Do you guys think something like this can be hand soldered? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: alank2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:10:03 pm
content: Hi,https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/amphenol-fci/69802-132LF/609-3479-ND/2023294I'd prefer to do a SMD one as it is shorter than the PTH. Do you think you can get an iron around the black parts to the leads?Thanks,Alan

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:17:46 pm
content: I very much doubt it. You wouldn't get the iron underneath without damaging the plastic if I'm interpreting the datasheet correctly. You'd need to reflow oven that with solder paste or butcher the connector.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:24:05 pm
content: Yes, I've done it - but it's a pain in the ass!Prepare for some nasty smells and plastic loss, I remember loosing the entire bottom plastic web on some samples, it didn't seem to cause any bowing on 44pin sockets though. Be careful not to get solder on the contact spring faces too.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:26:37 pm
content: A cheap hot-air soldering station might help. I would expect a soldering iron to be very annoying and messy.

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:30:13 pm
content: I've soldered MANY of them over the years, nice THIN tip, no problem at all. Cut out the internal bits (or some of them). Clean as a whistle :-)

author: Buriedcode
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:31:46 pm
content: I've done it, but for the 44 and 84 pin sockets. The only way I could do it (back in the day) was use a craft knife to cut the plastic tabs holding the inner plastic square on.Lay it on a flat surface, and one by one cut those tabs, remove the bottom plastic 'floor'. Tidy up the cut tabs with the knife, and now you have enough room to access all the pins with a soldering iron .Best to add some flux to each pin (just wipe across the pins when its on the PCB and roughly in place) and then tack it into place by soldering a couple of pins on opposite corners. Then its just a case of either drag soldering, or adding a tiny blob of solder to the iron and letting the flux do its thing on each pin.

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:34:31 pm
content: HiCan you not use a version where the leads are outside of the plastic package?I am not sure if they still make them

author: NivagSwerdna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:37:40 pm
content: Quote from: alank2 on July 16, 2017, 01:10:03 pmLooks really hard.These things are IR reflowed in production so hot air with the correct profile might work. You need to be very careful with the profile (I don't think my hot airstation is accurate enough)

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 01:40:34 pm
content: You can vary the distance between gun and PCB to kind of ramp up the temperature. But it might take a few tries to get a feel for it. A pre-heater, if available, would help.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 02:13:42 pm
content: BuriedCode explains the way I did it decades ago. What I recall, and this may be the alcohol talking, is that you can peel off the plastic part once the leads are soldered, then you can pop another, intact, plastic thing on the leads. Carefully.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 02:58:48 pm
content: I'd definitely use hot air.

author: Buriedcode
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2017, 05:13:16 pm
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on July 16, 2017, 02:13:42 pmIf you're talking about the plastic housing then.. nope. I don't think you can remove the plastic when its soldered - although the contacts can relatively easily 'pop out'. Also, the problem with hand soldering these is the bottom plastic 'floor', which isn't' really required as the PLCC package sits on the pin contacts anyway.I'm unsure why people are recommending hot air, or thermal profiles... how many do you need to solder? Can easily be done in under a minute, even with a fairly broad 3mm chisel bit.

author: BurnedResistor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2017, 07:32:01 am
content: Quote from: alank2 on July 16, 2017, 01:10:03 pmMight be worth setting up two footprints on top of each other. If the SMD fails you fall back on TH. Not sure if the footprints are correctly sized to do that tho.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2017, 11:33:08 am
content: Quote from: Buriedcode on July 16, 2017, 05:13:16 pmThe bigger PLCC sockets, for sure. Those thin spidery ones may be too fragile.

author: alank2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2017, 12:26:56 pm
content: I was looking at this:http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&itemSeq=233365678&uq=636358723353916325It says it has a high temp insulator compatible with IR reflow.Ultimately I am making a project that is giong to be mostly SMD, but it will be an open available project for others do I don't want it to require hot air/reflow tools. Perhaps I should just go PTH, but the height of the socket is right at the max I can deal with.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2017, 12:39:22 pm
content: I've done these - the trick is to cut out the central plastic bottom part to get better access to the pins.An alternative way is to paste the pads, place the socket then flow each pin with along thin iron.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2017, 12:43:47 pm
content: Quote from: digsys on July 16, 2017, 01:30:13 pmYep, done many of them by hand too, it can actually make a neater job than hot air does but mix it up, use solder paste and a soldering iron, saves having to try and feed solder in as well as juggling the iron etc.*edit* Agh, that'll tech me to read all the replies. What Mike said, works perfectly.If you're *really* careful and have a thin soldering iron tip you can do them without removing the plastic plate in the middle which is there to stop you pushing the chip through the socket but it makes it more fiddly and harder to inspect your work.