Prototyping boards with small SMT components

[Don Klipstein]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards for
development and prototype purposes?

I have developed a trick that lets me solder 0603 size (metric 1608)
components. I can even solder 0402 (metric 1005) components, but not
many because it takes more effort.

My trick: I apply rubber cement to the edge of a fingernail, put the
component on the benchtop near the board, land my fingertip near the
component with the gluey fingernail edge over the component, and roll my
finger on its tip to get the component to stick to my fingernail. Next, I
land my fingertip on the board with the component over where it goes, and
roll my finger on its tip to place the component on the board. Then I
tack it in place with a fine soldering iron tip. After that, I solder
more properly the other end, then touch up the solder joint on the first
end.

I can solder SOT23 parts that way.

I find SOIC / SOP ICs large enough to position without the rubber cement
trick, but it is sometimes a pain getting them positioned correctly. If
the IC moves or is not yet in place, some or most of the leads like to
fall into the slight valleys between the pads. When that happens, I
sometimes find it hard to slide the IC into position from that situation,
and then I have to lift it and try again placing it.

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different way of
placing and soldering SMT components?

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

I know someone who uses solder paste and a clothes iron, but that
did not work for me. (Different clothes iron needed?) He also does not
solder components smaller than 1206, since that is the minimum size he can
move with a suction lifter device that he made.

- Don Klipstein ([email protected])

 

[Baron]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards
for development and prototype purposes?

I have developed a trick that lets me solder 0603 size (metric 1608)
components. I can even solder 0402 (metric 1005) components, but not
many because it takes more effort.

My trick: I apply rubber cement to the edge of a fingernail, put
the component on the benchtop near the board, land my fingertip near
the component with the gluey fingernail edge over the component, and
roll my finger on its tip to get the component to stick to my
fingernail.

Next, I land my fingertip on the board with the component over where
it goes, and roll my finger on its tip to place the component on the
board. Then I tack it in place with a fine soldering iron tip.
After that, I solder more properly the other end, then touch up the
solder joint on the first end.

I can solder SOT23 parts that way.

I find SOIC / SOP ICs large enough to position without the rubber
cement trick, but it is sometimes a pain getting them positioned
correctly. If the IC moves or is not yet in place, some or most of
the leads like to fall into the slight valleys between the pads.
When that happens, I sometimes find it hard to slide the IC into
position from that situation, and then I have to lift it and try
again placing it.

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different
way of placing and soldering SMT components?

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

I know someone who uses solder paste and a clothes iron, but that
did not work for me. (Different clothes iron needed?) He also does
not solder components smaller than 1206, since that is the minimum
size he can move with a suction lifter device that he made.

- Don Klipstein ([email protected])

I use a suction lifter made from a rubber ball and hypo needle with the
end ground off and dipped in PVA and allowed to dry.

I have also tried your technique and I must admit that it is actually
easier than trying to manoeuvre a rubber ball with a needle stuck out
of it !

My problem is shaky shaky ! Your technique only solves half of that for
me.

 

[John Devereux]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards for
development and prototype purposes?

I have developed a trick that lets me solder 0603 size (metric 1608)
components. I can even solder 0402 (metric 1005) components, but not
many because it takes more effort.

My trick: I apply rubber cement to the edge of a fingernail, put the
component on the benchtop near the board, land my fingertip near the
component with the gluey fingernail edge over the component, and roll my
finger on its tip to get the component to stick to my fingernail. Next, I
land my fingertip on the board with the component over where it goes, and
roll my finger on its tip to place the component on the board. Then I
tack it in place with a fine soldering iron tip. After that, I solder
more properly the other end, then touch up the solder joint on the first
end.

I can solder SOT23 parts that way.

Hi Don,

I use tweezers to handle the parts - no problem down to 0603, never
tried 0402 but see no problem here either.

Someone or othe posts the method I use every month or so - but just in
case you have missed it:

* Turn on your bright light
* Put on geek magnifier headband
* Tin one pad (a corner one for many-pad parts)
* Pick up part with tweezers
* Hold soldering iron to tinned pad, melting the solder
* Move part into position with tweezers
* Remove iron
* Let go of part
* Solder reminaing pins
* touch up original pin if required.

