Through Hole vs. Surface Mount
in [Design]
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From: dcaster on 29 Mar 2010 07:33 On Mar 29, 4:21 am, Robert Roland <f...(a)ddress.no> wrote: > SMD is a lot less difficult than it looks. The space savings and the > option to mount components on both sides of the board are a nice bonus > in addition to the drilling. > -- > RoRo What about circuits that use a PIC that needs to be programmed where the PIC can not be programmed in place? I was all set to use surface mount on a project and then started thinking about how many holes I would still have to drill. It seemed like I would still have to drill about half of the connections. Dan
From: mpm on 29 Mar 2010 08:45 On Mar 29, 3:09 am, Fred Bartoli <myname_with_a_dot_inbetw...(a)free.fr> wrote: > Tim Williams a écrit : > > > > > > > "Martin Riddle" <martin_...(a)verizon.net> wrote in message > >news:hooplg$9m6$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... > >> I second the SMT try. It's not as difficult as it seems. Get a good > >> magnifier , headband type. > >> A good pair of tweezers, fine tips for your iron, and fine 0.015" solder > >> helps too. > > >> There are some good parts out there that only come in SMT. > > > I've got a school project which, like most of my stuff, is through hole, but > > I cheaped out on gate drivers and went with complementary MOSFETs instead. > > They only come in SO-8, of course: > >http://myweb.msoe.edu/williamstm/Images/EE409_PWM1.jpg > > Way easier than laminating two sides that don't line up, then drilling > > cockeyed holes. > > > Tim > > You definitely need to improve your process (or switch to one of the > cheap PCB makers) > > -- > Thanks, > Fred.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - I agree! I personally don't understand why ANYONE would want to make their own circuit boards. There must be some level of satisfaction in rolling your own, but not for me. One mis-step, and you've potentially ruined hours worth of work, only to start all over again. Plus, after you're purchased the bare copper boards, the checmials, the drills, and include your time -- it costs way more than the cheap PCB houses. With the latter giving you near perfect boards most of the time, on 2 or 3 day turns, for $50 or so, and some even include the silkscreening. To me, it's a no-brainer. SMT or thru-hole. -mpm
From: Jim Yanik on 29 Mar 2010 09:10 Robert Baer <robertbaer(a)localnet.com> wrote in news:xLqdnSAtgJGa0S3WnZ2dnUVZ_oQwAAAA(a)posted.localnet: > Chris wrote: >> I have just completed a designing a board that has 5 16 pin ICs. I >> was planing on etching and drilling myself, but after my last project >> took for ever to drill far fewer holes, I was considering going >> surface mount. I am only planing to make three at first. Should I >> stick to through hole for the ease of hand soldering, or should I >> switch to decaf and wait a month and try my hand at surface mount. >> >> Comments Welcome, >> Chris Maness > If you are young (good eyes), the smallest parts to use would be > 0402. That said, fine pitch QFPs are not a big problem if pads are > pre-tinned. > making a one-off PCB to use fine pitch ICs is the real problem. I have a project on hold until I can figure out how to make a PCB for a 8 pin eMSOP package,LM3410XMY. the entire IC is about the size of a pencil eraser. :-( (It's a boost LED driver-regulator,1 IC and 7 other parts,all 0603 size) -- Jim Yanik jyanik at localnet dot com
From: Rich Webb on 29 Mar 2010 09:12 On Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:45:47 -0700 (PDT), mpm <mpmillard(a)aol.com> wrote: >On Mar 29, 3:09�am, Fred Bartoli <myname_with_a_dot_inbetw...(a)free.fr> >wrote: >> Tim Williams a �crit : >> >> >> >> >> >> > "Martin Riddle" <martin_...(a)verizon.net> wrote in message >> >news:hooplg$9m6$1(a)news.eternal-september.org... >> >> I second the SMT try. �It's not as difficult as it seems. �Get a good >> >> magnifier , headband type. >> >> A good pair of tweezers, fine tips for your iron, and fine 0.015" solder >> >> helps too. >> >> >> There are some good parts out there that only come in SMT. >> >> > I've got a school project which, like most of my stuff, is through hole, but >> > I cheaped out on gate drivers and went with complementary MOSFETs instead. >> > They only come in SO-8, of course: >> >http://myweb.msoe.edu/williamstm/Images/EE409_PWM1.jpg >> > Way easier than laminating two sides that don't line up, then drilling >> > cockeyed holes. >> >> > Tim >> >> You definitely need to improve your process (or switch to one of the >> cheap PCB makers) >> >> -- >> Thanks, >> Fred.- Hide quoted text - >> >> - Show quoted text - > >I agree! >I personally don't understand why ANYONE would want to make their own >circuit boards. >There must be some level of satisfaction in rolling your own, but not >for me. Being cheap is part of it, when it makes sense to go that route. I needed one (and will almost certainly never need another) adapter between ARM7 20-pin and 14-pin JTAG headers. Simple layout and several (ISTR three) fit on a scrap of stock so an etching booboo would have been a non-issue. Zip-zap and it was finished at essentially no cost, since I already had all the fixings to hand. And part of it is craft. Anybody can buy "breakfast biscuits" at the local drive-thru but there's extra satisfaction in having your own batch come out of the oven just right. But cross the line to tighter than about 15/15 rules, or beyond single-sided with a couple of jumpers, then going with a board house starts to make a lot of sense. -- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
From: John Fields on 29 Mar 2010 09:32
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 19:29:50 -0500, "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz" <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: >Forget RoHS and use real 63/37 lead/tin solder. --- AMEN!!! JF |