EEVblog #740 - LitePlacer Pick & Place Machine Kit Unboxing - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 12:43:19 am
content: Dave unboxes the LitePlacer SMD Pick & Place machine kit.Available here:http://www.liteplacer.com/

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 01:17:41 am
content: Was the embedded video of it working sped up by you?If so, why?If not, it's actually quite a bit slower than that.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 02:18:58 am
content: Quote from: Artlav on May 04, 2015, 01:17:41 amYeah I sped it up, oops!Wanted to show it actually doing something in the short time the clip was up and didn't think that could be deceptive. Yes it's much slower than that.

author: redshift
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 04:51:22 am
content: I find the thought of cheap usb endoscopes bizarre. For one thing, proper endoscopes blow air to inflate the digestive tract for better visibility.I wonder what other people are buying these for...Edit:I guess these would also be useful for looking in pipes and other tricky places.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 05:18:22 am
content: Quote from: redshift on May 04, 2015, 04:51:22 amThe vast majority of endoscopes are not of the digestive tract type. There are numerous rigid stick and bendy endoscopes made for all sorts of inspection purposes.

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 07:07:12 am
content: Quote from: redshift on May 04, 2015, 04:51:22 amI have put one inside of a motor from the spark plug hole.

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 07:13:03 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on May 04, 2015, 02:18:58 amThe video on the front page shows the true speed of the machine. The actual pick and place stuff starts about two minutes in. A few comments about the speed:- The first part of its type is picked and placed slow (and carefully), as it is measuring the part height.- The current software measures the location for each part, which is rather stupid. There will be a software release in the near future that does it only for the first and last part; that info is enough to find the location of the parts in between.- The speed is tunable. It can move somewhat faster than in the video, but not hugely so.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 08:23:16 am
content: The Victorinox minichamp is back!I'm sure the smiley-face stepper motors were over unity for a moment there. You should take some measurements.

author: abaxas
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 09:59:35 am
content: Saw this in action at the UK Maker Faire. Great thing about it is that it's been designed by a proper EE who can explain every detail of how it works, why he built it, etc.Top bloke too.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 10:17:32 am
content: Quote from: redshift on May 04, 2015, 04:51:22 amThe correct term is reallyborescope, I doubt anybody is using a USB thing from ebay to insert into themselves (an endoscope).Commonly used in engines (looking into the cylinder bore), aviation (eg inspecting inside wings), drainage and plumbing etc.

author: plex
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 11:27:51 am
content: Love your channel Dave!Kind of relevant information: many solder pastes can last for 24 hours on the stencil and still achieve full performance.And the latest development from loctitehttp://www.henkel-adhesives.com/loctite-g10-solder-47933.htm72 hours on stencil life.

author: lampbus
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 01:21:24 pm
content: I also saw this last week at the UK Maker Fare in Newcastle.Chap seemed really nice and knowledgeable and the mechanical layout looks good.The software also looks like it is well thought out, but I have no experience of other placement kit.Picking up from component strips with the tape cover peeled works - especially as this is not intended for mas production. This saves complicated cassette feeders - but be careful not to sneeze. I saw someone had put a smt component tape peeler holder on thingiverse (or youmagine) which may be a development. I have also seen someone driving the tape using a pin (or the pickup snoz, but you need to keep that free of side loading if possible). The peeled cover can be held out of the way by a string and a small weight ?I was there right at/after closing, and unfortunately I was one demonstration too many - the wiring to the vertical sensor microswitch failed and it crunched its head...but it was fixed by swapping in a new pickup needle & adaptor. Lesson to learn here = use real flex cables and terminate to the flexing doesn't happen at the solder joints !(I recall a lot of 3D printers specified/supplied cheap ethernet cable to connect moving motors - the last type of cable that should be used.)

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 03:56:39 pm
content: Quote from: lampbus on May 04, 2015, 01:21:24 pmYep, Sloppy wiring from my part. That incident is the reason the instructions now read "When you install cabling, pay attention to moving parts of the machine. If the machine movement twists cables from connection or solder joints, the connection will eventually fail. Do attach the cables to the machine so, that movements bend the cables from the insulated sections."

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 08:06:20 pm
content: I like the stepper motor trick. I just tried it and it works pretty well

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2015, 10:39:29 pm
content: Quote from: redshift on May 04, 2015, 04:51:22 amthere are holes you dont want to blow into

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2015, 09:53:01 am
content: Quote from: Rasz on May 04, 2015, 10:39:29 pmAnd there are holes that blow right back at you if you do.

author: open loop
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2015, 06:45:54 pm
content: I know Dave would probably do it, but it would be cool to see a time laps of this thing being built by David. Just a suggestion

author: Bitstream
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 05, 2015, 09:45:07 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on May 05, 2015, 09:53:01 amThat's why, instead of an endoscope, you need a beginoscope -so the wrong hole doesn't blow back at you

author: dynorat
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 06, 2015, 03:27:50 am
content: Dave just wanted to know what happen to the live feed athttp://connectcast.tv/eevblogdid you change it.

author: senso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2015, 06:27:03 pm
content: It does two separate moves when going to pick-up the part, could optimize that to one single move and make it faster.

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2015, 07:31:35 pm
content: Quote from: senso on May 07, 2015, 06:27:03 pmYes. This is on my to do list.

author: alien_douglas
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2015, 05:48:16 am
content: Nice to see you do the stepper motor trick Dave.I used to do this in my early days as an IBM electronic repair engineer in the 80's.Motors out of large printers worked exceptionally well and the driven motors even had a bit of torque.Well, it kept me amused for a bit.It is still amazing that most people I have told about this don't believe that it does actually work.I can point them to this video... Excellent.Alien

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 10, 2015, 07:50:29 am
content: Quote from: open loop on May 05, 2015, 06:45:54 pmYes, that's the plan.The live machine is being set back up too, so might be able to live stream it.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2015, 04:45:30 pm
content: So was the assembling ever finished ?

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2015, 01:47:10 am
content: Any updates?

author: Nik
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2015, 05:09:21 am
content: So, how is it going?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 04, 2015, 06:02:48 am
content: Quote from: Nik on November 04, 2015, 05:09:21 amIt's not.David2 is unavailable, and well, I don't have the time to sit down for a few days and assemble it.

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 11:01:48 am
content: FYI: Here is a timelapse of a build, courtesy of Elektor Magazine:

author: pfried
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 30, 2016, 05:14:31 pm
content: Would be a pity if it would end up in the shelf. I would take it and do a review on it

author: Nagle
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 06:47:30 pm
content: It's been another year. Did this thing ever get assembled?Dangerous Prototypes got one in 2015, and they don't seem to have gotten past the unboxing either.http://dangerousprototypes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=7082I've been trying to find a review on line from a real customer who paid for one, put it together, and made some boards, but there's nothing. Is it just too hard to get it assembled and working, or what?

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 12:49:29 pm
content: it was free, so why bother assembling?