I usually use an optical microscope at work. Makes hand eye coordination better so even if my hands are shaky, I can solder 0402 easily. Digital scopes are pretty hard to use on account of the lag

SMT ICs I check back with the microscope after reflow / rework

Considering getting one for home use but I dont have the space. Need to make like 20k more a year to be able to afford renting somewhere and got knows how things will go the next couple of years

I made this 'fix' about 7 years ago and the device is still in use today. I know which one it is because my 5ohm resistor came out around 4.9 so the device always runs 2% out of spec.

This was the first time I've used a stencil and solder paste to build up a pcb. It was so much easier to get all the components aligned and soldered on the board (on the back, there are 38 0603 capacitors which are always time consuming to hand solder). After just had to clear a few bridges and added a little extra solder to U1.

Project link

I recently got this cheap USB dac thats plugged into my pc over USB - B but it still needs Micro USB power for some reason. So I thought I could just connect the 5V from the USB A port to the Micro usb's. Is there any reason why this doesn't work?

I'm working on replacing the Schneider SmartRelay on an Atlas Vista 613 wheelchair lift that I bought for my dad. The Atlas technician agrees that the SmartRelay is probably shot and the replacement is $1,000 wholesale. I built a replacement using an Arduino Nano, a UNL2803A Darlington array, a switching 7805, a bunch of Zener diodes, and a handfull of Schneider industrial relays.

Unfortunately, I let the smoke out of my very last Nano and needed to keep the project moving. So...I took a small piece of protoboard, an Arduino ProMini 168, and some jumper wire and created this Frankenduino. It's the same pinout as the Nano with none of the nice supporting stuff like an ICP port, USB, voltage regulators, etc. It will keep the development moving while I'm waiting for the 10 Nanos I have on order to arrive.

With maple syrup season fast approaching (4 months ish) my thoughts have turned to working on the Sapmaster once again. I'm going to design and build a new top and bottom board this year to fit in the BUD DMB-4774 DIN case that I use for the SapMaster controller. That's going to involve a bunch of SMD soldering which reminded me of the irritation that soldering with loose pieces of SMD tape causes me.

To that end, I went looking for an SMD dispenser cartridge that would meet my needs. I couldn't find one so I decided to design my own.

This is version 4.1 of the design. It holds around 5 feet of standard 8mm paper tape which is around 1,000 components. The tape comes out the straight slot at the upper right. The clear cover tape goes out the curved slot and can be hooked under the little pin upper left. The point of the splitter between the straight and curved slots holds the components in place so they don't fall out before you pull the tape out of the slot.

I will generally use single cartridges with a cover but the friends I work with say that they want them to connect together. I considered a number of options but they all involved pins and holes or tabs and slots and I wanted the individual covered cartridges to be nice and clean. What I settled on are the holes you see around the corners of this cartridge. The accept a standard LEGO Technics connecting pin and allow you to gang together any number of cartridges.

I'm all setup to make versions for different widths and thicknesses of tape as well. The cover has four LEGO Technics like pins to plug into the holes in the cartridge.

I expect to start printing some to actually use in a few days when the magnetic base plate for my 3D printer arrives.

I've posted a few videos now of myself soldering header strips and some SMDs with my good quality soldering tools and with an inexpensive soldering iron that I bought at Walmart. I sent a link to the friends, the hardware designed and programmer, who I often work with. One designs the boards, the other programs them. I do some of their fine soldering work for them.

They were amused by the Walmart soldering iron videos and remarked that they were surprised that soldering QFPs was even possible with that iron.

That got us to talking and me to thinking. What is the difference between the tools and materials and the technique used by someone who makes it look easy and the tools and materials and the technique used by beginners who struggle?

I would like to propose that the biggest issue that beginners have is flux management.

Electronic solder isn't a solid metal wire. The solder we use for electronics most often includes flux. The flux is included in one or more cores inside the solder wire.

Multicore solder, which I use, even has these cores in their logo.

Here is the Multicore solder I have sitting on my desk.

I believe that many of the problems beginners run into involve not understanding the role of flux or how short lived it is. If you apply solder to your soldering iron the flux is gone in a second or two. The solder will them oxidize and refuse to stick to anything. Effective soldering, soldering that looks easy, involves getting the heat into the parts, applying the right amount of solder quickly and smoothly, then removing the heat before the flux has burned off. This is my going back and touching up your joints causes so many problems. The solder is dry (no flux) and oxidized and doesn't cooperate.

If you've watched my SOIC-8 or QFP-32 soldering videos you will see that I apply liquid flux. This is because I apply the solder to my soldering iron then drag solder the pins. The flux has all burned off of the solder and it will not stick to the pins without the liquid flux. I also used liquid flux in the Fixing Bad Solder video.

So...I believe that a good understanding of the role and short lifespan of solder will help beginners to make better solder joints.

What was I thinking?!?

In this video I take a crack at soldering a QFP-32 with the inexpensive Walmart soldering iron and the mystery Chinese solder.

Will it solder?

In this video I used the $15.88 Walmart soldering iron and the unknown Chinese solder that came with it to solder a DS1307 real time clock in a SOIC-8 package.

Will it solder?

In this video I used the $15.88 Walmart soldering iron and the unknown Chinese solder that came with it to solder 2.54 mm header strips onto a small adapter board.

In this video I go back to the beginning of my more than 45 years of experience soldering and buy a $15.88 Chinese soldering iron from my local Walmart store and compare it to a Weller PES51 pencil iron connected to my WESD51 soldering station and a Hakko FM-2027 connected to my FM-203.

