SMT Work In The Ham Radio Shack WHAT TOOLS Are Required..?
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SMT Work In The Ham Radio Shack WHAT TOOLS Are Required..?
 
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Hello Good People..!
The title of this post say's it all really.. If one were going to succumb to the inevitable of the future... and include SMT WORK in the Shack in the same way we have undertaken general work with thru-hole technology... What Tools WOULD be required..? (In The Shack) To do a wide varying range of jobs that we see both NOW and possibly in the future..? I'm sure that everyone here would be VERY interested in folk's out there "ideas" ..."know-how's" ...PICTURES (hint hint !) and website links for sure... Apologies if this has been discussed previously to this depth... Just thought it an interesting Thread for everyone involved "newbie's" And "Pro's" alike.. 73's Andy GM0NWI No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.4.1/1516 - Release Date: 24/06/2008 07:53 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: SMT Work In The Ham Radio Shack WHAT TOOLS Are Required..?
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Andy and all,
While there are several exotic tools and materials available for doing SMD work, I would prefer to speak to those who might only do it on occasion - maybe a single project that does not require such things as soldering paste and heat guns. About the best reference I know of for working with SMD in the ham shack is contained in the instructions from Tom Hammond for the SMD version of the K6XX CW tuning indicator. You may download that pdf file from Tom's website www.n0ss.net. A short version of the technique is to use small diameter solder (too much solder will cause a real mess). Just apply a small amount of solder to one pad (a corner pad for an IC) - then position the component and heat that pre-soldered pad (this step will stick the component in place). Now solder the other lead(s) and go back to the first one if there is any doubt about its integrity. Mop up any excess solder with solder wick and you are done. Steady hands are also helpful, but if one has learned how to support and work with unsteady hands, it can even be done by those folks. I would say that everyone needs to experiment a bit before tackling something important and of value. There are small inexpensive projects (Softrock for one) which serve that purpose. Another low or no-cost practice item is a scrap computer card or board - that can give you experience in removing components and putting them back on. So if you already have small diameter solder and a temperature controlled iron, you only need some solder wick and some device to pick up and hold those tiny components. One big hint that I can offer - do *not* attempt to use curved nose tweezers, one cannot control the squeezing force and they are guaranteed to launch the small components and make them 'vacuum cleaner fodder'. I use straight tweezers with tips that taper to a point with good success, YMMV. A tube of solder flux comes in handy at times when the solder just won't flow right, and a magnifying device of your choosing is almost mandatory - even if you don't need it for soldering, you will need it for close inspection. There are several sources of information on the web about using solder paste, toaster ovens, heat guns, etc. If you are going to be doing quite a few boards and don't mind the expense of these tools go for it, but SMD work *can* be done easily with the tools many builders already have available. 73, Don W3FPR Andy - GM0NWI wrote: > Hello Good People..! > > The title of this post say's it all really.. > > If one were going to succumb to the inevitable of the future... and include > SMT WORK in the Shack in the same way we have undertaken general work with > thru-hole technology... > > What Tools WOULD be required..? (In The Shack) > > To do a wide varying range of jobs that we see both NOW and possibly in the > future..? > > I'm sure that everyone here would be VERY interested in folk's out there > "ideas" ..."know-how's" > ...PICTURES (hint hint !) and website links for sure... > > Apologies if this has been discussed previously to this depth... Just > thought it an interesting Thread for everyone involved "newbie's" And > "Pro's" alike.. > > Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Andy Cunningham-2
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Re: SMT Work In The Ham Radio Shack WHAT TOOLS Are Required..?
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In reply to this post by Andy Cunningham-2
Andy and all,
While there are several exotic tools and materials available for doing SMD work, I would prefer to speak to those who might only do it on occasion - maybe a single project that does not require such things as soldering paste and heat guns. About the best reference I know of for working with SMD in the ham shack is contained in the instructions from Tom Hammond for the SMD version of the K6XX CW tuning indicator. You may download that pdf file from Tom's website www.n0ss.net. A short version of the technique is to use small diameter solder (too much solder will cause a real mess). Just apply a small amount of solder to one pad (a corner pad for an IC) - then position the component and heat that pre-soldered pad (this step will stick the component in place). Now solder the other lead(s) and go back to the first one if there is any doubt about its integrity. Mop up any excess solder with solder wick and you are done. Steady hands are also helpful, but if one has learned how to support and work with unsteady hands, it can even be done by those folks. I would say that everyone needs to experiment a bit before tackling something important and of value. There are small inexpensive projects (Softrock for one) which serve that purpose. Another low or no-cost practice item is a scrap computer card or board - that can give you experience in removing components and putting them back on. So if you already have small diameter solder and a temperature controlled iron, you only need some solder wick and some device to pick up and hold those tiny components. One big hint that I can offer - do *not* attempt to use curved nose tweezers, one cannot control the squeezing force and they are guaranteed to launch the small components and make them 'vacuum cleaner fodder'. I use straight tweezers with tips that taper to a point with good success, YMMV. A tube of solder flux comes in handy at times when the solder just won't flow right, and a magnifying device of your choosing is almost mandatory - even if you don't need it for soldering, you will need it for close inspection. There are several sources of information on the web about using solder paste, toaster ovens, heat guns, etc. If you are going to be doing quite a few boards and don't mind the expense of these tools go for it, but SMD work *can* be done easily with the tools many builders already have available. 73, Don W3FPR _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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Re: SMT Work In The Ham Radio Shack WHAT TOOLS Are Required..?
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In reply to this post by Andy Cunningham-2
> I'm sure that everyone here would be VERY interested in folk's out
> there > "ideas" ..."know-how's" > ...PICTURES (hint hint !) and website links for sure... > > Apologies if this has been discussed previously to this depth... Just > thought it an interesting Thread for everyone involved "newbie's" And > "Pro's" alike.. Well, we all have our own opinions. I have built several boards using a standard iron with a small tip and small diameter solder. I was not pleased the the result as I never quite got the parts to lie perfectly on their pads. A query on the SoftRock list brought several responses. As a result I got a $20 heat embossing gun and some solder paste. Total investment: $25. It works great but the embossing gun *can* get the board too hot if you are not careful. Since I found myself working on multiple board and with the prospect for more in the future I ended up investing $80 in a temperature controlled hot-air rework gun with multiple tips to direct the hot air where I want it. I find it perfect for rework on SMT boards. I can easily remove a single component and then put it back in again. I find it even works well on through-hole boards for getting things like chips out. So, for someone starting from scratch: 1. heat gun -- an embossing tool or, better still, a temperature- controlled hot-air rework tool; 2. a syringe of solder paste. The solder paste has a shelf-life of 6+ months when kept in the refrigerator. So you can approach this any way you want to. I personally find that an $80 temperature-controlled hot-air gun with solder paste works really well for me. YMMV. Brian Lloyd Granite Bay Montessori School 9330 Sierra College Bl brian AT gbmontessori DOT com Roseville, CA 95661 +1.916.367.2131 (voice) +1.791.912.8170 (fax) PGP key ID: 12095C52A32A1B6C PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0 CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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