Electronics > Beginners

Soldered 0805 vs 0603 vs 0402 vs 0201 vs 01005 vs 008004 today :)

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bson:
For really small parts, say 0402 or less, just the tinning from a HASL coat is enough to solder.  Dot pads with a flux pen, place the parts, and apply heat - hot air, plate, oven, etc.  I generally personally prefer ENIG plating (mainly so boards don't corrode just sitting around), but sometimes HASL is pretty handy.  On the down side it's less flat for larger ICs, and makes them every so slightly harder to align (the tinning bulges), but not a big deal.

Wiha bent tip ESD safe tweezers are pretty good.

Edit: I'm a fan of Lindstrom hand tools in general, and decided to buy a set of their TL ESD tweezers to try them out.  So now have these on order: http://www.techni-tool.com/844TW030

Pedro147:
Interesting take on HASL which I normally use. Also an informative write up on surface finishes http://www.epectec.com/articles/pcb-surface-finish-advantages-and-disadvantages.html

Some nice tools there and yes good tweezers are so important aren't they.

nanofrog:

--- Quote from: bson on October 20, 2017, 01:20:10 am ---Wiha bent tip ESD safe tweezers are pretty good.

Edit: I'm a fan of Lindstrom hand tools in general, and decided to buy a set of their TL ESD tweezers to try them out.  So now have these on order: http://www.techni-tool.com/844TW030

--- End quote ---
VOMM is the ODM for Wiha tweezers. That particular shape is a #7 on the Swiss profile list.

Ideal-tek is the ODM for Lindstrom's tweezers (Bernstein, TDI, and others), and the vast majority of mine are ideal-tek (brands vary). FWIW, I've a pair of TA w/ conductive ceramic tips, NC (#6), but the vast majority are SA.

* TA = titanium, softest spring force; these can handle 1400C continuously without issue
* SA = stainless, anti magnetic, and anti-acid; medium spring force
* NC = nickel-chromium, strongest spring force IME; to put this in perspective, it's similar to a decent ball point penAll of these are chemical and non-magnetic. Temperature tolerance varies (particularly TA with ceramic tips), as does hardness and weight of the alloy. TA would be the lightest, and NC the heaviest for a given shape for example.

Erem (105pgs., .pdf) makes excellent tweezers, as well as Dumont, Regina**, Rubis***, and Sipel (all are Swiss made, and Sipel is the least expensive of these brands IME; do note they're not finished as well as the others).

There's another company by the name of Viola* (COO=Italy), whose tweezers aren't bad either. These are almost always rebranded; mine are stamped Excelta (doesn't look like they carry Italian made any longer), but TDI also offers them (look for SA-I at the end of the P/N). To put these in perspective, Swiss made tweezers are usually spec'd at 0.001", while the Italian made are 0.003". Finish is nice IME.

* Link is for a retailer as I wasn't able to find the company's website. They're less expensive than Swiss made as a general rule.

** Be careful, there's fakes out that are made in China; they're easy to spot as the last I looked, they were going for ~$6 per pair (Vetus?). To put this in perspective, the genuine Swiss made Regina ~$30+ per pair.

*** French company, but their tweezers are made in Switzerland. Example.

Howardlong:
Interesting, I didn’t know Ideal-Tek were the ODM for Lindstrom: I have a few of each, and Ideal-Tek are usually a bit cheaper.

I have to say I am a complete noob about the grading and numbering of tweezers, and how it works across brands (or not). #7 seems to mean bent tip, which I like. Then there are different grades of sharpness, but I don’t know what the difference is in practical terms between, for example, fine, extra fine, and needle, but I know what I like.

Is there a noob guide?

nanofrog:

--- Quote from: Howardlong on October 20, 2017, 08:34:37 pm ---Interesting, I didn’t know Ideal-Tek were the ODM for Lindstrom: I have a few of each, and Ideal-Tek are usually a bit cheaper.

I have to say I am a complete noob about the grading and numbering of tweezers, and how it works across brands (or not). #7 seems to mean bent tip, which I like. Then there are different grades of sharpness, but I don’t know what the difference is in practical terms between, for example, fine, extra fine, and needle, but I know what I like.

Is there a noob guide?

--- End quote ---
Yeah, I figured out a long time ago to find the ODM, as there's no other company's markup added to the price.  >:D

Another that might be of interest, would be Schmitz, who only make cutters and pliers and is the ODM for companies like CK Tools, Bernstein, and NWS for example. Really good stuff IME, and typically 50%, sometimes less, than brands like Erem or Tronex's street prices (both make really good stuff too, but Schmitz offers a LOT more value due to their cost; performance is definitely on par). The fast majority of my pliers are Schmitz, and I've one of their cutters (CK Tools labeled). Most of my cutters I found used, usually in mint condition, on eBay for ~$10 each (Excelta branded Tronex, Erem, Swanstrom, and CK Tools).

Regarding Swiss patters, take a look at any of the other Swiss tweezer makers, Ideal-tek in particular, or for a shorter list, Grobet. FWIW, these patterns were originally designed for watchmaking, the shapes have applications with electronics as well. But instead of INOX used in watchmaking (stainless steel that's magnetic), they're TA, SA, or NC (there are other alloys, such as one that contains Cobalt).

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