Is the SMD good for make DIY?

[pappasmurfsharem]

Most technicians I've worked with (who solder all week long) prefer a bigger tip. I recently converted to this. The secret is flux, armed with a flux pen you can do a really neat job.

I think people who struggle with SMT ICs trying to solder EACH pin, rather than using the drag technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUyetZ5RtPs

I personally set my limit at QFN packages. But these ARE doable to someone with an average setup. I have heard of BGA being done in a home setup, but I have never tried.

I think something worth pointing out is if you are making your own PCBs at home, soldering fine pitch SMT ICs is tricky. This is due to there being no solder mask. You also need to pay attention to large tracks when routing which may suck all your heat away from the component you are trying to solder. With PCB production in China so cheap these days for something with a SMT design, I just get a design made overseas, they key to keeping cost down it get a few designs done at once to spread postage out.

I've must to make my own PCBs cause make a shipment from China to here is too expensive. That's why i must to pay everything. I'm making my own SMD PBCs in EAGLE with autoruting, and with a little bit larger traces, i think that must not be the problem... I'm thinking to buy a air heat gun and SMD glue to make the job too much easy.

Use OSHPARK.COM
$5 sq/in
Free shipping globally.

"We bring you high quality, lead free boards (ENIG finish), manufactured in the USA, and shipped for free to anywhere in the world."

[Crontox102098]

Most technicians I've worked with (who solder all week long) prefer a bigger tip. I recently converted to this. The secret is flux, armed with a flux pen you can do a really neat job.

I think people who struggle with SMT ICs trying to solder EACH pin, rather than using the drag technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUyetZ5RtPs

I personally set my limit at QFN packages. But these ARE doable to someone with an average setup. I have heard of BGA being done in a home setup, but I have never tried.

I think something worth pointing out is if you are making your own PCBs at home, soldering fine pitch SMT ICs is tricky. This is due to there being no solder mask. You also need to pay attention to large tracks when routing which may suck all your heat away from the component you are trying to solder. With PCB production in China so cheap these days for something with a SMT design, I just get a design made overseas, they key to keeping cost down it get a few designs done at once to spread postage out.

I've must to make my own PCBs cause make a shipment from China to here is too expensive. That's why i must to pay everything. I'm making my own SMD PBCs in EAGLE with autoruting, and with a little bit larger traces, i think that must not be the problem... I'm thinking to buy a air heat gun and SMD glue to make the job too much easy.

Use OSHPARK.COM
$5 sq/in
Free shipping globally.

"We bring you high quality, lead free boards (ENIG finish), manufactured in the USA, and shipped for free to anywhere in the world."

Come on! TOO MUCH THANKS!

[noisette]

Very encouraging thread, I found also this (yes, that guy is kind of...lively?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9FC9fAlfQE

It might still take some time for me to leave my well trotten paths...

[Crontox102098]

Very encouraging thread, I found also this (yes, that guy is kind of...lively?):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9FC9fAlfQE

It might still take some time for me to leave my well trotten paths...

That's british? jajajaja that will be very hard to understand cus' i'm spanish, but i must.

[pappasmurfsharem]

Most technicians I've worked with (who solder all week long) prefer a bigger tip. I recently converted to this. The secret is flux, armed with a flux pen you can do a really neat job.

I think people who struggle with SMT ICs trying to solder EACH pin, rather than using the drag technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUyetZ5RtPs

I personally set my limit at QFN packages. But these ARE doable to someone with an average setup. I have heard of BGA being done in a home setup, but I have never tried.

I think something worth pointing out is if you are making your own PCBs at home, soldering fine pitch SMT ICs is tricky. This is due to there being no solder mask. You also need to pay attention to large tracks when routing which may suck all your heat away from the component you are trying to solder. With PCB production in China so cheap these days for something with a SMT design, I just get a design made overseas, they key to keeping cost down it get a few designs done at once to spread postage out.

I've must to make my own PCBs cause make a shipment from China to here is too expensive. That's why i must to pay everything. I'm making my own SMD PBCs in EAGLE with autoruting, and with a little bit larger traces, i think that must not be the problem... I'm thinking to buy a air heat gun and SMD glue to make the job too much easy.

Use OSHPARK.COM
$5 sq/in
Free shipping globally.

"We bring you high quality, lead free boards (ENIG finish), manufactured in the USA, and shipped for free to anywhere in the world."

Come on! TOO MUCH THANKS!

Also

$5 sq/in for 3 Copies.

So if your SMD board is 1 inch by 1 inch you get 3 of them for $5 free shipping.

[scintillation]

Auto routing is not a good idea in my opinion.

You need design rules for track width, priority on signals etc. By the time you have setup those rules you may aswell have manual routed the board. Unless its a good auto router (eagle isn't), it wont efficiently route your signal path.

[noisette]

That's british? jajajaja that will be very hard to understand cus' i'm spanish, but i must.

It´s the british of the ca. 1800A.D. underclass getting shipped as prisoners to Down Under, Australia, now land of hardcore electronics engineers, I plainly enjoy that talking melody.  

But following the pictures alone is already instructive!

[StephenGiles]

Absolutely no chance of using SMD components myself - tired eyes and all that, and thanks to TI samples I have enough opamps for a thousand fuzz boxes!!!