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Come in through-hole components your time is up!
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rs20:
I think the most valid advantage of through-hole work is that it's the best if you need to design + deliver a circuit in a single day. But if you have a week or two spare and want to make something truly wonderful, then PCB+SMD is absolutely where it's at. And also, to borrow an analogy from cooking; it's worth making a distinction between "cooking time" (waiting for PCBs and parts to arrive) vs "preparation time" (actual time spent on designing PCBs, soldering, breaking veroboard tracks, etc). I'd confidently claim that for any decently complex project, the prep time for the SMD+PCB route is easily less than the throughhole+veroboard(or whatever) route.


--- Quote from: mtdoc on May 07, 2017, 12:14:40 am ---I still struggle with the idea of needing to switch to primarily SMD / PCB work for one-off prototypes or projects.  If building several of something it is no doubt more efficient but I just don't see that for my hobbyist use - at least not yet.

--- End quote ---

Each to their own -- I did a reasonably complex veroboard design once, and grew tired of breaking all the tracks and having to design around the arbitrary imposition of horizontal traces. I encountered some small layout issue, and it just snowballed. I gave up at copied the same design down into the PCB software and the design took less time than the physical process of preparing (yet alone designing) the veroboard, it's a third the size and has twice the features. And this is a design that has a lot of through-hole (high power) components; being able to easily integrate SMD parts (an being able to access the huge library of SMD-only parts {i.e., anything developed in the last 20 years}) is yet another massive bonus on top of that.  But see below, I understand that different people have different priorities so might see things differently.


--- Quote from: mtdoc on May 07, 2017, 12:14:40 am ---The biggest drawback for me at this point is that I have absolutely no interest in spending time in front of a computer screen doing PCB layout. I spend way too much time on a computer for my day job.

--- End quote ---

Interesting -- I grew up in front of a computer screen, so I don't find it any more taxing than being awake. I.e., I consider designing PCBs on the computer to be an entirely different and distinct activity from my day job, software engineering.
TAMHAN:
This is a decision I recently had a BIG fight about with Raper, over a relatively simple design. We ended up going partially SMD, and I bought a Mantis to do hand soldering of prototypes. Here is what was our reasoning:

Pro SMD
Smaller
Our design shrunk by 50% as we could stack a process computer above another planar's SMD part.

Cheaper
No words...

Side-looking LEDs
Don't beat me: having to bend 5000 LEDs to make "side looking ones" by hand is a nuissance. Also, getting multiple LEDs next to one another to "look" the same length is difficult. With side looking LEDs, its super easy.



Pro and Contra SMD
Vibration resistance of SMALL parts - Questionable
According to various books I bought, SMD parts are more tolerant to vibration than their TTH counterparts. This is something my practical experience disputes: I saw multiple boards where SMD inductors (always inductors) had dislodged.

Looking for some input from the esteemed quorum on the last point!

mtdoc:

--- Quote from: rs20 on May 07, 2017, 09:02:12 am ---

--- Quote from: mtdoc on May 07, 2017, 12:14:40 am ---The biggest drawback for me at this point is that I have absolutely no interest in spending time in front of a computer screen doing PCB layout. I spend way too much time on a computer for my day job.

--- End quote ---

Interesting -- I grew up in front of a computer screen, so I don't find it any more taxing than being awake. I.e., I consider designing PCBs on the computer to be an entirely different and distinct activity from my day job, software engineering.

--- End quote ---

I've also been using a computers starting with a Z80 in the late 70sl. I spent a few years in my work life in the early 90s programming with LabView which has some similarities to PCB layout.  Now I spend way to much of my work day in front of a screen, using an Electronic Medical Record.

I have not doubt that once proficient with a PCB CAD software package that it's a quick and efficient way produce a small project.  But for me there are 2 roadblocks:

1)The thought of spending the screen time needed to become proficient with a PCB CAD software package makes me want to throw up.

2) I'm an inpatient sort - and when I want to build something, I want it NOW - waiting for the turn around from the PCB fab would be a buzz kill for me. The thought of setting up the needed space to make my own boards is also a non-starter.

Well, still I have no doubt that if I continue to advance in my knowledge and hobbiest skills, I will have to bite the bullet and tackle those obstacles.  In the meantime I'm having fun doing it the old school way.. :)
Red Squirrel:
Speaking of doing stuff the old school way it's mostly how I roll:


 


TBH though, I think I would have been better off getting boards made even if it was a one of project, that took way longer than I had anticipated. :P    But the nice part with this way is that I don't need to wait on a 3rd party or mess with making boards myself.   I tried to dead bug SMD but it's way too tedius to do. It can be done, but just not my idea of fun. Haha.   Suppose I need to figure out a better process to make it easier.  Maybe some kind of jig or something.  Then just make my own TH parts for one of projects using sections of perf board.   For anything I want to do more than one of then it makes sense to get boards made.  Or even get break out boards made instead of trying to deadbug. 
mtdoc:
Excellent Red Squirrel!  :-+

The thing is, no matter how long it took, it was time spent using your hands versus staring at a screen and clicking a mouse.

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