SMT Soldering with a hotplate

Chat about pick and place machines, reflow ovens, assembly techniques and other SMT tips & trix

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robspencer
 
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SMT Soldering with a hotplate

Post by robspencer »

What do you guys think of this method for SMT soldering?

https://youtu.be/7EyF4Hef_Ac

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: SMT Soldering with a hotplate

Post by Franklin97355 »

I've used the hotplate / electric skillet method and it works good enough for simple boards.

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jps2000
 
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Re: SMT Soldering with a hotplate

Post by jps2000 »

To harvest components from a single side assembled smd board a hot plate (turned around iron) may work fine.
However it is important that the board is flat enough and comes in good thermal contact. You may add thermal conducting paste between the iron and the pcb but it may end up in a mess.
A much better - and affordable - solution is to invest in a hot air station.

To assemble a pcb with smd it is much easier to tin first one pad of components (all at once on the board). Use thinnest solder and a fine tip. Then pick the component with a tweezers and solder the component on the pre-tinned pad. Again do all at once on the board. Then solder the other pads. On multiple pin components ( SO IC, QFP ) solder diagonal pins first and carefully adjust the pins on the pads.
You do not need solder paste unless you do not use a reflow mask. However there are special devices that need a solder paste.
In this case a good idea is to look for a low temperature paste ( e.g. 138°C) temperature) and a hot air station. This approach extends significantly the time to adjust a component with delicate dimensions on a board without cooking pcb and components.

You can practice all this "technologies" on boards harvested from trash.
Luckily you are shortsighted and can remove your googles or lenses.....

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george_graves
 
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Re: SMT Soldering with a hotplate

Post by george_graves »

Not all fr4 boards are created equally. Some tend to break down under heat like that. Some of them, if they can take the heat, the copper seems to lift up off the fiberglass board on a sticky, creamy epoxy goo.

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