Douglas Bertelsen <[email protected]> writes: > Triple-check to make sure you have all parts; it is a pain to add one or > two later
Note that there's a Makefile target 'muffins' that generates a pdf of data that can be printed on Avery return address label stock. I use those to label "mini muffin tins" that I stage all the parts in prior to beginning a manual placement session, precisely to ensure that I have everything I need on hand. Keith and I also both use little plastic containers made for storing beads to hold SMT passives, so my ready-to-place bench has muffin tins with labels and a little plastic bottle sitting in each muffin space with that part value. > Have a good system for identifying and locating parts on the board If you have gEDA's 'pcb' tool running on a laptop that's within reach, you can use the tool to highlight components by value. That's what I do, stepping through a parts list sorted by component size (place the small / short parts first so you don't bump big things placing smaller things nearby). A couple other "tricks". I like to place the boards after paste application on a plain white 3x5 file card. This makes them easy to move around together under the microscope, and it's easy to see parts placed adjacent to the boards. Avoid lead-free solder. We use 63/37 eutectic solder with a no-clean flux for at-home reflow. It melts at a lower temperature than lead-free solders, wets out pads much better, and just all around works the way solder is supposed to work... Let the pros struggle with lead-free if they have to. > Have fun! Absolutely! Loading SMT boards at home isn't hard, but it's just "out there" enough to be massively rewarding when it all comes together and works... ;-) Bdale
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