[time-nuts] Vaperware Parts and pulse stretching circuits

[John Ackermann]

I do have a microscope (cheap Chinese unit, maybe $400 with articulated arm and the works) and it does make things much easier.  But as long as you can see the work, you can do the job.

It's not that hard to do small pitch parts.  I usually do the best I can soldering individual pins, knowing their will be bridges, then clean up with solder wick and *lots* of no-clean flux.  You can never have too much flux.  I've found a 1.6 mm chisel tip is a good all around size for SMD work, though I have a 0.8 mm chisel available for when things get tight.

The hardest part is getting the first couple of pins tacked down so the part is square on the pads.  After that it's fast.

John

On Apr 25, 2020, 6:27 AM, at 6:27 AM, Hal Murray <hmurray at megapathdsl.net> wrote:
>
>john at scawbydesign.co.uk said:
>> Just to put the record straight, I am a 72-year-old retired
>electronics
>> specialist who uses a 50-year-old Weller soldering iron and a
>magnified
>> (x3.5) bench light to solder 64pin 0.5mm pitch MSP430 microprocessors
>by
>> hand. As I said - "... not impossible to solder." 
>
>How long does it take?
>
>I've seen a writeup that says roughly, lots of flux, get a blob of
>solder on 
>the tip of the iron and sweep it across a row of pins.  If all goes
>well, it 
>just works.  I haven't tried it.
>
>---------
>
>It was many years ago when I noticed that my eyes getting older had
>crossed 
>over the pins getting smaller.
>
>-- 
>These are my opinions.  I hate spam.
>
>
>
>
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