An ultra-low-cost attempt to reflow solder an SMD onto a PCB. Kinda half works, but it needs refinement.
By Julian
Youtuber, shed dweller, solar charge controller aficionado
Good morning all…
Youtuber, shed dweller, solar charge controller aficionado
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Mix some isopropyl alcohol into the paste to thin it down.
The efforts of a beginner, with a hot air gun I suspect it would have taken about 40 seconds. (used to remove paint and other household jobs) Ron W4BIN
Have you ever heard of something called hot air rework station? Even the cheapest chinese one is better than this solution: at least you can seen what you are doing…
You can use a H4 halogen 55w ore 100w its work great,,, greatings from cold sweden
WTF have I just watched!? You've got too much time on your hands. I can do better soldering with 0.46 rosin core solder and a fine tip iron! Get a hot air pencil or use a hobby reflow oven or a hot plate … and use some decent solderpaste. You somehow make SMD work look difficult when its not.
Is the lamp running at 12v?
Julian,
I am just gearing up for SMT work. Also, I have been buying electronic equipment on ebay for 21 years–ONE item, especially, stands out as one of the most awesome items I have received–it is EXACTLY what you needed in this video! It is about $12 and not a 'China / Hong Kong / etc. fake thingy! The item title is:
"Adjustable PCB Printed Circuit Board Soldering and Assembly Holder Frame / Rotisserie, spring-clamp, with rotation-lock"
Please take a look. You will certainly find countless other uses for it–I watch your videos daily!
A gentle heat from a hot air blower does it easy. Lamp would take longer, and may harm the chip as well.
Hi, why do that…? Just keep a cheap air gun and a 20Ga needle and reflow happily…!
To use an "old" solder paste try to preheat the PCB using a hairdryer (I use it only for that…). I suggest a cheap MECHANIC XG-Z40 solder paste (about 3$).
To re-use the needle, put it for one night into a small closed bottle with IPA.
If you want go with smaller parts, take an Amscope SE400. With it I can currently solder 0402 SMD by hand without any stencil (and probably I can use smaller parts too…).
Dear Julian, love your videos, we are also working on a low cost open source pick and place machine.
I usually just mix a bit of flux paste to solder paste, it makes it a lot easier to work with. . I did try pan method and burned everything, now I find it faster to just heat everything with soldering iron… I might buy hot air gun some day if I have to do a lot of smd stuff.
I have not tried a light. But here is what I have done with some success.
The first ting to realize is that the soldering operation is strongly dependent on a good and likely thick solder mask. It should be about as thick as the copper, or even thicker. Next, I apply solder paste as a continuous sweep over the pattern, but keep it from spreading much outside the row of pads. Probably strips of Kapton tape would indeed be good here, as somebody already suggested. If my paste layer is not too thick, the surface tension normally pulls the solder to the pads and the pins. If it looks a bit too thick, then I can pull some of the excess away with running a tooth pick tip between the pads. Then I place the chip in.. If the chip is small, I may choose to apply soldering iron (very fine tip) to a couple of the corner pins. The reason is that Iโm using hot air, and sometimes the air may push light weight chips off alignment.
I have also tried the solder swipe with a flat soldering iron tip along the full row, but I have not developed a steady enough hand for the swiping. However, I have observed somebody else doing it repeatedly without any need for touch up. Again, Iโm emphasizing that this method also depends on a good and thick solder mask.
get one of those ebay or dollar store toaster ovens … ive heard you can hack them into smd ovens ;P … they have enough heat that's for sure. … also do wear gloves! that stuff is nasty lol, don't want solder paste in your pores.
I think MacGyver springs to mind.
You could use a cheap metal solder paste stencil, and a low cost hot air solder station. It would be much quicker and far more reliable, whilst minimising the chip's exposure to high temperature.
No no no… get a cheap hot-air rework station such as an 858D and get a fine tip for that syringe.
you need more heat. The pasta is great. it flows very well. I just smash it on. and heat with hot air or in my little owen. you can find the charges of heat up, melt and cool down times online. then you are safe of not damagen the chips ๐