Experimenting with garage style reflow - Connectors?

[fsedano]

Hello folks,

I did some experiments today for first time with reflow soldering. Results are ok-ish but one small detail: IDC connectors, as you can see on the picture.

This IDC connector was a cheap one no-name from ebay, I was not sure on how it would survive.

Are good quality IDC connectors OK to reflow? Or is it better to solder them by hand after reflow?

Attached pictures of the temp profile and result 

Thanks!!!

[wraper]

Surface mount types should reflow fine. Through hole types are hit and miss, cheap Chinese connectors will melt in most cases. Also, IR will heat connector to higher temperature than PCB.

[Gary.M]

How are you controlling the reflow temperature profile?

[John_ITIC]

Try using a real reflow oven. The IR ones on Ebay heat very unevenly. Black absorbs more heat.

[wraper]

Try using a real reflow oven. The IR ones on Ebay heat very unevenly. Black absorbs more heat.

Even with vapor phase where you cannot heat anything more than 230^oC by it's nature, many of such connectors melt. I made experiments with some different connectors from reputable and not very reputable manufacturers. Many expensive connectors melt too, they are just not made for reflow, but cheap Chinese crap usually is bad in this regard.

[wraper]

I guess they have quite some ceramic filler inside, plus plastic is also designed to withstand lead free reflow.

Those which state glass filled plastic in the datasheet seem to not melt.

[fsedano]

How are you controlling the reflow temperature profile?

By hand with the help of a termocouple and fluke 289 - You can see the profile on the pic. I'm planning to build a controller.

This was my first experiment with it...

[l0wside]

Is this an SMD or a through-hole connector? The remains look more like through-hole to me, which is usually soldered in a separate step after reflow. If it is through-hole, how did you apply the solder?

Max

[fsedano]

Is this an SMD or a through-hole connector? The remains look more like through-hole to me, which is usually soldered in a separate step after reflow. If it is through-hole, how did you apply the solder?

Max

Hi Max,

It's TH, I soldered it by applying paste on the hole. I had read about it and wanted to give it a try.

So, conclusion looks to be it should be OK to reflow good brand SMD connectors?

Thanks,

[hs3]

So, conclusion looks to be it should be OK to reflow good brand SMD connectors?

I have been reflowing Samtec EHT-110-01-L-D through hole connectors without issues using the pin in paste method. Lead free paste and temperatures. Much easier to just be able to solder the though hole connector in the same step with the surface mount parts instead of having to do another step for the connector.

With some other through hole parts I haven't had as good luck even if it has been "good brand". So the suitability should be checked if planning this kind assembly method.

With surface mount parts I don't remember having had problems. I imagine with surface mount parts the basic expectation is that they can be reflowed...

[l0wside]

I have been reflowing Samtec EHT-110-01-L-D through hole connectors without issues using the pin in paste method. Lead free paste and temperatures. Much easier to just be able to solder the though hole connector in the same step with the surface mount parts instead of having to do another step for the connector.

Send pics!
Seriously: I am interested in how you are doing this. I have two THT components on my board, which I need to solder manually. PiP would definitely help. How do you calculate the stencil opening, the resulting amount of paste, ...?

Max