If I am delivering the board to someone else I typically clean it anyways which I go over in the video. Solder paste is denoted by the flux that it is based on, I use “no clean” which means pretty much what it says, the end result is operable without cleaning the PCB. The paste can be packaged in a variety of ways but I buy my paste in syringes and I keep them in a small refrigerator and only for a limited amount of time as solder paste has a shelf life depending on the kind and where you buy it. Nowadays we “place” a component on PCB’s without the need of holes for the components leads, and instead of applying solder after the fact in its molten form, we use a solder paste consisting of flux and solder. Pretty much all of the SOIC parts you see can be done using the methods I show in the video and I commonly go down to 0.5 mm lead spacing, though in the video I solder some chips which have 0.4 mm lead spacing, the smallest I do in my home lab. I don’t work with the smaller 0201 components as I am afraid of inhaling them they are so small. ![]() ![]() Looking at my trusty Adafruit ruler with component sizes shown I will say that I commonly do the 0603 size components on a regular basis, though I have done 0402 for RF components where less size means less things like inductance which fight you as you go up in frequency. It’s always to good idea to have examples you can reference to ensure you’re using the right size package. In the video I talk about pats that have a pin pitch of 0.5 millimeters, but when it comes to resistors, we use numbers like 06 which measure 0.06×0.03 inches. Surface mount package names can be a little bit confusing. Join me after the break for my video overview of the process I use in my workshop, along with details of every step of my SMT assembly process. Where you shouldn’t skimp is on the quality, age, and storage of the solder paste itself. ![]() It’s much smaller than the older Through-Hole (TH) technology where the component leads were inserted into holes in PCB, and act we called “stuffing” since we had to stuff the components into the holes.Ī few specialized tools make this a lot easier, but resourceful hackers will be able to pull together a solder paste stencil jig, vacuum tweezers, and a modified toaster oven with a controller that can follow the reflow profile of the solder paste. Surface mount or Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is the modern way to assemble Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) and is what is commonly seen when opening a modern piece of tech. At the heart of my SMT process is stopping to inspect the various steps all while trying to maintain a bit of cleanliness in the process. You can do your own Surface Mount Technology based PCB assembly with just a handful of tools and some patience.
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