darn wish you thaught in tucson az what is the website of your blog? also out of curiousity would you like to read some articles fore soddering fore a blind person? these are pritty interesting reading would like your commends as well ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 1:25 AM Subject: [soft_radio] Re: LD-1 Discussion on Garage-shoppe.com Blog
> > Bob, I certainly don't want to scare anyone away from trying SMT assembly > at home, and my remarks have nothing to do with the fact that I'm offering > assembled units for sale. In fact, I think that with a little practice > it's actually easier to work with surface mount parts than through-hole > parts. While you can probably use a fine-tipped iron to solder 0805 size > or larger components, I don't think it would work so well with the TSSOP > and MSOP packages I've been working with. The AD9834 is in a TSSOP-20 > package, with a pad pitch of only .026 inch. The clearance between pads > is only .008 inch, about the thickness of AWG 32 wire! I would not try > that with an iron, but reflowing can be done with less than 50$ worth of > equipment. I'll have more info on my blog this weekend. > > Again, I would very much encourage homebrewing with surface-mount > technology, but it's much easier and more successful, and more fun, if > you use good techniques. By the way, I'm also an engineer, and teach > surface-mount techniques at a regional campus of Purdue. > > --- In [email protected], "g8voip" <g8voi.reeve...@...> wrote: >> >> Hi Pete, >> >> Sorry, but the statement about 'NEVER' hand soldering SMD components is >> simply scaremongering! >> >> SMD components can easily be soldered by hand, and that is a far more >> reliable method for home construction than any of reflow or other crazy >> methods often attempted by amateurs. Those methods, without a lot of >> practice are almost certain to poor joints and unreliability. >> >> What has to be remembered is that 'certain' individuals have a >> 'commercial' interest to sell their own product and therefore appear to >> be trying to persuade people that it is unreliable or impossible to hand >> solder SMD components, yet nothing is further from the truth. Hopefully >> people have the sense to realise this. >> >> With well over 20,000 SoftRock kits sold, and probably 99.99% of those >> having had the SMD components hand soldered, says it all. >> >> As both a amateur, and a professional electronics engineer, I have worked >> building and repairing PCB's with SMD components since their >> introduction. I regularly work on SMD boards using mainly 0402 or 0603 >> components which can still be soldered by hand. >> >> Most amateur kits use mainly the larger 0805 or 1206 sizes which are >> considerably easier to use. >> >> For anyone who might be put off trying SMD work, give it a try, once you >> get over your initial fear, you will find that it is actually much easier >> than messing around with leaded components. >> >> Of course, you could just go out and buy a 'commercial' product, but you >> will have far more fun and learn a lot more doing it yourself, not >> forgetting it will be considerably cheaper as well. >> >> 73, Bob G8VOI >> >> --- In [email protected], "Peter" <pegood@> wrote: >> > >> > I definitely agree with Larry about the SMT soldering techniques. SMT >> > assembly is not bad IF you use the right tools and techniques. I will >> > be posting some more info on that on my blog, probably tomorrow, but >> > one of the things you should NEVER do (in my opinion, that is) is use >> > wire solder and a soldering iron. More on that later. >> > >> > Since there has been a lot of unencouraging discussion about Hank's >> > problems with a particular SDR in a Thread entitled "LD-1 Discussion >> > ...", I'd like to point out that the SDR Hank is struggling with is >> > NOT, repeat, NOT an LD-1. 73, Pete, NI9N >> > >> > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > >
