Hey, I’ll be getting a PCB done most probably by 4PCB using their $33 deal. I’ll need to solder the 40 pin zif connector (0.5mm) on the board as well as some other connectors. I was wondering, do I just need place the pin on the board and heat up that pin to have it connected, because I was under the impression that I needed to apply extra solder. Thanks.
Drag soldering with plenty of flux is the easiest way to solder that sort of connector.
Leon
Thanks for your input. I saw a video,
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_evj0_qEeII
where SMT soldering looks so easy using solder paste and what seems like a hot air station. Is the solderpaste evaporating when the hot air iron is used and is this the cleanest way to get it done?
Drag soldering is easier and cheaper.
Leon
I’m using a weller microtip, but I heard a MiniWave tip is good. Anyone know a place I can obtain one for cheap? Thanks.
Hi there,
I’ve never used one of the PCB’s from 4PCB before, but I have tried to solder onto pretinned boards claiming that they don’t require any extra solder. In my experience I definitely needed to add solder, and solder paste made this much easier. Without the paste, any pressure on the connectors would cause them to come right off the PCB, and unhappyness would ensue.
Maybe I just like to know things are securely placed on the board now, but I always use solder paste with PCB’s and surface mount components…
If you can pick up a tube of solder paste without too much trouble (it has to be refridgerated, so it’s sometimes tricky to get ahold of, and expensive to ship), then in my experience it is more than worth it by far.
best of luck,
silic0re
deviant:
I’m using a weller microtip, but I heard a MiniWave tip is good. Anyone know a place I can obtain one for cheap? Thanks.
The microtip (1/64" long conical) will make drag soldering a hassle. It is designed for putting heat into very small areas. I have found that if I heat too large of an area, the point will cool enough to cause the solder to wick up the side to the thicker and hotter areas of the tip.
You can do everything you need with the standard 1/16" screwdriver tip. It is much better at heating the blobs of solder you will need for drag soldering. It also puts a lot more heat into the solderwick when you go to clean everything up making your life a lot easier.
Ditch the microtip unless you are soldering discrete components in 402 packages or smaller.
-Bill