Advice Needed Books/Tutorials about working on Surface Mount components

Llew

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My Eschenbach illuminated stand magnifier succumbed to old age recently, namely corroded battery terminals and switch disfunction, causing light flickering just when I am checking something. It uses incandescent bulbs, and the C cells tend to fade quite quickly.

Continually opening and closing the battery compartment to juggle the batteries for better contact over time stressed the compartment body, causing it to split.

Eschenbachs are quite expensive, the equivalent LED magnifier to my filament bulb model comes in at over £50.

My solution was to adapt the lens head to allow a LED hand torch to fit into it - it only needed removing the bulb holder and sanding down the inside to make a good tight fit to the torch, which can be easily pulled out when needed :)

Magnifier.JPG

Magnifier_2.JPG

Magnifier_3.JPG
 

pgh13

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Looks good; almost Steampunk :-)
 

jeallen01

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"Simple" solutions are often the best - we used to use cheap versions of that sort of reading magnifier for map-reading on nighttime rallies in the 1960's/70s (pity I lost mine decades ago)
Nearest thing I could find just now was this - unlike a lot of the ones on offer, this has the LEDs inside the body and below the lens. £5.37 from China

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3X Handheld Magnifying Map Magnifier Loupe Glass Reading With 2 LED Lights | eBay -
 

jeallen01

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You're talking about your Poti aren't you?

Mine was a somewhat more battered version of this.
........
@PaulR
Actually No - as a impecunious student/poorly-paid graduate, I could never afford a Poti, but just something like a cheap plastic knockoff of Llew's Eschenbach one! :(
 

Vipersan

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Sorry I dont have a lot of free time these days ..most of my hobbies now take a back seat to taking care of my own medical issues ..and my mum ..whos dementia is getting worse week by week.
So ..in case I dont get a chance pre Xmas I want to wish all Sats members an early-ish Seasonal greets ..
Ok ..regarding soldering and SMD devices in particular ..
As has already been said ..FLUX is very important which is why I shouted it..
No clean is your freind ..or make your own by disolving Rosin in IPA.
Also get some quality gel flux ..
usueful not only as flux ..but also helps to keep smds in position whilst soldering.
Lead based solder is always king despite silly scare stories...though you can use solder paste ...which sadly doesn't keep for long.
you can extend it's shelf life by keeping it in a fridge ..but it will eventually solidify becoming useless.
IPA for pcb cleaning etc..though Meths will also be useful for general cleanups.
Temperature control is the key to all professional soldering and re-work.
So ..a good quality Iron with a good range of soldering iron tips. pointed conical ..blade/spade bits etc...
A hot air station is also very very useful both for removing and replacing smd devices ...
also useful for shrink wrapping.
Another thing I can thoroughly recommend is Chipquik ..
Expensive but this low melting point alloy will get you out of so many tricky scrapes by mixing with the existing solder making easier removal of smd devices and chips ..which when cleaned up an often be reused if proved not faulty.
Pre warming pcbs to arounf 80 to 100 deg C will make the job easier in most cases ..but rememeber to be cautious around plastics.
Also invest in a roll of Kapton tape ..this can be used to protect heat sensitive areas.
..and finally some sort of magnification both to work on pcbs and inspect for faults and defects...thesee often come with lighting to adequately illuminate the job ..but if not ...then make sure you provide good strong lighting.
I recently invested in a ADSM302 microscope which can display the output on any screen with hdmi in ...although it has a good sized integral screen ..
A good working clearance under the lens and heavy stable metal base.
It aint cheap around £175 ...but super useful and I can recommend it.

bfn ...and hopefully I can pop in again soon..
rgds
Evan
 
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s-band

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Another thing I can thoroughly recommend is Chipquik ..
Expensive but this low melting point alloy will get you out of so many tricky scrapes by mixing with the existing solder making easier removal of smd devices and chips ..which when cleaned up an often be reused if proved not faulty.

Good to see you back. That looks like very useful stuff, thanks for the tip. I've destroyed a few SM devices trying to remove them. I also notice that Chipquick do a few low temperature solders. I used to use tin/lead/silver but it has become hard to find. It's not cheap but it's here amongst other places: Mouser
 

jeallen01

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Evan

Lovely to hear from you again, and I/we can well-understand why that happens only rarely nowadays :)

Thanks for all the info and good advice, which will be very useful to both myself and others. I think I've now got a decent temp-controlled soldering station (courtesy of Maplins firesale!) and a range of bits to fit that (from the Duratool range as the Maplins unit is a clone one of their stations), and also quite a few of the versious solder/soldering materials and aids that you mention, but not a hot-air station as yet.

That microscope looks useful, but I can't justify that ATM!

Please have a good Xmas and look after yourself and your Mum

Kind regards

John
 

Llew

cerca trova...
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My Satellite Setup
Triple Dragon, Dreambox 8000, Echostar AD3000ip, TBS6522,6925,6983 PCie cards.
Gibertini 1.25m motorised dish driven by the AD3000, with either Inverto BU Quad or Norsat / XMW Ka LNBs . SMW 1.05m + 3 other dishes. Speccy: Promax HD Ranger+
My Location
The Flatlands of East Anglia
A welcome appearance Evan. We know you have issues healthwise, so we don't expect you see you as often here as before, at least while things are as they stand.

Best wishes for the season if we don't catch you here before.
 

Vipersan

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IP9000HD +
TD110 Dish and TD88 Dish in Tandem
66°East to 60°West.
AZbox PrmHD + OpnbxS9HD + Skybox + DrHD F15
2x VboxII AZ-EL
2 m+ Alcoa PF + BSC421 C-Band lnbf...
+SS2/TwHnS2-3200 pci/TBS6925 pci
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Thanks for the comments and best wishes guys..most appreciated.
I once had a life ...now I just have an existance...lol
btw ..is Chris still around ?
I recently emailed him but got no reply..so just wondering if he's ok ?
rgds
Evan

even Dave at EEV rates Chipquik...
my claim to fame is that I discovered it and used it before he did ...
;)

I recently found and repaired a very rare graphics card with chipquik ...
I had to reduce the risk of damage during the repair ..which chipquik is very good at..
The card was a Voodoo 5 5500 PCI ....and a collectors item..
often selling for £500 + for a worker..
the AGP version is also collectable and commands prices around £300 ..
used items both..

here is an example ..
3dfx Voodoo 5 5500 PCI 64MB Rare and Vintage with Original Box | eBay
 
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