7 ms·

Related note: I spent a while trying hand soldering, hot plates, and hot air rework to solder SMT boards. I should've just gotten a cheap toaster oven like in t

by mastax 5y ago

Related note: I spent a while trying hand soldering, hot plates, and hot air rework to solder SMT boards. I should've just gotten a cheap toaster oven like in the article. I guess I was scared off by all the people insulating them and installing PID controllers. Totally unnecessary for me. I just stick in a thermocouple and vaguely follow a reflow profile. I'm easily getting 100% successful boards down to 0402 and 0.4mm QFN.

wiml 5y ago
When I was getting into the hobby I reflowed a number of boards by balancing them on a piece of tin flashing, holding it over a candle or alcohol burner, and trying to seat-of-my-pants my way through the temperature profiles from the back of the datasheet. Yield wasn't great, but I got there, and it was definitely cheap!
- robbedpeter 5y ago
  When you need to reflow a board while you're living in a box next to the van down by the river... nice!
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Doesn't a candle lead to soot deposit?
  - lmm 5y ago
    Yes, but on the tin rather than the board.
fest 5y ago
Same experience here: this board[0] was hand-placed and soldered in a toaster oven by essentially opening the oven door when peak reflow temperature of the paste I was using was reached. Additional aside- I very much prefer Loctite GC paste: it has a non-refrigirated shelf life of 6 or 12 months (however, it seems fine to me even a year past expiration date) 0: https://linx.wot.lv/bvcoyurf.jpg https://linx.wot.lv/bvcoyurf.jpg
- RF_Savage 5y ago
  +1 for Loctite GC paste, used it professionally for prototyping and it has always worked well with crude toaster reflow. Still stuck on hot air and Mechanic paste at home.
stavros 5y ago
Wouldn't it have been easier to just get them assembled? It costs less than $10 with JLCPCB and you avoid tons of hassle. I'm thinking of getting the assembled boards for this cube, if I can, as it looks amazing.
- RF_Savage 5y ago
  The JLCPCB assembly service has a really limited parts selection and in general all microcontrollers and interesting parts are in the extended parts list. So most of the time you are soldering in the critical parts yourself anyway.
  - stavros 5y ago
    I don't need them to solder the critical parts, I need them to solder the numerous parts. I don't mind soldering one MCU, but I do mind soldering twenty 0805 resistors (or 3456 LEDs).
- intpx 5y ago
  Projects like these are not about the destination, man. They’re about the journey. My guess is that more than anything this was an exercise in learning the processes of soldering small, tightly packed smd components.
  - stavros 5y ago
    Eh sure, the journey is fun the first time, but I personally just get them assembled now because I'm tired of soldering a million small components for the Nth time.
    - sitkack 5y ago
      Not wanting to do this, and the OP talking about eyeballing a reflow oven are kinda not the same thing. Not doing an ad-hom attack here, but you probably own a reflow oven. Eye balling the reflow profile with a thermocouple you threw in there is brilliant! I have a thermocouple readout on my DMM. I could go do this today with parts I have right now. That is wonderful, thankyou!

by mastax 5y ago

wiml 5y ago

When I was getting into the hobby I reflowed a number of boards by balancing them on a piece of tin flashing, holding it over a candle or alcohol burner, and trying to seat-of-my-pants my way through the temperature profiles from the back of the datasheet. Yield wasn't great, but I got there, and it was definitely cheap!

robbedpeter 5y ago
When you need to reflow a board while you're living in a box next to the van down by the river... nice!
jacquesm 5y ago
Doesn't a candle lead to soot deposit?
- lmm 5y ago
  Yes, but on the tin rather than the board.

fest 5y ago

Same experience here: this board[0] was hand-placed and soldered in a toaster oven by essentially opening the oven door when peak reflow temperature of the paste I was using was reached. Additional aside- I very much prefer Loctite GC paste: it has a non-refrigirated shelf life of 6 or 12 months (however, it seems fine to me even a year past expiration date) 0: https://linx.wot.lv/bvcoyurf.jpg https://linx.wot.lv/bvcoyurf.jpg

RF_Savage 5y ago
+1 for Loctite GC paste, used it professionally for prototyping and it has always worked well with crude toaster reflow. Still stuck on hot air and Mechanic paste at home.

stavros 5y ago

Wouldn't it have been easier to just get them assembled? It costs less than $10 with JLCPCB and you avoid tons of hassle. I'm thinking of getting the assembled boards for this cube, if I can, as it looks amazing.

RF_Savage 5y ago
The JLCPCB assembly service has a really limited parts selection and in general all microcontrollers and interesting parts are in the extended parts list. So most of the time you are soldering in the critical parts yourself anyway.
- stavros 5y ago
  I don't need them to solder the critical parts, I need them to solder the numerous parts. I don't mind soldering one MCU, but I do mind soldering twenty 0805 resistors (or 3456 LEDs).
intpx 5y ago
Projects like these are not about the destination, man. They’re about the journey. My guess is that more than anything this was an exercise in learning the processes of soldering small, tightly packed smd components.
- stavros 5y ago
  Eh sure, the journey is fun the first time, but I personally just get them assembled now because I'm tired of soldering a million small components for the Nth time.
  - sitkack 5y ago
    Not wanting to do this, and the OP talking about eyeballing a reflow oven are kinda not the same thing. Not doing an ad-hom attack here, but you probably own a reflow oven. Eye balling the reflow profile with a thermocouple you threw in there is brilliant! I have a thermocouple readout on my DMM. I could go do this today with parts I have right now. That is wonderful, thankyou!