Advanced users: You can develop techniques for efficiently soldering
lots of pins very quickly by running a soldering iron bit down a compete
row at a time. Adding lots of flux here usually helps a lot.

I find SOIC / SOP ICs large enough to position without the rubber cement
trick, but it is sometimes a pain getting them positioned correctly. If
the IC moves or is not yet in place, some or most of the leads like to
fall into the slight valleys between the pads. When that happens, I
sometimes find it hard to slide the IC into position from that situation,
and then I have to lift it and try again placing it.

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different way of
placing and soldering SMT components?

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

I occasionally have to replace a 176 pin 0.4mm pitch QFP. But that is
indeed a PITA.

I know someone who uses solder paste and a clothes iron, but that
did not work for me. (Different clothes iron needed?) He also does not
solder components smaller than 1206, since that is the minimum size he can
move with a suction lifter device that he made.

Tweezers!

 

[Rich Webb]

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

I don't do a lot but I've had pretty good success hand soldering 0.5 mm
pitch TQFPs using the wipe and wick method.

Carefully tack in place, usually opposite corners.
Flux up and then run a wave of solder down a row of pins.
Flux up again and wick the whole row.
Inspect for bridges.

NOT the most thermally gentle method but it works very well to, e.g.,
swap out a micro on a dev board that has too many entries on the errata
sheet for a more recent production rev with none.

 

[DJ Delorie]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards
for development and prototype purposes?
http://www.delorie.com/pcb/smd-challenge/

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different
way of placing and soldering SMT components?

I do DIY stencils using aluminum foil, then you can use plain pointy
tweezers to place all the parts (they stick to the paste more than
they stick to the tweezers) and reflow it on a $20 hotplate.

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

I do 0.5mm pitch by hand all the time, using a 1/8" chisel tip. The
trick is to use plenty of flux and solder, and worry about bridges
later (copper braid).

 

[Dennis]

I do DIY stencils using aluminum foil, then you can use plain pointy
tweezers to place all the parts (they stick to the paste more than
they stick to the tweezers) and reflow it on a $20 hotplate.

Can you elaborate a little on the Al foil stencils.

I looked at the information on your site, interesting, thanks.




[..........]

 

[DJ Delorie]

Can you elaborate a little on the Al foil stencils.

"As seen on Homebew_PCBs"

Laminate UV-sensitive photoresist to both sides. Expose, develop.
Etch in your regular copper etchant. Warning - this is *fast* and
somewhat energetic, just dip it in for a few seconds. Rinse and dry,
do NOT strip the film. Between the foil and the two films, it's just
the right thickness and strength for solder paste.

 

[Ecnerwal]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards for
development and prototype purposes?

Yes. A bit daunting to get started with, but simple enough with a little
practice and 1: eyewear (or a microscope, but I haven't gone there yet)
2: a finer iron tip 3: LIGHT!

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different way of
placing and soldering SMT components?

Plain old fine-tip tweezers.

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

Yes, though they are certainly a pain - a lot ends up depending on
solder surface tension. Plenty of flux a big iron is one approach - a
tiny iron and optical devices (pretty much needed anyway for most of
this) is the other. And the third would be the paste/oven approach, but
I haven't tried it. Braid to suck out excess solder can help, but not
using excess solder is better. For multi-pin packages, I'll get one pin
at one corner nailed, then get the opposite corner nailed, then do the
rest with it held in position by those two (and re-do them).

 

[Dennis]

"As seen on Homebew_PCBs"

Laminate UV-sensitive photoresist to both sides. Expose, develop.
Etch in your regular copper etchant. Warning - this is *fast* and
somewhat energetic, just dip it in for a few seconds. Rinse and dry,
do NOT strip the film. Between the foil and the two films, it's just
the right thickness and strength for solder paste.

thanks DJ

 

[David L. Jones]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards
for development and prototype purposes?

