How to solder (by hand) 01005s?

[Michael]

Howdy gentleman - I got into surface mount soldering about 4 years
ago. The first board I did was full of 1206s and 1210s, along with a
couple 0805s, along with a TSSOP. Man those 0805s scared me. I did the
TSSOP with the flood technique. On my next board, I used all 0805s and
by that time was comfortable with them. I did a TQFP on that board
with the flood technique still. After that, I switched to 0603s and
got comfortable with them. I also switched to the drag technique for
ICs. A couple years have gone by now and I've stuck with 0603s. I had
to send out a new PCB a couple weeks ago, and so I decided I'd throw
some 0402, 0201, and 01005 pads on an unused part of the PCB. So - I
got the PCBs on Monday along with some parts to throw on those pads.
The 0402s were a breeze - only the slightest bit harder to solder than
0603s. The 0201s stepped up the game a bit, but were still fairly
straightforward. However, the 01005s were another story. I barely
could even see the things!

My standard technique is to put a small ball of solder on one pad,
pick up the discrete with my tweezers at about a 45 degree angle away
from vertical, then heat up the pad that already has solder on it and
hold the part in it while removing my iron. This technique worked just
fine for the 0402s and 0201s. The 01005s, however, just were too
darned small. I mean my tweezers pretty much covered the entire part.
I think I might try and find some ultra fine tipped tweezers (the tips
on mine are maybe .5mm wide). Is that all I can do, or are there some
clever techniques to solder these buggers that I just don't know
about?

Thanks!

-Michael

 

[Joerg]

Howdy gentleman - I got into surface mount soldering about 4 years
ago. The first board I did was full of 1206s and 1210s, along with a
couple 0805s, along with a TSSOP. Man those 0805s scared me. I did the
TSSOP with the flood technique. On my next board, I used all 0805s and
by that time was comfortable with them. I did a TQFP on that board
with the flood technique still. After that, I switched to 0603s and
got comfortable with them. I also switched to the drag technique for
ICs. A couple years have gone by now and I've stuck with 0603s. I had
to send out a new PCB a couple weeks ago, and so I decided I'd throw
some 0402, 0201, and 01005 pads on an unused part of the PCB. So - I
got the PCBs on Monday along with some parts to throw on those pads.
The 0402s were a breeze - only the slightest bit harder to solder than
0603s. The 0201s stepped up the game a bit, but were still fairly
straightforward. However, the 01005s were another story. I barely
could even see the things!

My standard technique is to put a small ball of solder on one pad,
pick up the discrete with my tweezers at about a 45 degree angle away
from vertical, then heat up the pad that already has solder on it and
hold the part in it while removing my iron. This technique worked just
fine for the 0402s and 0201s. The 01005s, however, just were too
darned small. I mean my tweezers pretty much covered the entire part.
I think I might try and find some ultra fine tipped tweezers (the tips
on mine are maybe .5mm wide). Is that all I can do, or are there some
clever techniques to solder these buggers that I just don't know
about?

And absolutely no coffee drinking for three days

 

[Michael]

And absolutely no coffee drinking for three days

Believe it or not, I haven't had coffee even once in my entire life.
The smell just bothers me so much and I like my pearly whites to stay
pearly white . I also typically avoid all caffeinated things like
the plague.

I think this makes me a bit of a freak. But in a good way. I think.

-Michael

 

[Joerg]

Believe it or not, I haven't had coffee even once in my entire life.
The smell just bothers me so much and I like my pearly whites to stay
pearly white . I also typically avoid all caffeinated things like
the plague.

I think this makes me a bit of a freak. But in a good way. I think.

That's probably why you are one of the few who dare to solder 0201 ;-)

 

[DJ Delorie]

Ah, the quantum capacitors.

The only reliable (to my sanity at least) way I've found to solder
such small parts is with solder paste - dab a dot of paste on each
pad, place the part, use the iron on the copper NEAR the pad (don't
touch the part - the surface tension will pull against it) and let the
heat reflow the paste. For bigger parts, you can put the iron right
in the paste.

