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From: Abby Brown on 9 Jan 2010 14:35
Hi,

I mentioned to a friend that I was reluctant to take on a
project requiring hand soldering a number of SMDs. He suggested
plasma soldering is now used because it heats faster so less
heat travels to the package. I couldn't find much about the
units other than they are used for lead-free solder. Is plasma
soldering suitable for home use or are they strictly high end?

I last soldered SMDs in my DEC days. The only specialized piece
of equipment was a hot air jet preheat the area. We held the
SMD in place with a finger while tacking down the corners then
soldered the remaining leads. There were the occasional finger
slip and burned fingers. It was an order of magnitude more
difficult that soldering in a DIP. DIPs would be too large for
this project.

Are there other tools now available for hand soldering SMDs that
I should know about?

Thanks,
Gary


From: Nico Coesel on 9 Jan 2010 17:25
"Abby Brown" <abbybrown(a)charter.net> wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I mentioned to a friend that I was reluctant to take on a
>project requiring hand soldering a number of SMDs. He suggested
>plasma soldering is now used because it heats faster so less
>heat travels to the package. I couldn't find much about the
>units other than they are used for lead-free solder. Is plasma
>soldering suitable for home use or are they strictly high end?
>
>I last soldered SMDs in my DEC days. The only specialized piece
>of equipment was a hot air jet preheat the area. We held the
>SMD in place with a finger while tacking down the corners then
>soldered the remaining leads. There were the occasional finger
>slip and burned fingers. It was an order of magnitude more
>difficult that soldering in a DIP. DIPs would be too large for
>this project.
>
>Are there other tools now available for hand soldering SMDs that
>I should know about?

A soldering iron with a hollow tip and flux is all you need. The whole
trick is not trying to solder each pin individually with a fine tip.
Just use a big or hollow tip and solder 3 to 5 pins simultaneously.
The flux keeps the solder from forming bridges.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico(a)nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
From: Abby Brown on 11 Jan 2010 23:55

"Nico Coesel" <nico(a)puntnl.niks> wrote in message
news:4b490149.2604078(a)news.planet.nl...
> "Abby Brown" <abbybrown(a)charter.net> wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I mentioned to a friend that I was reluctant to take on a
>>project requiring hand soldering a number of SMDs. He
>>suggested
>>plasma soldering is now used because it heats faster so less
>
> A soldering iron with a hollow tip and flux is all you need.
> The whole
> trick is not trying to solder each pin individually with a
> fine tip.
> Just use a big or hollow tip and solder 3 to 5 pins
> simultaneously.
> The flux keeps the solder from forming bridges.
>
What do you mean by a hollow tip? A wide spade tip does sound
faster and more forgiving than the preciseness of a fine tip. I
suppose
SMDs require so little solder that bridges are less likely to
form.


From: Nico Coesel on 12 Jan 2010 13:29
"Abby Brown" <abbybrown(a)charter.net> wrote:

>
>"Nico Coesel" <nico(a)puntnl.niks> wrote in message
>news:4b490149.2604078(a)news.planet.nl...
>> "Abby Brown" <abbybrown(a)charter.net> wrote:
>>
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>I mentioned to a friend that I was reluctant to take on a
>>>project requiring hand soldering a number of SMDs. He
>>>suggested
>>>plasma soldering is now used because it heats faster so less
>>
>> A soldering iron with a hollow tip and flux is all you need.
>> The whole
>> trick is not trying to solder each pin individually with a
>> fine tip.
>> Just use a big or hollow tip and solder 3 to 5 pins
>> simultaneously.
>> The flux keeps the solder from forming bridges.
>>
>What do you mean by a hollow tip? A wide spade tip does sound

I use this one:

http://www.ersa.com/art-0832pw-sb-358-1831.html

The concave part holds the excess solder.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico(a)nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
From: miso on 13 Jan 2010 01:08
On Jan 9, 11:35 am, "Abby Brown" <abbybr...(a)charter.net> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I mentioned to a friend that I was reluctant to take on a
> project requiring hand soldering a number of SMDs.  He suggested
> plasma soldering is now used because it heats faster so less
> heat travels to the package.  I couldn't find much about the
> units other than they are used for lead-free solder.  Is plasma
> soldering suitable for home use or are they strictly high end?
>
> I last soldered SMDs in my DEC days.  The only specialized piece
> of equipment was a hot air jet preheat the area.  We held the
> SMD in place with a finger while tacking down the corners then
> soldered the remaining leads.  There were the occasional finger
> slip and burned fingers. It was an order of magnitude more
> difficult that soldering in a DIP.  DIPs would be too large for
> this project.
>
> Are there other tools now available for hand soldering SMDs that
> I should know about?
>
> Thanks,
> Gary

Is it possible the suggestion was for a Metcal? Not plasma, but RF
powered. I know people who swear by them, but it seems much too
complicated of a way to melt solder. Damn expensive. The manufacturing
has been moved to China, so I don't know if the quality has gone down.
Metcals always seem to be broken.
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