SMD Assembly - It's easy! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 06, 2019, 07:06:33 am
content: https://youtu.be/PBaUSb_jzps

author: RobBarter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2019, 09:24:20 am
content: Watched this video a couple of days ago. Will be ordering a stencil next time I get a pcb made. Always soldered by hand as I didn't have an oven, not realising it's possible with a hot air gun. Thanks

author: DTJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2019, 11:38:56 am
content: I use the same method. I've found pre-heating the PCB on an electric skillet / frypan to around 110°Celcius for a few minutes makes the hot air reflowing work nicer.I've got a slab of 10mm aluminium plate that sits in the skillet for the PCB to lay on.

author: RobBarter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2019, 12:06:15 pm
content: I might use the same £15 EBay hot plate I bought for heating copper spreaders for MOSFET soldering.

author: Karel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2019, 12:23:30 pm
content: @SteveyG: Can you pls list the codes and brands of the solderpastes and fluxes you used in the video? Thanks a lot.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2019, 12:25:25 pm
content: There's a homebrew oven available to me at the local Hackspace, but I've never used it.I have a small £5 saucepan with a glass lid. I put a thin layer of sand in the bottom to avoid hotspots by spreading the heat. Put the board in, put on gas hob, use non-contact thermometer to intermittently monitor the temperature, and watch the progress of the flux evaporation and melting solder through the glass lid.That has worked well enough for me.When I've needed to replace a single SMD component on a board (a resistor buggered by one of the notorious 24x5x caps on the A5 board), I've placed kapton/polyimide tape over the surrounding components, and used a hot air gun with a low velocity setting.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 07, 2019, 09:19:41 am
content: Quote from: Karel on March 06, 2019, 12:23:30 pmThis was the solder paste:https://bit.ly/2IPKtlZFlux Paste:https://bit.ly/2GXkPdkAlmost 100% sure this isn't genuine Amtech flux, but it works really well.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2019, 10:16:30 am
content: Quote from: SteveyG on March 07, 2019, 09:19:41 amIn case someone wants to look at this in a year, and those links have disappeared, they are referring toMECHANIC XG-Z40 10cc Syringe Solder Paste Flux Paste Sn63/Pb37 25-45umAMTECH NC-559-ASM PCB BGA Reballing Solder Flux Paste 10CC

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 07, 2019, 02:11:51 pm
content: Thanks for that tggzzzAs a follow-on, I intend to compare a whole variety of solder pastes, fluxes and solder wire. I've only ever used/bought the "high end" solder, but not everyone is on the same budget... Hopefully this will be of use to others.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 07, 2019, 02:14:07 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 07, 2019, 10:16:30 amAlso, if anyone does use the Banggood links, make sure you use a discount code - they're almost always available in the 10 to 20% range. I think the current one is "elec"