Re: Soldering SMT Components

On 16 Apr, 17:38, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Leon wrote:
On 15 Apr, 17:47, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
qrk wrote:
On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:33:40 -0700, Joerg
<notthisjoerg...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Leon wrote:
On 14 Apr, 19:49, jd_l...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
I'm looking for Do-it Yourselft articles on soldering surface mount
components. I can't afford the IR equipment that commercial board
houses use. I'm particularly interested in soldering the new ROHS
components that require lead free solder. The lead free solders
require higher temperatures. Also, do board coatings prevent problems
with tin whiskers that grow from the lead free solders?
I do surface mount assembly with an ordinary Metcal soldering station.
I solder Rs and Cs using a small tip cartridge, and fine-pitch devices
by drag-soldering with a mini-hoof cartridge.
Metcal, ordinary? Those are the Mercedes-Benzes of solder stations. They
are great but the ones I have used at clients were well north of $500.
Metcal has a cheap iron for about $180 (PS-800). Tips are about $8 or
$9. I use the 650 deg 0.016" tips for most of my work (0402 size and
0.5mm pitch parts). I like the small footprint of the station.
http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/5635-0199/has
pretty good pricing.
Thanks! That seems like a good place to buy tools. They've got good
pricing on Hakko as well. So I bookmarked them. But I can't use a fixed
temperature iron here in the lab because as a consultant I have to deal
with widely different technology.

The temperature is determined by the cartridge, you just need
different cartridges for different jobs. No calibration is required,
which is a big advantage in a production environment.

Ok, for production that is fine but not in my lab. I don't want to
switch cartridges or tips all the time. I remember the nasty burns I got
when changing between #6, #7 and #8 tips on the old non-adjustable Wellers.

It's very quick and easy, using the heat-resistant pad provided. It
takes about 30 seconds to switch off, swap cartridges, and switch on,
including the time for the new cartridge to reach its operating
temperature.

Leon
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Soldering SMT Components
    ... I can't afford the IR equipment that commercial board ... I do surface mount assembly with an ordinary Metcal soldering station. ... I solder Rs and Cs using a small tip cartridge, ... The temperature is determined by the cartridge, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Soldering SMT Components
    ... I can't afford the IR equipment that commercial board ... components that require lead free solder. ... I do surface mount assembly with an ordinary Metcal soldering station. ... Maybe it's the RoHS compliance why they have you guys over the barrel. ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Soldering SMT Components
    ... components that require lead free solder. ... I do surface mount assembly with an ordinary Metcal soldering station. ... I solder Rs and Cs using a small tip cartridge, ... The temperature is determined by the cartridge, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Soldering SMT Components
    ... I can't afford the IR equipment that commercial board ... I'm particularly interested in soldering the new ROHS ... components that require lead free solder. ... The waffle iron I have has dual purpose plates, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)
  • Re: Soldering SMT Components
    ... I can't afford the IR equipment that commercial board ... components that require lead free solder. ... I do surface mount assembly with an ordinary Metcal soldering station. ... The waffle iron I have has dual purpose plates, ...
    (sci.electronics.design)