I have a PCB board and need to mount surface mount parts on it( i have experience in through hole parts but not surface mount parts, also don’t want to buy those thousand dollar machines(with oven) that let you do at home). I am looking for company/person that will take my PCB board and populate(mount) all parts on it at a reasonable price. Any help is greatly appretiated
Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet
Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals
-
Congratulations waross on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
Need to mount surface mount parts
- Thread starter E2005
- Start date
Hi E2005
Try:
They are ostensibly a PCB maker but they are trying to get into assembly and seem to offer a lot of "deals". I have used them for the PCBs quite often but not the assembly. Others have without complaint.
There's always the soldering iron..
Get the smallest diameter solder you can find (16mil?)(Water cleanable!)
A fine point soldering pen of 20w or so.
A desk-mount, lighted magnifier.
And just do it!
Then wash it with very warm soapy water and rinse with distilled! Air dry on the diagonal.
It would probably take less time then all the screwing around trying to find someone to do just "one".
And then you're prepared for the inevitable modifications you'll want to make.
If you were foolish enough to use a BGA![[lookaround]](/data/assets/smilies/lookaround.gif "[lookaround] [lookaround]")
you can take the Blank board and the BGA to your local assembler and they will gladly stick on the one BGA.
Try:
They are ostensibly a PCB maker but they are trying to get into assembly and seem to offer a lot of "deals". I have used them for the PCBs quite often but not the assembly. Others have without complaint.
There's always the soldering iron..
Get the smallest diameter solder you can find (16mil?)(Water cleanable!)
A fine point soldering pen of 20w or so.
A desk-mount, lighted magnifier.
And just do it!
Then wash it with very warm soapy water and rinse with distilled! Air dry on the diagonal.
It would probably take less time then all the screwing around trying to find someone to do just "one".
And then you're prepared for the inevitable modifications you'll want to make.
If you were foolish enough to use a BGA
you can take the Blank board and the BGA to your local assembler and they will gladly stick on the one BGA.As itsmoked says, if there are no BGA parts, you can build it yourself. Of course it depends if you are planning to do some soldering work in the future or not.
For a good soldering job, an iron with a controlled temperature tip (Pace ST25 or Hakko924 ) with a Blade-shaped tip will do a good job. You also need liquid flux, that you can dispense with an artist (camel-haired) brush. Flux is very important for a good solder joint.
Where are you located? There are people doing just prototypes. If you plan to do any volumes later, assembly houses may do your protos foor a good price with hopes of keeping you for the production runs later on.
For a good soldering job, an iron with a controlled temperature tip (Pace ST25 or Hakko924 ) with a Blade-shaped tip will do a good job. You also need liquid flux, that you can dispense with an artist (camel-haired) brush. Flux is very important for a good solder joint.
Where are you located? There are people doing just prototypes. If you plan to do any volumes later, assembly houses may do your protos foor a good price with hopes of keeping you for the production runs later on.
- Thread starter
- #4
Thanks itsmoked, felixc . I don’t have BGA parts but only surface mount parts. I have not used flux before( i actually never understood its use, how does using the liquid flux with a brush help).
I have used 20-30 watt iron for bigger soldering projects. This is first time I need to solder such smaller item. I also have a shaky hand syndrome that makes it more fun to solder miniature parts. But will give it a try. I think a small diameter iorn, magnifying glass and something to hold things in place will help. Thanks
I have used 20-30 watt iron for bigger soldering projects. This is first time I need to solder such smaller item. I also have a shaky hand syndrome that makes it more fun to solder miniature parts. But will give it a try. I think a small diameter iorn, magnifying glass and something to hold things in place will help. Thanks
I have built plenty of surface mount boards by hand down to 0603. Metcal iron with good small tip, magnifier, 0.015" Kesler solder.
If you want to go another route, there are high-end hobby part houses that sell some generic stencil patterns, hot-air nozzle machines, solder paste etc. There are other hobby sites that discuss how to modify toster ovens for reflow. Some will do limited assembly as well. See places like .
For low volume assembly, work related projects, I use places like or .
