All Questions
Tagged with pcb-assembly soldering
73
questions
0
votes
1
answer
65
views
What is the best way to adapt a larger connector when the insertion holes on the PCB do not match?
Good day, everyone. I have a Type-C connector on a device that is much larger than the micro USB connector I had previously. The insertion legs do not align with the holes on the PCB, and since it is ...
4
votes
4
answers
821
views
Are there any techniques for soldering USB-C 16 pin?
I am trying to solder Type-C SMD USB connectors but I can't do it properly. Despite using an SMT stencil for soldering, each time I am having an issue and I can not solder it properly. Sometimes pins ...
3
votes
1
answer
447
views
Interaction between PCB surface finish (ENIG vs HASL), wave soldering, and manual final assembly
I am developing a PCBA that is (for me, an amateur) fairly complicated: 4 layers, double-sided, mixed SMT/THT assembly. It is a fairly dense layout with ~150 total components including all the ...
4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is it OK to solder to large copper pour area
Is it a problem to integrate an SMD pad into a large copper pour area? In this case, the packages are 1206. I am wondering if I need to be concerned about thermal issues and interfering with standard ...
4
votes
1
answer
284
views
SMT Reflow solder quality issue with SN42/BI58 paste
I have been doing hardware design and PCBA prototyping for a while and I have issues with quality of reflow soldering. I have a small lab including a pick'n'place machine, stencil printer (eC-stencil-...
5
votes
1
answer
281
views
How does PCB manufacture work for double sided SMT assembly with BGA's?
How does a conventional board house deal with the issue of reflow during PCB component assembly with BGA's on both sides of the board?
Are two different solders used (like regular lead free SAC305 and ...
0
votes
0
answers
77
views
QFN-28 REVERSE Breakout Board
I am trying to build a PCB board that I found on GitHub. In a rash we ordered few sets of the PCBs without inquiring about the parts availability. Turns out one of the parts is not available in all ...
-1
votes
1
answer
478
views
What's the best way to solder these fine pitched connectors/pins?
During a replacement of a camera mother board, I managed to screw up one of the ribbon connectors, by tearing it right where the ribbon slides into female slot. I am unable to find any replacement ...
0
votes
1
answer
512
views
Reflow soldering with temperature-sensitive components and without a reflow oven
I need to assemble and test a rather large (40x30 cm) board with single sided SMD parts, Sn Ag Cu solder (officially 217°C melting point). Usually I place group after group of components and locally ...
17
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Can extra long pads cause problems?
I am a hobbyist and I find it very difficult to solder and work with SMD components which have very small underneath pads. I can't see when the solder flows, I can't touch the pads with the multimeter,...
10
votes
7
answers
4k
views
How to solder a stranded wire to a THT hole of a PCB as shock-resistant as possible
I'd like to solder several stranded wires of a cable (maximum 18 VDC) to a PCB. I've got corresponding THT holes (⌀ 0.8 mm; it's the eight holes underneath the yellow wire,) but the wire is thicker (⌀ ...
11
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Does the PCB have to be thinner than through-hole pin length?
If I have a part that has pins that are 1.2mm long. Can I use a PCB that is 1.2mm thick or does it need to be even thinner than that?
6
votes
1
answer
471
views
Why do I have shorts/bridges on QFN packages on PCBA during assembly? Stencil Printing problem
I am trying to do a home assembly of PCB but I have issues after reflow soldering. Especially I have bridges/shorts on the pins of QFN packages. I have assembled multiple boards other joins are okay ...
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Solder SMD on through hole
Can I just solder an SMD part directly on the through holes of the PCB?
The pitch of SMD matches the pitch of the through holes.
0
votes
1
answer
167
views
How close the soldering joint for pcb?
I am soldering a 5-12V 5-8amp max electronic to a pcb board, without a schematics. I just want to ask how far should each joint in PCB board? what I mean is for example a cathode and anode when ...
1
vote
0
answers
189
views
Do I need to alter my reflow profile for a PCB with thicker copper?
I have always been working with pretty standard 1 oz. copper PCBs and using a Controleo3 reflow oven with great success. However I am now working on boards that will potentially have 3oz or 4oz copper ...
