KurtE
Senior Member+
I know it is probably just me, as growing up, my brother would kid me that I was ambidextrous: Equally uncoordinated with both hands
And now after my hands have had years (decades) of abuse with RSI or CTD ... At times I am finding it harder and harder to solder those small suckers.
I can still get away with soldering reasonably small components like 0805s and the like, but as things get smaller
For example getting those T4 SDCard ribbon connectors to work. I was lucky to get one out of two to work. Especially when you have two such connections. And Now there is the MicroMod connectors and the Himax Camera connectors, and ones up here that think the next Teensy should have a 400 pin connector with probably a .0005" spacing... Maybe slight exaggeration
So wondering about different options and what others are doing. Note: I am make boards for myself and typically make 1 or 2 of them at most.
0) Punt - Let someone else do it.
a) Keep trying with magnifying light, lots of flux, solder braid, solder sucker and hope for the best. Which I am now just about to start a board again like this.
b) Use a service like Seeedstudio or ??? and have them source and solder on some/all of the parts? If so who have you had luck with for really small runs.
c) Solder paste with hot air station? I did buy a cheap station at one point to see if I could replace a part on one board... (I more or less melted the board )
Suggestions on which Solder Paste? Did you apply by hand or use a mask?
d) Like c) but with something like Hot Plate? or toaster oven?
e) like c) or d) but instead a cheap reflow oven? Maybe something like: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124245533208 ?
Just sort of wondering what others are doing and getting some ideas.
Thanks
And now after my hands have had years (decades) of abuse with RSI or CTD ... At times I am finding it harder and harder to solder those small suckers.
I can still get away with soldering reasonably small components like 0805s and the like, but as things get smaller
For example getting those T4 SDCard ribbon connectors to work. I was lucky to get one out of two to work. Especially when you have two such connections. And Now there is the MicroMod connectors and the Himax Camera connectors, and ones up here that think the next Teensy should have a 400 pin connector with probably a .0005" spacing... Maybe slight exaggeration
So wondering about different options and what others are doing. Note: I am make boards for myself and typically make 1 or 2 of them at most.
0) Punt - Let someone else do it.
a) Keep trying with magnifying light, lots of flux, solder braid, solder sucker and hope for the best. Which I am now just about to start a board again like this.
b) Use a service like Seeedstudio or ??? and have them source and solder on some/all of the parts? If so who have you had luck with for really small runs.
c) Solder paste with hot air station? I did buy a cheap station at one point to see if I could replace a part on one board... (I more or less melted the board )
Suggestions on which Solder Paste? Did you apply by hand or use a mask?
d) Like c) but with something like Hot Plate? or toaster oven?
e) like c) or d) but instead a cheap reflow oven? Maybe something like: https://www.ebay.com/itm/124245533208 ?
Just sort of wondering what others are doing and getting some ideas.
Thanks