my first PCB with SMD components, 10 x 0805 package resistors, the rest of it is through-hole. I don't have a hot air station, but I do have a decent temperature controlled iron. What are my chances of successfully soldering the resistors on with an iron? And should I try and find some paste solder or can I pull it off with a small coil solder?
-K
You can definitely pull it off with some small solder and even an ok iron. I've only done a few but this video uses the same method I was shown:
http://youtu.be/EWeAOemTY_E
If you can make it to a meeting, I can bring my iron and we can do a few. dragorn is better at it than I am, and I'm sure he'd offer some advice.
Should be no problem.
I suggest tinning one pad, then heating up the solder blob and sliding the resistor into it with tweezers. Then quickly solder the other side of the resistor once it's tacked down.
For completeness you can go back to the first side and add a little more solder & flux.
I have, with some degree of frustration, soldered down to 0402 with just tweezers and an iron. It's easier than you fear!
Definitely something we can help with at a meeting.
Ping us on IRC too if you want to discuss technique
I use a pancake griddle. I put a tiny bit of solder paste on each pad, then use tweezers to put the 0805s on the PCB. For the larger parts I use a stencil, but for the 0805s, I don't. Then I place the PCB on the griddle and turn it up to 375F. I bought my griddle at Walmart. I have a toaster too, but haven't used it for this purpose.I think the toaster would work better, although with the griddle I can do a few boards at once.
Then GRIDDLE TIME.
For a handful of SMT I find it much quicker to do them with an iron. If you're making several boards or doing more than a dozen components, griddle and a stencil win the day.
Thanks guys. This board's got 10 resistors, although by the time I'm done revising it, it may have more (Scope Creep!!) Life is always hectic, but I'm going to try and make the meeting on the 8th.
-K
Professor K - how are you making out?
I'm just getting started with some "toaster oven" SMD and am having some success with components down to 0603....
What do you think of my chances of switching out a SMD audio plug on a motherboard?? I've never tried removing or soldering a SMD component before but my technique is good for through-hole components. I can't make meetings because I work evenings M-F. I'll listen to any opinions...
That's an interesting question. It would depend on what kind of iron and tip you have to work with, I think, and how tight the layout of the motherboard is. There are definitely lots of video tutorials for SMD on YouTube, if you want to go it alone, or maybe if you can make it to one of the Saturday events once we get them scheduled somebody could take a look, give you some advice, or maybe lend a hand.
We've been talking about setting up some PCB design and fab workshops later this year, with one of them focused on SMD. Keep an eye out for those; maybe you could get some useful information from that.