I have a set of tweezers with needle points, the tips are about 10
thou across. Sometimes, though, a sharpened toothpick works better.
I place the part with the tweezers, then hold it down with something
else while I solder.

You could probably pre-solder the pads, and use the "heat near the
pads" trick to melt it without the iron actually touching the part,
which gives you more room for the tweezers.

Or use paste and a reflow oven or hotplate. I usually use a hotplate
(at home) for my smt parts.

SMD challenge board prototype:
http://www.delorie.com/pcb/smd-challenge/old/proto-boards.html

My first 01005 part, hand soldered (wire, no paste):
http://www.delorie.com/pcb/first.html

 

[D from BC]

Howdy gentleman - I got into surface mount soldering about 4 years
ago. The first board I did was full of 1206s and 1210s, along with a
couple 0805s, along with a TSSOP. Man those 0805s scared me. I did the
TSSOP with the flood technique. On my next board, I used all 0805s and
by that time was comfortable with them. I did a TQFP on that board
with the flood technique still. After that, I switched to 0603s and
got comfortable with them. I also switched to the drag technique for
ICs. A couple years have gone by now and I've stuck with 0603s. I had
to send out a new PCB a couple weeks ago, and so I decided I'd throw
some 0402, 0201, and 01005 pads on an unused part of the PCB. So - I
got the PCBs on Monday along with some parts to throw on those pads.
The 0402s were a breeze - only the slightest bit harder to solder than
0603s. The 0201s stepped up the game a bit, but were still fairly
straightforward. However, the 01005s were another story. I barely
could even see the things!

My standard technique is to put a small ball of solder on one pad,
pick up the discrete with my tweezers at about a 45 degree angle away
from vertical, then heat up the pad that already has solder on it and
hold the part in it while removing my iron. This technique worked just
fine for the 0402s and 0201s. The 01005s, however, just were too
darned small. I mean my tweezers pretty much covered the entire part.
I think I might try and find some ultra fine tipped tweezers (the tips
on mine are maybe .5mm wide). Is that all I can do, or are there some
clever techniques to solder these buggers that I just don't know
about?

Thanks!

-Michael

I'm still in 1206 land..and I try to keep it that way
If I ever needed to go smaller, I'd probably resort to needle + vacuum
placement + solder paste + hot plate.

I already have a DIY vacuum placement system + stove top technique.
I make my PCBs bakery style

Wild idea...

How about a titanium solder mask + part stencil??
Have laser cut holes that are nearly the same as the part size.
Perhaps include more hole area for solder paste too..

Then you 'shuffle' the tiny parts with a stick until it plops into the
hole in the foil.
(Rectangular part in the rectangular hole...)

Apply solder paste at ends of part (It's kinda like a solder paste
mask too.)
Leave the titanium foil on and hot plate..
Let cool. Remove foil.

I suspect thermal flaws in my idea but it's an attempt in combining
paste masking with SMD part placement socketing in a DIY environment.


D from BC

 

[Michael]

Ah, the quantum capacitors.

The only reliable (to my sanity at least) way I've found to solder
such small parts is with solder paste - dab a dot of paste on each
pad, place the part, use the iron on the copper NEAR the pad (don't
touch the part - the surface tension will pull against it) and let the
heat reflow the paste. For bigger parts, you can put the iron right
in the paste.

I have a set of tweezers with needle points, the tips are about 10
thou across. Sometimes, though, a sharpened toothpick works better.
I place the part with the tweezers, then hold it down with something
else while I solder.

You could probably pre-solder the pads, and use the "heat near the
pads" trick to melt it without the iron actually touching the part,
which gives you more room for the tweezers.

Or use paste and a reflow oven or hotplate. I usually use a hotplate
(at home) for my smt parts.

SMD challenge board prototype:http://www.delorie.com/pcb/smd-challenge/old/proto-boards.html

My first 01005 part, hand soldered (wire, no paste):http://www.delorie.com/pcb/first.html

That is one dirty breadboard! I bet it's seen alot of good use. I
should have mentioned that I was successful in soldering the 01005s
(verified with a microscope) - it just took me oh about 5-10x as long
as the 0201s. The pads I used were .2mmx.3mm. I mean, after all, what
good is a part that small if the pads for it are large?

