Budget SMD Vacuum pick up tool from Jaycar (Australia) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 12:22:47 pm
content: Hey has anyone purchased and used the budget SMD vacuum pick up tool that Jaycar are selling?http://www.jaycar.com.au/Tools-%26-Soldering/Hand-Tools/Other-Hand-Tools/Budget-SMD-Vacuum-pick-up-tool/p/TH1978Just wondering if its crap or worth buying. How long does it hold vacuum for until the part drops?I've got my home brew vacuum pickup running off a tiny refrigerator compressor on the shelves but its a paint to drag out.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 12:50:11 pm
content: I have something similar. The aspect I don't like it that I pick up and position the component, then the movement required to release it moves changes the position.YMMV

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 01:27:16 pm
content: Quote from: DTJ on March 11, 2016, 12:22:47 pmUseless. I have a similar if no identical one from Farnell. I use tweezers with pointed bent tips, old school, just make sure they're non-magnetic, you only make that mistake once! I have also built a pump/hyperdermic setup, but prefer the tweezers, the pump thing for me adds no value over tweezers and is a fiddle to set up.

author: sabia
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2016, 02:07:02 pm
content: Use something like this insteadhttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QS-2008-Pick-Place-Vacuum-Suction-Pen-for-BGA-SMT-SMD-Repairing-/301813933867?hash=item464583272b:g:iJ8AAOSwgyxWXDRQCheap, simple, and works like a charm

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 02:09:19 pm
content: Thanks for the feedback guys, I think I'll keep my $20.

author: batteksystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2016, 02:22:34 pm
content: Quote from: DTJ on March 11, 2016, 12:22:47 pmA forcep is probably much more efficient if you are trained, and you can solder the parts with it.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2016, 04:25:20 am
content: I've got one, and I wouldn't call it completely worthless.If you don't have any other vacuum pickup tool, it is useful for picking up an setting down IC's.Not on a pasted board, mind you. Just for arranging them if and when the need may arise. Instead of pressing the button to release the IC, you just push it down with the IC at a slight angle and it releases itself. I straightened the needle so it is straight so this tool becomes good for, say, when you dump a bunch of quad flat packs out on your bench and then realize they are all oriented the wrong way from how you need them. You can use this to quickly pick them up, spin, and easily/accurately drop them, one after the other, by pushing the IC down where you want it. Then you can use your regular pickup tool or tweezers to place them. With a regular pickup tool you can't do that because of how your finger must hold the button/hole and due to the needle being bent.I have 3 "proper" vacuum pickup tools.I got one included with my combo hot air station. Works fine.I bought a stand alone pickup tool for $50.00, to use with a foot pedal. Works fine. (I could have wired up a foot switch to my hot air station, but that thing is a real PITA to work on, due to the design of the housing. Not worth saving $50.00)Finally, I got a Hakko 394. Yeah, it feels like the manufacturer/distributors get a 1000% markup on this little thing. But it's so worth the money for being cordless. I have enough cords on my bench. This thing is a real gem. A true time saver. The cat's meow. Some of the best money I ever spent on techie tools. Knowing what I know, now, I would buy this and a cheapie squeeze toy pickup tool. I would have saved $150+ dollars playing with other electric pickup stations, and the 394onlycosts $100.00.If you want to save money, there are lots of cheaper alternative. And there are some cons to having a finger-operated button (not really for how I use it; in fact, much of the time, I'm just leaving my finger on the button all the time and letting the paste/flux grab the part when it touches down on the board, disturbing the seal; or I'm letting go just before actually placing the part, and it will stay on long enough to place but release itself with the slightest touch). But if you end up using a pickup tool much, at all, you might want to see if this little guy works for you.