b1d4efe5   
   From: MyNameForward@ReplaceWithMyVices.Com.invalid   
      
   In article ,   
    rayRemoveThisotwell@gmail.com wrote:   
      
   > Greetings one and all   
   >   
   >   
   > I am laying plans to start working with SMT for the first time.  Would   
   > 0805 components be a suitable size for a beginner, or would another   
   > size be appropriate?   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > I have been a sometimes hobbyist for a long time, since the mid 70's   
   > when I was a teenager, but until now I have never ventured beyond   
   > through hole construction, mostly due to a combination of tooling and   
   > a complete lack of dexterity.   
   >   
   > I have recently been convinced by someone that SMT has a much wider   
   > availability of components and the prices are generally much less than   
   > the equivalent THT components.  The compactness of SMT construction is   
   > also very attractive.   
   >   
   > I plan to start with a small hot air station and then move up to a   
   > more proper reflow setup if I ever get more ambitious.   
   >   
   > My primary concern is the handling of components.  The 0805 sized   
   > components seem to be very common and I strongly doubt I could ever go   
   > below that due to vision and dexterity issues.   
   >   
   > However, is 0805 too small for a klutzy beginner?  I'm not   
   > particularly ambitious at this point, but that could change, depending   
   > on my interests and level of success.   
   >   
   >   
   > Ray   
      
   I prefer to use (inch) 0805 or larger, but can manage (inch) 0603   
   without too much invective. The metric coded 0603 parts are much smaller   
   - 0603 inch is 1608 in metric, and metric 0603 is inch 0201 (don't   
   sneeze.)   
      
   That said I've been known to cruise sleazebay for surplus partial reels   
   of 2512, 1210 and 1206 parts (while there are some intermediate sizes   
   between those, they seem to be much less common, though I will search on   
   them as well - 1008 also seems to be uncommon) looking for parts I might   
   make use of at low cost in sizes that are easier to see/handle.   
   Overkill, perhaps, and not as compact as possible, but I'm mostly making   
   stuff on my own, not for production.   
      
   I use a soldering iron - Weller WTCPN/TC201 with a long pointy cone,   
   (1/64" radius tip) that I mostly use the side of. I have other tips, but   
   have not changed that one since I first started messing with surface   
   mount. Many folks do think you need a fat chisel tip, but I find the   
   versatility of the long point (if you grok using the side as well as the   
   tip) is better for me.   
      
   I (now) have a rework station but only use it for desoldering, usually -   
   messing about with applying paste has not found much appeal as yet.   
   While there are supposed to be horrors from assembling SMT with a normal   
   iron, I have yet to run into them personally, and thus weight the horror   
   stories kinda low.   
      
   I got a set of "my normal prescription with 5 diopters added to it"   
   glasses - that, and a lot of light, are helpful, though a fancier setup   
   (microscope or the like)  with a longer working distance might be nicer.   
   +1 puts your "infinity" at a meter, +2 is half a meter, +3 is 1/3 of a   
   meter, +4 is 1/4 of a meter, and +5 is 1/5 of a meter, or roughly 8   
   inches from your eyeballs. Some folks use a USB microscope/camera and a   
   monitor (the larger the better) as a different means of magnifying the   
   work area with plenty of eye relief.   
      
   The parts I hate are the multi-pin packages with insanely small spacing.   
   SOP seems quite comfortable by comparison with vast 1.27mm pin spacing.   
   SSOPs and tighter tend to make me feel either grumpy or hopeless. I   
   probably would hate BGAs if I was inclined to use any, but so far I've   
   been spared that joy. I'll happily use DIPs when available.   
      
   Solder surface tension plays a big role in production assembly and   
   soldermask is very important as a result, especially for the tight   
   spacings - if you have the right amount of solder, a chip that's more or   
   less in the right place will self-center when the solder melts. A hot   
   tweezer gives you the fancy way to do this on a two-terminal device (or   
   remove it easily) but you can often heat both ends with a single iron if   
   you move quickly. Manageable packages are hold in place, tack a pin on   
   one corner, tack a pin on the other corner, correct if needed, and then   
   solder the rest of the pins. Unmanageable packages you have to solder   
   them all at once and try to avoid bridges from too much solder.   
      
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