I have developed a trick that lets me solder 0603 size (metric 1608)
components. I can even solder 0402 (metric 1005) components, but not
many because it takes more effort.

0402's are not hard but they are fiddly which takes a lot more assembly time
and care, best done under a magnifying lamp. Best avoided for boards you
know will be hand assembled.

My trick: I apply rubber cement to the edge of a fingernail, put the
component on the benchtop near the board, land my fingertip near the
component with the gluey fingernail edge over the component, and roll
my finger on its tip to get the component to stick to my fingernail.
Next, I land my fingertip on the board with the component over where
it goes, and roll my finger on its tip to place the component on the
board. Then I tack it in place with a fine soldering iron tip.
After that, I solder more properly the other end, then touch up the
solder joint on the first end.

I can solder SOT23 parts that way.

I find SOIC / SOP ICs large enough to position without the rubber
cement trick, but it is sometimes a pain getting them positioned
correctly. If the IC moves or is not yet in place, some or most of
the leads like to fall into the slight valleys between the pads.
When that happens, I sometimes find it hard to slide the IC into
position from that situation, and then I have to lift it and try
again placing it.

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different
way of placing and soldering SMT components?

The standard technique is to simply apply solder to one pad and tack the
component in place. Then all the other pins are easily soldered with fine
solder (0.56mm or less) and a small chisel tip.

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

Yep, easy. 0.5mm pitch gets fiddly though. The key is a good solder mask.
Large multiple hundred pin TQFP's aren't hard either. There are tutorials
around on ways to this.
One method is using a concave "wicking" tip and lots of solder, relying on
the solder mask of course.

I know someone who uses solder paste and a clothes iron, but that
did not work for me. (Different clothes iron needed?) He also does
not solder components smaller than 1206, since that is the minimum
size he can move with a suction lifter device that he made.

Anyone who can't do say 0805 easily by eye shouldn't really be doing any
soldering!
0603 is almost as easy.

Good SMD tweezers are absolutely essential.

It also helps a lot to have component footprints that are "hand solder
compatible". i.e. oversize with extra pad area for the iron to access.

Dave.

 

[qrk]

Does anyone here besides me hand solder SMT components onto boards for
development and prototype purposes?

I have developed a trick that lets me solder 0603 size (metric 1608)
components. I can even solder 0402 (metric 1005) components, but not
many because it takes more effort.

My trick: I apply rubber cement to the edge of a fingernail, put the
component on the benchtop near the board, land my fingertip near the
component with the gluey fingernail edge over the component, and roll my
finger on its tip to get the component to stick to my fingernail. Next, I
land my fingertip on the board with the component over where it goes, and
roll my finger on its tip to place the component on the board. Then I
tack it in place with a fine soldering iron tip. After that, I solder
more properly the other end, then touch up the solder joint on the first
end.

I can solder SOT23 parts that way.

I find SOIC / SOP ICs large enough to position without the rubber cement
trick, but it is sometimes a pain getting them positioned correctly. If
the IC moves or is not yet in place, some or most of the leads like to
fall into the slight valleys between the pads. When that happens, I
sometimes find it hard to slide the IC into position from that situation,
and then I have to lift it and try again placing it.

Does anyone else do this? Does anyone else here have a different way of
placing and soldering SMT components?

Is there any hope of hand soldering ICs more compact than SOIC?

I know someone who uses solder paste and a clothes iron, but that
did not work for me. (Different clothes iron needed?) He also does not
solder components smaller than 1206, since that is the minimum size he can
move with a suction lifter device that he made.

- Don Klipstein ([email protected])

I do the "tin a corner pad and tack part held in tweezers" technique
under a stereo microscope using a Metcal iron with 15 mil solder. No
problem working with 0402 parts, but I would prefer 0603. 0805 seems
huge these days. If you need to do 0.5mm pitch parts, flux will make
things go smoothly.

I use a waffle iron with flippable grill (for sandwiches, I guess) for
parts with thermal pads. Works better than the toaster oven
techniques.