All Questions
32
questions
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 ...
- 411
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-...
- 453
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 ...
- 109
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,...
- 299
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?
- 2,170
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 ...
- 13
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 ...
- 327
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
508
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 (...
- 14k
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 ...
- 403
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 ...
- 17k
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?
- 2,885
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 ...
- 2,885
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 ...
- 949