I have said that you can use the cheapest soldering iron to solder SMD devices like SOIC-8s and QFP-32s. In subsequent videos I will attempt to solder pin headers, a DS1307 real time clock in a SOIC-8 package and a LGT8F328P MCU in a QFP-32 package.

The goal of these videos is to make clear that even beginners can solder modern SMD devices using basic soldering equipment that is readily available locally to most people.

Hakko FM-2023 station with MF2027 handle and T15-D16 tip

Weller WESD51 with PES51 handle and ETA tip

Workpro CA310 (Hangzhou Greatstar Industrial GS-30W)

Unknown Chinese solder

When I started soldering everything was big and had leads that went through holes in the board. You inserted the leads, bent them over to hold the component, flipped the board over, soldered everything, and trimmed off the excess leads.

Now I'm soldering things down to 0402 SMDs (1/4 the size of the smallest component in the picture) using a needle point soldering tip and a microscope.

A pair of 2N2222 transistors, one SOT23 and one TO-92.

I got myself a T12 clone station recently. I've only had a junk iron that plugs into a wall socket and heats up to full blast whatever temperature with the big giant tip. Not very useful for more precise work.

I had this damaged Arduino Pro Micro clone sitting in my box of random stuff. At some point in time I had decided cut out out 4 pin headers for some reason. Damaged the corresponding traces in the process.

The repair worked! It was the MOSI, MISO, CLK, and RESET pins on the board. These pins can be used to have this board flash another Arduino board.

I am a beginner at soldering and am trying to assemble a number of these small pcbs. In the process, I have to solder SK6812 MINI-E LEDs and am struggeling to get that right. My problem is that the LEDs tabs are almost exactly as large as the solder pads on the PCBs and if I apply solder and flux to the pads and try to use hot air to settle the tabs into place, they tend not to stick to the pads and if I try to put them in "dry" and solder them with the soldering iron (like a through hole connection), I have trouble getting solder between the tab and the pads. Any advice? Any video that shows how to solder this kind of joint?

We often get asked what we think of beginners first soldering projects then offer suggestions how to improve their technique, and often, how to rescue their project.

In this video I've done my best to do a bad job of soldering header strips onto a QFP32 to DIP32 adapter board. There are some cold joints, some dry points, some blobs, a solder bridge, and some nice, corroded peaks.

How do you fix this so that it looks like you're experienced and know what you're doing?

Liquid flux to the rescue (and clean, good quality solder and a hot soldering iron and a good drag soldering technique.)

If you try this technique please come back here and tell us how it worked out.

Hakko FM-203 with FM-2027 handpiece and T15-D16 1.6mm chisel tip

MG Chemicals 4884-227G Sn63/Pb37 solder

Kester 186 liquid flux

I made a new video about why I love liquid flux and how much of a difference liquid flux can make to your soldering.

In this video I created a large blob of solder. I used the MG 4884-227G solder that I always use but once I had the solder down I cleaned away all of the flux then reheated the solder to cause it to oxidize. The now dry, oxidized solder is unruly and uncooperative. It blobs up and forms peaks and is just generally nasty.

Then, I bring some of my Kester 186 liquid flux to the party and the solder is reborn.

I just go to Ebay, type in Kester 186, and guy a bottle. 100ml of the stuff will last you for years unless you're doing a LOT of soldering.

I've posted videos of myself soldering a SOIC8, a QFP32, and header strips. Is there anything else that anyone wants to see? Want to see me solder a QFP with a chisel tip instead of a GW tip? How I solder 0805 SMDs with a regular soldering iron? Want to see me reflow bad solder joints using a regular soldering iron and liquid flux?

Post your suggestions here and I will see what I can do...or maybe someone else will make a video or how to photo essay and post it to the community.

In this video I solder two 16-pin header strips onto a QFP32 to DIP32 adapter board.

Hakko FM-203 with FM-2027 handpiece and T15-BCM2 2 mm cupped beveled tip

MG Chemicals 4884-227G Sn63/Pb37 solder

Kester 186 liquid flux

In this video I solder an ATMEGA328PB in a 32-pin QFP with 0.8mm pin pitch.

Hakko FM-203 with FM-2027 handpiece and T15-BCM2 2 mm cupped beveled tip

MG Chemicals 4884-227G Sn63/Pb37 solder

Kester 186 liquid flux

First time soldering anying this small. Would love feedback, or tips

I few days ago in a comment here, or maybe in another community, I mentioned that I thought that soldering SOIC ICs was relatively straight forward to do with a regular soldering iron and a small chisel tip. I regularly solder SOICs and T/QFPs with nothing but a 1/6 mm chisel tip.

Obviously, it is much easier to do with a cupped beveled tip but it's within reach of most beginners with simple soldering irons.

In this video I solder a DS1307 real time clock in a SOIC-8 package to a SOIC-8 to DIP-8 adapter board.

I did this last week before finding this group, so no pictures of my soldering. I take it that the purpose is intended to be general electronics?

I bought a used tube amp for $400 (great price, I think), but it was noisy and smelled of smoke. I took it apart to wipe down the insides with isopropynol. I discovered the filter caps were leaking--no surprise really.

$50 of parts later, I replaced the larger capacitors and made a few tweaks to the tone stack. Sounds good for $450.

Maybe I'll post some more stuff later. I'm working on a custom mechanical keyboard with an interesting design. Still working out the kinks.

SAFETY NOTICE: don't open a tube amp without knowing what you're doing! Those big capacitors can carry enough voltage to kill.