SMD Identification - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: rohilla.hitesh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 05:55:59 am
content: Hello to allI am an electronics engineering graduate and I want to learn SMD Technology. I mean in our college curriculum we got clear and nice introduction about basic of throw hole devices like there colour code and type. i want to learn SMD in that context. i even not able to recognise them. From where i can learn SMD Basics at least nice introductions from SMD in which i can learn component identification.kindly refer me some links / videos / books or anything that i can go hrough.in hope of early response from you.RegardsHitesh Kumar

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 06:04:07 am
content: SMd is really easy to pick up as you need to. The package names are Just abbreviations for the package type. Just stay away from piss ant packages at first. A soic 8 and 0805 passive s are a good place to start. The wiki is good.

author: rohilla.hitesh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 06:25:39 am
content: @smashedProton: Thanks for reply but sorry i didn't get u a single bit

author: rohilla.hitesh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 07:09:05 am
content: Well I know and understand hat packages are and have gone through google and know terms like SOIC or similar but that doesn't tell me the value of a resistor, its wattage and tolerance as i identify THT components. anyone please tel me from where i should start and get knowledge of basic components as it is for through hole devices.

author: andreiu21
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 05:31:37 pm
content: Reading the value codes from SMD resistor is simple.You have to apply exactly the color code for resistors, but instead the colours you have directly each numbers. (as eg. a resistor with "203" code in it will have the value of 20K ohms).More about color code at resistors here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_color_codeGood luck.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 07:37:31 pm
content: ^^. Mind blown

author: nicknails
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2013, 11:43:27 pm
content: Don't forget that R is a decimal point. So 30R1 would be a 30.1 Ohm.

author: evanmods
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 12:21:34 am
content: Yeah, Im looking for the same kind of info. In my high school electronics class we went over the same through-hole devices. We did minor soldering projects but nothing ever with SMD. Thank you for the help. I will keep following this thread too!

author: Harvs
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 12:37:46 am
content: Well for IC's it's nothing more than has already been said, where possible just read the part number and pop it into google.But when talking about passives pretty much the best you'll get is the value printed on them (and often not in the case of caps.) For things like power limits, tolerance etc most of the time just isn't put on SMD components. There's simply no room, and from a practical perspective there's no point. With SMD parts it's assumed you're just assembling a board from a reel of parts, and the reel will have all the identifying information on it.If however you need to replace a part without the original schematic, or the schematic doesn't give you a part number or spec as such, then it's a matter of making an educated guess. e.g. an 0805 resistor will typically be 1/8W, and unless it's in a low tolerance part of a circuit, a 1% metal film will usually be fine.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 02:03:56 am
content: I think this is what the original poster is looking for:http://www.instructables.com/id/Reading-Surface-Mount-Resistor-codes/It's only useful for resistors. Other passives are typically not marked (and resistors aren't always marked either).

author: 2nOrderEDO
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 01:02:05 pm
content: I think this book is a good option for you:"Mastering Surface Mount Technology", from Elektor. Even Dave did a review about this book, check it out:http://www.elektor.com/products/books/electronics/en-mastering-surface-mounted-technology.2235204.lynkx

author: metalphreak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 01:02:25 pm
content: Ah wasn't there some massive document Dave Jones wrote about all this?I may be thinking of something else and confusing it with his PCB routing doc...

author: rohilla.hitesh
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 02:11:28 pm
content: Thanks a ton guys for all these great information it really help me a lot. But i know i have to understand and to read more to get more. specially that 1% table and to identify components that don't have notations on it.Thanks for your kind sharing of knowledge.RegardsHitesh Kumar

author: nicknails
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2013, 02:13:44 pm
content: Like other have said, most of the parts are too small to write anything other than a code on it. Some IC's just have a 3 or 4 digit code and it can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you're not familiar with the product, there's really no choice but to look it up.I also hate how surface mount ceramics don't have any markings at all. Seriously, there's no way a manufacturer can come up with a simple way to mark them?

author: metalphreak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2013, 01:55:10 pm
content: Quote from: nicknails on March 12, 2013, 02:13:44 pmSeeing how they manufacture them, I can see why labelling might be too difficult and costly to bother implementing.

author: Noize
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2013, 02:05:47 pm
content: This is a very good page to help identify smd. Bookmark this!http://www.marsport.org.uk/smd/mainframe.htmScroll down this page to get markings for surface mount capacitors.http://library.solarbotics.net/pieces/parts_elect_pass_cap_code.html