[mythtv-users] I've finished my serial port IR receiver!

Sasha Z kleptophobiac at gmail.com
Sat Apr 8 00:18:13 UTC 2006


On 4/7/06, Mike Grusin <mgrusin at comcast.net> wrote:
> > It looks great!
>
> Ditto! <thumbsup>  If I may ask, do you have any tips for hand-assembling
> surface-mount PCBs?  So far I've only done through-hole projects myself, but
> it's getting steadily tougher to find those parts these days.
>
> Excellent job!  -Mike G.

Thanks!

There are only a few things I suggest for SMD stuff. Get a good
soldering iron with temperature control. I have a discontinued Weller
WES50 and love it. Get the extra fine tip point for it, and keep the
temperature knob about halfway when doing surface mount stuff.

Use a fine rosin core solder on clean copper. After I etch my boards I
go over them with steel wool and then acetone before soldering them
up. It makes for better wetting and less running of solder over
traces. Pre tinning pads and then removing the excess with solder wick
is helpful for very high density SM parts (think QFP). Normal stuff,
like SOIC, doesn't need as much preparation.


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