> Is anyone here doing their own reflow-based SMT assembly ?

I'm seriously considering it.  More and more parts are only available in SMT, 
and it would be nice to do quick turn PCB assembly by milling a PCB then 
assembling it.  Some parts are impractical to solder, while I haven't run into 
much call for BGA parts, I do use a lot of things with thermal pads under them 
that are tricky to hand-solder.

> Every so often I see an intriguing BGA device, but I wont design with it 
> because I have no way to solder, rework, test, or inspect them.
> Despite my age and worsening eyesight, I'm still able to hand-solder 0.5mm 
> pitch QFP devices, so unless someone has thoroughly wrung-out SMT assembly in 
> their garage and is willing to provide some tips, I'm sticking with 
> hand-soldered.

I am so far, my binocular microscope and good lighting help a lot.

However, putting down a bunch of paste dots and parts and soldering them all at 
once is attractive.  I'm looking at both hot plate soldering and a reflow oven. 
 There seem to be two camps of DIY reflow ovens, one is to buy a cheap Chinese 
purpose-built reflow oven like a T962 and upgrade it, the other is to buy an 
even cheaper toaster oven and modify it (whizoo.com <http://whizoo.com/> offers 
controllers, parts, kits, and instructions).

However, I'm still in the "thinking about it" stage, nowhere near "thoroughly 
wrung-out".  However, I'll share my experiences once I have some.

> For those of you who are unsure about hand-soldering SMT parts, the typical 
> 0805 package is very easy to solder with a good pair of tweezers and a 
> fine-tip soldering iron.

True.  This can be done with flux and old fashioned solder wire, or solder 
paste.  It can also be done with a hot air gun.  I find a decent board holder 
is a big help, and a simple toothpick is a handy tool.  Bigger 1206 parts are 
no problem, and I've managed 0603 without too much pain.  SOIC and 5050 parts 
are easy, and the various QFP packages are generally possible.

> The parts are so much cheaper, take-up less PCB area, and require far-less 
> storage space that I avoid thru-hole parts wherever possible.

Back when I made my own boards, I would have been thrilled about SMT.  My 
absolute least favourite part of board making is drilling holes.

- John

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