I overcame my fear of SMD's

Update, I just did a 0402 and was not that bad, but only problem is “How do you get those SMD out one the strip?”

I now have some missing 0402 SMD somewhere on the floor or on the bench. 🙄 

To be honest, my favorite  SMD resistor and/or ceramic cap size is 1206. I tend to stick with it whenever is possible. I would also use 0805’s (that are a little smaller) and the advantage is that the 0805 always fits on the 1206 pad size. Smaller than 0805 I personally will avoid using a but…this is a personal choice of course. When using SMD’s I will only take out (of the strip) one at any given time (to avoid loosing them) and then once that is soldered in place (nice and secure) I will then and only then rich out for another.

@ovi4 My problem is with my shaking hands, and is getting the tweezers to get the SMD out of the strip, and just to let them fall out of the strip, I am amazed how those little parts can bounce.
Maybe there is a better way.

Larry

I have the same problem with the small smd parts getting them out of the packaging I have a sheet of clear 4mm poly I work under while take the parts out of the packaging to stop them flying away 

Tom

@tomswork Great idea Tom thanks. I will only work down to 1206, thats small enough for me, as I like Larry have shaking hands and the older I get the worse it is.

Last week, I was buying a couple of things for a repair project and got prompted to buy an SMD practice kit. I added it to my trolley, and now it’s sitting there on the workbench…waiting. I use a similar trick to @tomswork when I’m opening anything with springs or circlips, had too many of them fly over my shoulder to find a new home far from sight.

@zyxt With my poor eyes, I have lost them disappear on my scope build plate like the 0402.

Important to have good tweezers, some trend to snap away the small smds, also check the tips they must be perfectly aligned. To hold the parts, try to place your hands on the ground as close as possible to the part and tweezer, so they are stabilized. Then check the position and hold it down when soldering. IF you can get a microscope this is helpfully, but only if its not too close to the pcb. The soldering iron must fit below, also first palce the solder iron close to the part then look through the microscope, otherwise some burns can result (I had them…) .. a good flux helps helding the parts to the pcb. I usually solder down to 0402, but the latest pcb  had 0201 parts which is a real challenge. Also cpus with 0.4mm pins apart, solder them at the corners first and adjust the position first, the usually I solder over all pins together and the use desolder braid ?  (german litze).

@rdklein Yes I have gotten a good collection of tweezers and Andonstar AD409 Pro HDMI Digital Microscope with Endoscope, 10.1 inch LCD Screen Soldering Microscope.

Only problem I am having is the distance to the part with the soldering tip, and it is becoming easier as I practice.

I am using the flux that MCL uses, but a little hard cleaning the board

Also a problem is the small part gets stuck on the tweezer from the flux, and I keep the tweezer clean with some alcohol.

Thank you

Size and form of soldering tips are also a problem, I tried many different ones, if they are too small (0.2mm or so), I dont get the necessary heat to the part and board, they can be larger, but indeed practice is helpful. I also have the effect of small parts getting stuck at the tweezer, cleaning helps, also flux on the pcb can helb just pushing the part with the tweezer into the right position. I have a smd version of the solder iron, also one with tweezers which is helpful to get parts out after soldering but also to position them. RF boards often have large ground areas, also in inner layers, there a warming bed helps (heat to aroudn 100 degree C), I suceeded placing this under the microscope, this helps extremling geting pads solder having connection to the ground. Especially on rf designs without thermal pads.