SMD Soldering and a Microscope.

In my projects, 99% of the components are designed for surface mounting, usually small in size, even a few tenths of a millimeter. I prefer these elements because they are smaller, more and more popular and I like to solder them. However, they also have a significant disadvantage. After a few hours of working on a device, the eyes are in deplorable condition. A digital microscope can come to the rescue, and their price - similar to the sizes of SMD - is constantly decreasing. Later in the instructable, I will present how it works, but first I will show you how soldering SMD components look like.

Of course, before I go to soldering these components to PCBs, I first need to design and order these PCBs. I have been using PCBWay services for a year and I am satisfied with them. My boards always arrive within a few days and I have no problems with them unless I design them wrong.

The first method is soldering with an ordinary soldering iron. For this, we need tin, flux, and tweezers. I put some flux on both solder pads and then some tin on one of them. Then I put the element I want to solder in place and solder it to the tin pad. The only thing left to do is solder it to the second pad. It is very similar to elements with more legs. I put flux, tin on one of the pads, solder the first leg of the element to it so that it does not move, and then the others.

The second method that I am using more and more is soldering with the hot-air station. For this, we need solder paste, tweezers, and flux. All solder pads should be covered with a thin layer of solder paste, and if it does not want to stick to them, you can make this operation easier by applying a little flux. Then just put all the components in place and heat can begin. Using a stencil can speed up this process, even more, you just need to put it on the PCB and spread the solder paste over it with a spatula.

If like me, you often deal with SMD components, you should consider purchasing a microscope. A few weeks ago my workplace was expanded to include a new device. It came very well packaged and its assembly was intuitive. In a nutshell, it is a digital microscope with a large display. He has made it easier for me to work on several projects and will stay with me for a long time to come. Just plug it into the USB socket and you can start soldering. All close-ups in this video were recorded with this device.

My Youtube: YouTube

My Facebook: Facebook

My Instagram: Instagram

Get 10 PCBs for only $5: PCBWay