0
votes
2
answers
317
views
What happens if I don't tin my DIY self-etched PCB traces?
Once I etch my PCB from copper-clad FR4, do I need to tin the board with solder?
If I do not tin the traces, what are the possible issues besides greening over time?
1
vote
1
answer
325
views
Via on pad for bga decoupling. Is this ok when hand soldering?
I have understood that via on pad is bad for automatic assembly processes, but can be fine for hand soldering, since it is easy to compensate for the solder that wicks into the via.
I am doing a small ...
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What is "activity" in solder flux?
I'm trying to select a solder flux and so many references (and one or two SE questions) discuss the types and differences. They mention "activity", such as "Rosin Activated (RA) flux ...
1
vote
0
answers
53
views
Can I expect a solderpaste circle to reliably reflow onto a smaller circlular pad?
For various reasons, I need to pad a bit more solder paste onto a fixed-size pad, and I cannot change the stencil thickness without messing up other footprints.
The pad is a 1.2mm diameter circle, and ...
9
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Soldering a thin spring steel wire to a PCB
Pretty noobish at electronics here. That said...
I want to attach a very thin 1080 spring steel/music wire (30 AWG or ~0.25mm) to a pcb with a thru hole, hopefully in an automated way. The choice of ...
0
votes
1
answer
78
views
Keyboard switch removal problems
I recently put together a keyboard and had an issue with a couple switches so I decided to re-solder. I resoldered 2 and that fixed the issues but for this last one I started smelling something ...
0
votes
1
answer
509
views
How to make an electrical connection to thin gold plating?
Hello fellow engineers.
I am trying to make an electrical connection with some gold plating. The gold plating is shaped like a rectangle, with dimensions of 3mm x 1.5mm x 0.1μm thick. Here is what ...
11
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Hand soldering SMD 1206 components [closed]
Because I tried to wire-solder a protoboard which failed miserable, I'm intending to order a PCB. However, to minimize the area, I want to use some SMD1206 components. I ordered some basic ones (...
17
votes
9
answers
7k
views
How to remove this component from PCB
Anyone have any idea how I could remove this component?
I've tried blowing hot air, used solder wick, tried to poke the holes with two soldering irons, cut the pins to near the PCB, but it won't ...
6
votes
8
answers
3k
views
How can I add "standoffs" to elevate a SMD component above the PCB?
I made a mistake when creating a symbol/footprint for a small (2.0 x 1.6 mm) SMD crystal and didn't notice until the prototypes didn't work. Unfortunately, the boards are tiny and expensive (0.4 mm ...
1
vote
0
answers
43
views
Using board-to-board pins and crimp receptacles to attach a non-board receptacle to a board
I imagine this is a bit of a stretch, but I'm working through some iterations of a cable harness for a 3D printer. I've considered that a custom PCB may be in order (still on the fence there), but the ...
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to remove kapton tape from soldered parts in bulk?
I have PCBs with SMT nuts (SMTSO2060MTJ) which has been assembled onto a PCB - the nut has kapton tape on top to allow easy pickup for assembly.
However, removing the kapton post reflow is proving ...
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Double-sided Assembly
I'm going to assemble a prototype PCB which have components on both sides. I have access to a reflow oven with profiling control, solder paste and stencils (from OSH-Park)
In the reflow process for ...
0
votes
0
answers
446
views
Are there blank prototype PCBs with staggered edges for a DB25 connector?
Are there blank prototype PCB boards I can buy that will accept a solderable DB25 with its staggered pins?
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What kind of breadboard and prototyping board do I need for this right-angle DB25 connector?
What kind of breadboard and prototyping board do I need to fit this right-angle DB25 connector?
I'm new to soldering and don't know what the standards are. Additional information on this subject ...
0
votes
0
answers
283
views
How long can the leads protrude for a typical selective solder machine?
I have an LCD who's leads extend about 10mm past the board surface.
Can a typical selective solder machine fountain reach this high?
If not, any suggestions on the best way to handle long ...
4
votes
1
answer
549
views
What is "Solder Soaking"?