How does your technique work when you have soldermask? All of my PCBs
have soldermask, so I would imagine that'd get in the way when trying
to touch copper near the pad.

I like your idea of placing with tweezers than holding down with
something else. I'll give that a shot.

I think in the next olympics there should be a soldering event.

-Michael

 

[DJ Delorie]

That is one dirty breadboard! I bet it's seen alot of good use.

Yeah, I've had that one since grade school. Some of the contacts are
mangled internally, it doesn't always let you plug stuff into it. I
have a newer one that I use for big projects.

I should have mentioned that I was successful in soldering the
01005s (verified with a microscope) - it just took me oh about 5-10x
as long as the 0201s.

Yay! My first 01005 took 20 minutes.

How does your technique work when you have soldermask?

I don't know. I don't put soldermask on my home boards. Even the
ones I made had big enough pads that you could touch the pad and not
the part, barely. Otherwise, you just touch the part and make sure
you're holding it down.

The reflow idea works best with parts that have pads *under* them,
like CSP chips. Touch all you want, you still won't be touching the
pad itself.

I like your idea of placing with tweezers than holding down with
something else. I'll give that a shot.

Since I often check the placement under the microscope, you have to
figure out how to let go of it and then hold it again anyway.
Switching tools doesn't add to the excitement, and you can nudge the
parts around with a toothpick too.

I might try an xacto knife next time; it's even sharper than a
toothpick.

Also, with a toothpick, you can focus on holding it in the right
place, without the problem of also squeezing it. I touch the board
with my fingertips, holding the toothpick near the working end, to cut
down on jitters.

 

[Tony Burch]

Howdy gentleman - I got into surface mount soldering about 4 years
ago. The first board I did was full of 1206s and 1210s, along with a
couple 0805s, along with a TSSOP. Man those 0805s scared me. I did the
TSSOP with the flood technique. On my next board, I used all 0805s and
by that time was comfortable with them. I did a TQFP on that board
with the flood technique still. After that, I switched to 0603s and
got comfortable with them. I also switched to the drag technique for
ICs. A couple years have gone by now and I've stuck with 0603s. I had
to send out a new PCB a couple weeks ago, and so I decided I'd throw
some 0402, 0201, and 01005 pads on an unused part of the PCB. So - I
got the PCBs on Monday along with some parts to throw on those pads.
The 0402s were a breeze - only the slightest bit harder to solder than
0603s. The 0201s stepped up the game a bit, but were still fairly
straightforward. However, the 01005s were another story. I barely
could even see the things!

My standard technique is to put a small ball of solder on one pad,
pick up the discrete with my tweezers at about a 45 degree angle away
from vertical, then heat up the pad that already has solder on it and
hold the part in it while removing my iron. This technique worked just
fine for the 0402s and 0201s. The 01005s, however, just were too
darned small. I mean my tweezers pretty much covered the entire part.
I think I might try and find some ultra fine tipped tweezers (the tips
on mine are maybe .5mm wide). Is that all I can do, or are there some
clever techniques to solder these buggers that I just don't know
about?

Thanks!

-Michael

Hi Michael,

Personally 0402 is the smallest that I have done by hand, but I watched
another guy very successfully hand solder some 0201. His board was tinned,
so he did not apply any solder or solderpaste (he said that there was enough
tin-lead on the pads already).

All he did was wipe the pads across with a flux pen, put the 0201 down, hold
it with something like a sharpened toothpick & then bring the iron tip down
onto the pads. He did it very quickly and with an excellent result.

I don't know if you could do that with 01005, though. I appreciate just what
that size means. The components are like dust specks.

I have a feeling that a good way to approach 01005 might be to not use an
iron at all, but maybe hot air butane pencil torch (the Weller one is the
best - other brands just don't seem to focus the heat properly).

Maybe wipe the pads with liquid flux (eg. from a flux pen). Also maybe apply
the tiniest bit of solderpaste using the end of a tootpick as the
applicator. Place down the component somehow. Then use the hot air butane
pencil torch to reflow. I realise that because the component is so small,
the air flow from the butane torch could potentially move the component, but
hopefully the flux / solderpaste will be sticky enough to hold it in place.

