[HomeBrew] Surface Mount

[Jeramy Thibodeaux]

----- Original Message -----
From: <ac7nj@bentonrea.com>
To: <homebrew@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 24, 2002 9:39 AM
Subject: [HomeBrew] Surface Mount


> ** HOMEBREW REFLECTOR - Please do NOT cross-post messages to multiple
mailing lists on the "To:" or "CC:" line of the e-mail message. **
>
> My question is:
>
> What kind of soldering gun do I need?
>
> I have a small one but it looks like it is too big for the small
> components
>
> I have heard that I need a special low power soldering gun, What do I
> need?
>
> Is there a special solder too?
>
>
>
> Randy
>
> AC7NJ
>

Randy,

Any good quality iron in the 30-60 watt range that has surface mount tips
available for it should work.

The size and type of tips you need really depend on the parts you are trying
to solder.  You can do almost anything with a few different size conical
tips and a small chisel tip.  The key is to get the finest tip you can for
working with extremely small parts.

Solder, rosin core 60/40 in a small diameter will work reasonably well.  I
recommend not getting the really fine stuff as a role of this stuff will
take years to use in a manufacturing environment.

Some additional items you will need or find very helpful;

-Solder wick (braid) (small or medium size) not the really big stuff.
-Solder sucker
-Tweezers for grabbing and holding small parts (fine tipped usually work the
best).  They can be angled or straight and will usually depend on personnel
preference.  I prefer the straight ones without a bend at the end.
-Microscope or high power magnifying glass preferably with a light.  The key
here is it has to be hands free once set.
-Liquid rosin (helps aid in soldering those dirty parts to a dirty trace)
-Alcohol (the purest you can find to help clean up the board when you are
done)
-Stiff brushes

If you plan on doing alot of surface mount and through hole soldering I
would recommend getting a METCAL station.  By no means are they cheap, but
very versatile.  The tips alone cost $15.00 and up.  It may help to go to
their site and look at some of the references to get ideas on tip sizes and
such.
http://www.metcal.com/

Some others you can consider are;

Weller/Ungar
Pace
Hakko

I am sure there are others out there as well.

Good luck!

Jeramy