| Electronics > Beginners |
| Soldering: Holding stuff to the PCB |
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| Rick Law:
I am just a hobbyist so my experience is not extensive. That also means I don't have a big bag of tricks. But a few times when I struggled with that, I reach for what was at hand -- Scotch tape (regular stationary magic/invisible tape for paper) works well - particularly with the through-hole stuff. With SMD's they don't work as well. It is too easy to melt the glue on the tape making the component sticky. |
| BergRD:
I was part of a Kickstarter for a great little bit of kit called PCBGrip Vise. I can try to get some pics up later but here is their website and it can do quite a bit including holding SMT (within reasonable size) components so you can solder well. At the time it did not cost me much and I cannot state the current prices but you might want to check them out and good luck! https://pcbgrip.com/ |
| tszaboo:
For 2.54 headers and such, I just hold one end and solder the other one. And also Xcelite has a cross lock tweezers, very useful for holding stuff together. |
| Psi:
For 2.54 headers just design the PCB so the holes are offset a little on each alternate hole . Just enough so the header jams in a bit. This will hold them enough for soldering. The other option is making the holes small so they are more of a friction fit however this is trickier than it sounds due to hole tolerance. You would really need to specify to the PCB fab that the holes are friction fit so they make them exact. This is why i prefer the first method of offsetting every 2nd hole a little. |
| Ian.M:
--- Quote from: voltsandjolts on May 04, 2018, 07:35:56 am ---For some parts you can design the PCB holes to be slightly out of line, just enough so the component stays put when pushed in. Works well with headers but needs a little trial and error. --- End quote --- --- Quote from: Psi on May 07, 2018, 12:20:30 pm ---For 2.54 headers just design the PCB so the holes are offset a little on each alternate hole . Just enough so the header jams in a bit. This will hold them enough for soldering. --- End quote --- Staggered footprints for header retention and alignment: https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/114 However, that's only any good if you are designing the board yourself and the PCB house can hold tight enough tolerances repeatably. If its someone else's board with a straight footprint, you are SOL. Another method I have used is a couple of rubber bands and a strip of folded corrugated cardboard, or two strips of plain card stapled together. Take the strip of card, notch the edge of it for the length of the header and height of its base, insert header in the edge of it and fold the ends of the card in opposite directions about 1/2" from the header. Insert the header + card in the board (you may need to notch the card to fit round existing parts) then hold the card+ header in place with rubber bands round the PCB, which are clear of the ends of its footprint so you have good access for soldering. A quick & dirty alternative is to put one or two closed top jumper caps on the middle pins of the header and put one rubber band round the board over that. The end pins can then be soldered before removing the band and soldering the pins it covered. You can also hold small headers with your finger without getting burnt if you've put one or two closed top jumper caps on them, and if you use pliers or forceps, the jumper cap prevents them marring the surface of the pins. |
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