Or maybe like DJ said, use a reflow oven or hotplate.

Or maybe something more lateral - don't use solder at all! I have not tried
this, but maybe you could try tiny little blobs of conductive silver epoxy
on the pads, then just place the component - no soldering. Something like
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/8331.html , or just Google "conductive
silver epoxy". Could be a nice technique for prototypes.

Cheers,

Tony Burch
http://SuperSolderingSecrets.com

 

[krw]

That's probably why you are one of the few who dare to solder 0201 ;-)

I'll do it then[*]. I've been off caffeine for almost a year. That
and alcohol are off-limits after the A-Fib. :-( The good news is
that I can drink as much decaffeinated coffee as I want. The bad
news is that it doesn't do anything. The time someone slipped the
captivated coffee into the decaf container was "interesting, but
noooot funny". I drank most of the pot before I realized what
happened. %-[

[*] If I can see the bloody things - just got back from the eye
doctor.

 

[John O'Flaherty]

That's probably why you are one of the few who dare to solder 0201 ;-)

I'll do it then[*]. I've been off caffeine for almost a year. That
and alcohol are off-limits after the A-Fib. :-( The good news is
that I can drink as much decaffeinated coffee as I want. The bad
news is that it doesn't do anything. The time someone slipped the
captivated coffee into the decaf container was "interesting, but

^ sounds addictive.

noooot funny". I drank most of the pot before I realized what
happened. %-[

[*] If I can see the bloody things - just got back from the eye
doctor.

 

[krw]

Michael wrote:
On Nov 29, 4:22 pm, Joerg <[email protected]>
wrote:
Michael wrote:
Howdy gentleman - I got into surface mount soldering about 4 years
ago. The first board I did was full of 1206s and 1210s, along with a
couple 0805s, along with a TSSOP. Man those 0805s scared me. I did the
TSSOP with the flood technique. On my next board, I used all 0805s and
by that time was comfortable with them. I did a TQFP on that board
with the flood technique still. After that, I switched to 0603s and
got comfortable with them. I also switched to the drag technique for
ICs. A couple years have gone by now and I've stuck with 0603s. I had
to send out a new PCB a couple weeks ago, and so I decided I'd throw
some 0402, 0201, and 01005 pads on an unused part of the PCB. So - I
got the PCBs on Monday along with some parts to throw on those pads.
The 0402s were a breeze - only the slightest bit harder to solder than
0603s. The 0201s stepped up the game a bit, but were still fairly
straightforward. However, the 01005s were another story. I barely
could even see the things!
My standard technique is to put a small ball of solder on one pad,
pick up the discrete with my tweezers at about a 45 degree angle away
from vertical, then heat up the pad that already has solder on it and
hold the part in it while removing my iron. This technique worked just
fine for the 0402s and 0201s. The 01005s, however, just were too
darned small. I mean my tweezers pretty much covered the entire part.
I think I might try and find some ultra fine tipped tweezers (the tips
on mine are maybe .5mm wide). Is that all I can do, or are there some
clever techniques to solder these buggers that I just don't know
about?
And absolutely no coffee drinking for three days

--
Regards, Joerg

Believe it or not, I haven't had coffee even once in my entire life.
The smell just bothers me so much and I like my pearly whites to stay
pearly white . I also typically avoid all caffeinated things like
the plague.

I think this makes me a bit of a freak. But in a good way. I think.


That's probably why you are one of the few who dare to solder 0201 ;-)

I'll do it then[*]. I've been off caffeine for almost a year. That
and alcohol are off-limits after the A-Fib. :-( The good news is
that I can drink as much decaffeinated coffee as I want. The bad
news is that it doesn't do anything. The time someone slipped the
captivated coffee into the decaf container was "interesting, but

^ sounds addictive.

Damned speel czecher.

noooot funny". I drank most of the pot before I realized what
happened. %-[

[*] If I can see the bloody things - just got back from the eye
doctor.

Maybe he's not so good.