If you want to go another route, there are high-end hobby part houses that sell some generic stencil patterns, hot-air nozzle machines, solder paste etc. There are other hobby sites that discuss how to modify toster ovens for reflow. Some will do limited assembly as well. See places like .
For low volume assembly, work related projects, I use places like or .
Having BGA's in your design does not prevent you from populating the parts by hand! You need a good heat gun, flux, and a little practice, but it is commonplace to hand place a BGA device. I've personally seen 17x17mm, 0.5 pitch BGA's placed successfully by hand (>90% success rate).
Nice to know melone...
I use the toaster oven method to solder many boards! It works very well!
felixc; I have never used flux...?? Niether I nore several compatriots. I did participate in a demo at a trade show that was a soldering machine like a waffle iron where it seemed every other task was dribbling flux here and there. But for straight forward "micro" production I just use:
With the ".015" x .000" x 1.00" Long Conical Tip for PES51 Soldering Pencil" tip.
With a magnifier like:
I use Kestor 331 Organic water soluble 28AWG 15mil diameter solder:
I also use desoldering wick. (a must)
High quality fine point Tweezers.
And a sharp, sharp pointed Exacto knife (standard blade).
I use the toaster oven method to solder many boards! It works very well!
felixc; I have never used flux...?? Niether I nore several compatriots. I did participate in a demo at a trade show that was a soldering machine like a waffle iron where it seemed every other task was dribbling flux here and there. But for straight forward "micro" production I just use:
With the ".015" x .000" x 1.00" Long Conical Tip for PES51 Soldering Pencil" tip.
With a magnifier like:
I use Kestor 331 Organic water soluble 28AWG 15mil diameter solder:
I also use desoldering wick. (a must)
High quality fine point Tweezers.
And a sharp, sharp pointed Exacto knife (standard blade).
When the solder melts for more than a second of two, a layer of tin oxide forms at its surface. The longer you heat the thicker the crust and the toughest it is to get a good joint. A crusty surface makes it hard to inspect too. People will frequently add more solder to make it look good again. What makes it look good again is the flux in the solder, but doing this also adds solder, and the joints will soon look fat and may short the adjacent pins. But you can just add flux alone, and you will get the same result without adding solder material.
I'm no chemist but the flux sort of dissolves the oxide layer that forms at the surface of the solder material, be it on the pins or on the pcb pads. Thus it reduces the risk of making cracked solder joints.
Restoring the wettability (surface tension) of the solder is also very useful when you have to repair shorted leads. When you add flux over the shorted pins, you just have to touch the pins with a blade-shaped soldering tip and the solder gets sucked by the surface tension of the (clean) tip. No way that you can do that without flux. I do many, many TSSOP and TQFP packages. Desoldering wick to repair shorts? Never! I don't need it! The flux technique does much much better, and you do not overheat the pads nor the IC pins.
itsmoked, does Weller make blade-shaped tips for this iron? If they do, give it a try and your only regret will be that you did not try it earlier.
One comment about the water-soluble flux, you must ABSOLUTELY clean the board thoroughly with hot water (60C is hot on our hands but not for an electronic part) after you're done. This flux is very corrosive and it attacks metal. I've seen boards scrapped because of water-soluble flux remains under BGAs.
I use a 5-45X binocular to inspect my works, and I can tell that with flux usage the quality of the solder joints is as nice as what comes from an assembly house. My prototypes can be as reliable as the production boards. I can also tell that my touch-ups look better than those made by the people at the assembly house.
The fine tweezers are in my toolset too, as well as a dentist pick. It does less damage than an Xacto, which I use to cut traces.
I'm no chemist but the flux sort of dissolves the oxide layer that forms at the surface of the solder material, be it on the pins or on the pcb pads. Thus it reduces the risk of making cracked solder joints.
Restoring the wettability (surface tension) of the solder is also very useful when you have to repair shorted leads. When you add flux over the shorted pins, you just have to touch the pins with a blade-shaped soldering tip and the solder gets sucked by the surface tension of the (clean) tip. No way that you can do that without flux. I do many, many TSSOP and TQFP packages. Desoldering wick to repair shorts? Never! I don't need it! The flux technique does much much better, and you do not overheat the pads nor the IC pins.
itsmoked, does Weller make blade-shaped tips for this iron? If they do, give it a try and your only regret will be that you did not try it earlier.
