I got tired of people telling me they couldn't possibly do surface mount so I developed a two hour workshop and I travel around teaching it. I've had around 470

I got tired of people telling me they couldn't possibly do surface mount so I developed a two hour workshop and I travel around teaching it. I've had around 470 people do it so far. Apparently the learning curve is compressible, and the equipment can be reduced to a small 15kg travel case :) I use stencils instead of a paste dispenser (more precision and less equipment, and I also show people how to make their own stencils by etching copper film) and a hotplate instead of a reflow oven, and magnifying glasses instead of a USB microscope. It's definitely good enough for prototypes, and the total investment in equipment for someone to assemble their first board is less than $40. I focus on teaching correct technique and taking people's fear of surface mount away.