Can we solder FV-1 chip?

[Elijah-Baley]

Hello guys, it's since a while I'm thinking about to build a delay pedal more complex than a PT2399 based on I already have. I'd really really like to build something with FV-1, to get longer delay and space, cool sound. I can buy some kit with PedalPCB board.

But the tiny legs of the FV-1 make me afraid. I never soldered smd stuff.
Do somebody do it? Is it really possible solder FV-1 with a regular solder we usually have? Maybe there's some trick to do it safely.
I know PedalPCB sell PCB with the FV-1 soldered on, but it will cost to me a lot because delivery and maybe the fee, so I would to avoid it.

Thanks!

[EBK]

It's easier than you think to solder SMDs.  For ICs, I prefer a solder dragging technique where you apply some liquid flux to the board, line up the chip, then drag a giant blob of molten solder across all the leads with your iron, perhaps shorting many of them together.  Then, apply a bit of solder removal braid to remove the excess solder, clean up your extra flux, and you're done!  Takes less than a minute.

I'm assuming, of course, that you have a PCB with the pads for the FV-1 on it.  Don't ask me how to solder one to a scrap of perfboard. 

[Elijah-Baley]

Thank you.
I still don't have any PCB where solder the FV-1, but I could buy it with less worries, now. I searched indeed some technique to solder SMD.
But I don't have flux, I never used it just because I use solder with a flux core, so I never need flux. I don't know I wish it will be not so bad without flux, I prefer don't buy it to use it just one time.

[Ice-9]

You can solder the Fv-1 quite easily with a normal soldering iron and solder. I do it by tinning pad 1 wit ha bit of solder then holding the chip in place with tweezers and then soldering pin 1 down. Make sure the chip is in line then solder down pin14. The chip is then secure in place and all the pins can ten be soldered. I dislike the method of soldering all pins in a flow and cleaning up afterward, it is just not needed wit ha 1.27mm pin spacing to flood all the pins and if not mopped up properly can leave shorts.
For a 1.27mm pin spacing IC solder each pin individually.

[POTL]

I advise you to practice before soldering this chip.
Buy some cheap smd chips and give it a try.
My first smd chip was drowned in solder =)
It's not really difficult.

[mark2]

You can solder the Fv-1 quite easily with a normal soldering iron and solder. I do it by tinning pad 1 wit ha bit of solder then holding the chip in place with tweezers and then soldering pin 1 down. Make sure the chip is in line then solder down pin14. The chip is then secure in place and all the pins can ten be soldered. I dislike the method of soldering all pins in a flow and cleaning up afterward, it is just not needed wit ha 1.27mm pin spacing to flood all the pins and if not mopped up properly can leave shorts.
For a 1.27mm pin spacing IC solder each pin individually.

I've done about 30 FV-1s now, and this is exactly my method too.  Even the very first one I ever did turned out just fine.
It's worth noting (since it defies some peoples' intuition) I also use a fairly large pencil or chisel tip, NOT those tiny pointy ones.

I use small (.5mm) solder which I think helps, and I always ensure I have the solder hovering near the pin, ready to go as soon as I apply heat.

And a magnifier helps immensely.

[Ripthorn]

I recently started doing SMD with my normal iron. I bought some inexpensive tacky flux from Aliexpress (RMA-223). I got like 20cc's for $2 USD shipped. I put some on the pads, put the chip in place, and got a little blob of solder on the iron tip and dragged across. Do that a couple times relatively quickly and it works out beautifully. The flux I have is no-clean, though you might want to clean it up on a white or other light colored board for aesthetic reasons.

[Elijah-Baley]

Thank you very much, guys!

[ElectricDruid]

You can get very inexpensive "SMD practice kits" on eBay which might be worth a look. They basically consist of a few dud ICs and cheap components and a PCB for you to solder them to. Some of the kits actually *do* something when you finish, but some are purely for soldering practice. Either way, it's a cheap way to make a few mistakes before you get stuck into the real stuff.

[Elijah-Baley]

I'll try to search something useful.

[Digital Larry]

SOIC is the smallest thing I'd dare to try doing by hand.  Unfortunately I designed an FV-1 board with some even smaller op amps and voltage regulators.  I think I built 3 or 4 of them before I decided that hobbies should at least be marginally fun.

[Elijah-Baley]

Do you mean it was a bit worthless to build with SOIC?
I know sometime it's hard to build something like this stuff at home, and believe me, I have huge difficults sometime: I have no right place where I can build, I have just basic tools, and cheap, in a cardbox, no much space where stock the parts, etc... but I satisfied when I can play my pedals. A delay  based on FV-1 now is what I'd like to play.

[Ice-9]

Just to add in addition to my method above I also use a flux pen it helps the solder flow very smoothly and helps avoiding bridging pins. Use the non clean flux pen and not a water based flux pen as the water based are known to cause problems if not properly cleaned after.

an example of the type of flux pens i often use.
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/solder-flux/3217289/