One comment about the water-soluble flux, you must ABSOLUTELY clean the board thoroughly with hot water (60C is hot on our hands but not for an electronic part) after you're done. This flux is very corrosive and it attacks metal. I've seen boards scrapped because of water-soluble flux remains under BGAs.
I use a 5-45X binocular to inspect my works, and I can tell that with flux usage the quality of the solder joints is as nice as what comes from an assembly house. My prototypes can be as reliable as the production boards. I can also tell that my touch-ups look better than those made by the people at the assembly house.
The fine tweezers are in my toolset too, as well as a dentist pick. It does less damage than an Xacto, which I use to cut traces.
felixc; I replaced the screwdriver tip with the conical, bent at the end and prefer it, though screwdrivers are waaay better on thru hole stuff.
Hey what flux do you use and is it water soluble as the non-water soluble stuff is a huge cleaning headache since the fluorocarbons were banned. I'd like to give it a try.
Hey what flux do you use and is it water soluble as the non-water soluble stuff is a huge cleaning headache since the fluorocarbons were banned. I'd like to give it a try.
itsmoked, the blade-shaped tips are not the screwdriver (chisel) ones. They are slanted, and are about 0.250 wide. Look for the Pace 1121-0652 for a drawing of it. You can solder many pins at once with it, and the solders are very even. Or just use the tip for single points, while the rest of the blade gives enough thermal inertia. Production people swear by it.
I use no-clean solder and flux. Other brands have equivalents, but the ones I can find easily here are AIM 0.015" dia with 209AX flux core. The liquid flux is AIM 291AX.
What required freon to clean was the old rosin flux. No-clean-flux, if you want to clean it (like I do), is easily dissolved with cleaners like Axarel 2000. I bought a gallon five years ago and it'll do a couple more. To clean the flux I use a brush with the axarel, and I use a high-speed blower to dry the boards afterwards.
I use no-clean solder and flux. Other brands have equivalents, but the ones I can find easily here are AIM 0.015" dia with 209AX flux core. The liquid flux is AIM 291AX.
What required freon to clean was the old rosin flux. No-clean-flux, if you want to clean it (like I do), is easily dissolved with cleaners like Axarel 2000. I bought a gallon five years ago and it'll do a couple more. To clean the flux I use a brush with the axarel, and I use a high-speed blower to dry the boards afterwards.
itsmoked, I use the exact same soldering station as you for SMD work! Even the same tip! ![[2thumbsup]](/data/assets/smilies/2thumbsup.gif "[2thumbsup] [2thumbsup]")
I will try a blade-shaped tip when I have time.
Somehow I find the odour of the water-soluable fluxes quite offensive... I like to use no-clean flux solders, and I save the cleaning time.
Also, I would suggest that you buy high-quality desoldering braid. I bought a roll of cheap desoldering braid at my local electronics store once when I ran out of the stuff from Digikey. The braid would remove the solder, but it would disintergrate and some parts would stick to the joints.
---------------------------------------------------------
Operation Radiation:
I will try a blade-shaped tip when I have time. Somehow I find the odour of the water-soluable fluxes quite offensive... I like to use no-clean flux solders, and I save the cleaning time.
Also, I would suggest that you buy high-quality desoldering braid. I bought a roll of cheap desoldering braid at my local electronics store once when I ran out of the stuff from Digikey. The braid would remove the solder, but it would disintergrate and some parts would stick to the joints.
---------------------------------------------------------
Operation Radiation:
Hey what can I say .. The pros always settle on the best...![[lol]](/data/assets/smilies/lol.gif "[lol] [lol]")
Any blade strikes me as "bigger" and I often wish my tip was smaller yet.
I think the fumes from the Activated resin "44" smelled the best. That the water soluble smells not very good, but the no-clean is horrible!
I also don't like the no-clean residue so I only use it rarely.
Which do you use that doesn't smell too bad?