I am reading "Advanced Thermal Management Solutions on PCBs for High Power Applications":
https://ats.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Advanced-Thermal-Management-Solutions-on-PCBs-for-High-Power-...
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How is this kind of soldering done?
The solder fillets around the base of the header pins are almost flat - very different from the kind of fillets you'd expect to around a 0.1" header. These kind of fillets are very common on ST's ...
33
votes
6
answers
7k
views
SMD soldering: tiny components stick to tweezer point
When soldering SMD components, the 2-pinned ones (like resistors, capacitors, ...) are the hardest in my opinion.
I started long time ago with the 1206 format. Then scaled down to 0804, 0603 and ...
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Stencil at home with extremely small parts?
I was amazed lately to find out about solder paste - so we can assemble our PCB prototypes at home relatively easily.
The process seems easy, but now I started to suspect I am going to have a problem ...
0
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Small 'blistering' under surface-mount soldering attempt - is this a problem?
I am very new to SMT soldering - and have started with a small project.
I used resin flux, followed by a small amount of solder paste and then a hot air gun at around 373 degress celcius to flow the ...
3
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How do I assemble this LM3914 bar-graph board?
I bought some of these LM3914 boards from eBay:
The ad said "buyer needs to assemble it" which I was fine with. When I opened it up I saw a board like this:
I have the LM3914 chip (DIP 18) and the ...
20
votes
3
answers
2k
views
When and why use triangle solder joints
I found these triangular solder joints in a 24v power supply. Why are they made as triangles? This is the first time I have seen it and I was unable to google anything about it.
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
aluminum PCB soldering techniques for prototypes
I am wondering if i ordered some aluminum pcbs that contain D2pak transistors and i want to solder a couple of them for testing is it possible using basic equipment or does it need an Reflow soldering ...
15
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Options for soldering a through hole PCB (e.g. Teensy) flush/flat on another PCB
I am looking to incorporate a Teensy board on my PCB. I want to solder the Teensy PCB onto my PCB. But I also want to minimize the height above my PCB as much as possible. Hence, I DO NOT want to ...
5
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Why are there no easy-to-solder SMD diodes in 0603 packages?
What seem to be the most popular SMD diodes currently come in SC-79 packages, but they super tiny and really hard to hand solder...
...and they also can be a hassle even for reflow.
So I thought I'...
-2
votes
1
answer
357
views
Arcade stick PCB not working as expected
I am using Logitech precision PCB to make an arcade stick.
I am having a problem in button 1 (green) area.
While I try to solder button 1 via R2, I had a great difficulty - R2 resistor moved every ...
-2
votes
1
answer
231
views
How do I solder this red part in PCB?
I am making an arcade stick.
I was making good progress on the right hand side
but now stuck on this red circle bit.
For the RHS I had this socket(?) that I can put solder on easily
But this red ...
1
vote
1
answer
295
views
Best way to prototype a TDFN package chip (MAX9814 and MAX9820)?
For my engineering project, we wanted to use the gain control and amplifier available on these two chips, but are finding difficulty with prototyping them as they are so tiny. One of the chips is a 14 ...
2
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Possible to Solder top of through-hole header?
I have designed a small 2-sided PCB with through-hole parts, which I plan to have fabbed professionally. Given the lack of space (2"x2" was a design constraint to keep costs low, as I will need a ...
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Solder paste stencil application
I am trying to do reflow soldering with a stencil for the first time. I have done some reflow soldering before, but every time I manually applied the paste using a small syringe + needle. These ...
7
votes
1
answer
584
views
Soldering a male-female bus connector
'Stackable bus connectors' are common nowadays on Arduino and other boards where a single connector has both the male pins (for the board below) and female sockets (for the board above)
In DIY sites ...
10
votes
8
answers
12k
views
Is it ok to clip component leads after soldering?
When working with through the hole components, I have read that you should clip leads before soldering so the shock from clipping doesn't break the joint. On the other hand I've seen a ton of ...
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Is there a problem to solder only one side of a dual PCB?
If I do a double layer PCB (with the toner method) is there a problem if a solder the bottom side only? there are parts that are so hard to solder from the top layer, do I have to solder everything in ...