Wow, if my braid fractured I'd send it back! That can't be allowed... what a disastrous nuisance.. I find that the braid with flux works well but leaves a huge flux mess.
E2005; Did you get your board built?
Any blade strikes me as "bigger" and I often wish my tip was smaller yet.
I think the fumes from the Activated resin "44" smelled the best. That the water soluble smells not very good, but the no-clean is horrible!
I also don't like the no-clean residue so I only use it rarely.
Which do you use that doesn't smell too bad?
Wow, if my braid fractured I'd send it back! That can't be allowed... what a disastrous nuisance.. I find that the braid with flux works well but leaves a huge flux mess.
E2005; Did you get your board built?
Wow! Now we are trying to inhale fumes?
The no-clean solder that I use seems to be odourless... This is what I used, but is now obsolete at Digikey:
I do not see any noticable residue after soldering either.
As for the desoldering braid, I bought it for under $2.00 CAD for a 1.5-metre roll. So for around a penny every centimetre, I cannot complain. It is made in Taiwan, by the way, compared to the ones that I bought from Digikey that are made in the USA.
---------------------------------------------------------
Operation Radiation:
The no-clean solder that I use seems to be odourless... This is what I used, but is now obsolete at Digikey:
I do not see any noticable residue after soldering either.
As for the desoldering braid, I bought it for under $2.00 CAD for a 1.5-metre roll. So for around a penny every centimetre, I cannot complain.
It is made in Taiwan, by the way, compared to the ones that I bought from Digikey that are made in the USA.---------------------------------------------------------
Operation Radiation:
I found myself in the same situation and just went to a local technical school and took an IPC level 2 soldering class. It took a weeks vacation and cost about $300. It was worth every minute and every dime.
If you're an engineer, you really owe it to yourself to develop these critical craftmanship skills.
If you're an engineer, you really owe it to yourself to develop these critical craftmanship skills.
I used to swear by those Weller solder irons. Then I worked for a company that had Metcal irons. Fell in love at the first solder joint. I gave my nearly new Weller to my college age son, bought me a used beat-up Metcal, and haven't looked back.
Never heard of Metcal... I'll have to check them out.
The thing I don't like about Weller besides having been slurped up by company after company until it's reached wart-on-a-whale's-butt status is the horribly confusing types, species, and geniuses of tips. It takes about an hour to arrive at a tip part number that you have at least 80% confidence is the one you are trying to get.
Hakko's look really cheap.. But seem to be an outstanding value. The one I have works very well.
The thing I don't like about Weller besides having been slurped up by company after company until it's reached wart-on-a-whale's-butt status is the horribly confusing types, species, and geniuses of tips. It takes about an hour to arrive at a tip part number that you have at least 80% confidence is the one you are trying to get.
Hakko's look really cheap.. But seem to be an outstanding value. The one I have works very well.
itsmoked, about Metcal -
Warms up in 6 seconds. Solder on a 0402, immediately tin a 16 gauge wire, then go back to 0402 - no problem. Instant heat control. Metcal irons are not powered from a 60 Hz derived source. They have a switch-mode RF power source running in the 50 to 100 KHz range connected to the element in the tip.
Just be sitting down when you look at the price of a new one. Used ones run around $100 and up on eBay.
Warms up in 6 seconds. Solder on a 0402, immediately tin a 16 gauge wire, then go back to 0402 - no problem. Instant heat control. Metcal irons are not powered from a 60 Hz derived source. They have a switch-mode RF power source running in the 50 to 100 KHz range connected to the element in the tip.
Just be sitting down when you look at the price of a new one. Used ones run around $100 and up on eBay.
LionelHutz
Electrical
Metcal irons are nice! Very quick heat and very quick tip changes. You can also get some interesting tips and tools.
We've been using a solder paste here, which is a combination of solder and flux. It comes in a syringe to apply. You just put some onto the solder pads, lay down the component and then touch the leads to solder it. Seems to work really well once you figure out how much paste to use.
We've been using a solder paste here, which is a combination of solder and flux. It comes in a syringe to apply. You just put some onto the solder pads, lay down the component and then touch the leads to solder it. Seems to work really well once you figure out how much paste to use.
- Status
