DM Dispenser [review, unboxing and teardown]ForewordDear fellow EEVBlog members and forum readers! First off I want to thank the whole EEVBlog community (including Dave who, I assume, made it all possible anyway and any other 3rd parties/individuals) who contributed to this place. I am (or were?) mostly a reader of these forums to learn about all aspects of electronics and find it a great place to learn new stuff or improve my current skills. So, a HUGE thank you from somebody who read quite a bit around here
Secondly, I want to say that the seller DID NOT read my review first, so it is a surprise for him as well
. It is a bit of a long post though, so prepare yourself for a long read. I did include some level of structure by using a few headers here and there to make reading a bit easier for you guys
I also want to say that English is not my native language and I would like to apologize for any spell and/or grammar issues that might have been slipped through unnoticed. If you find them and are bothered by them, just let me know and I'll fix it ASAP
IntroductionWell, I've bought the DM Dispenser and would like to tell you a bit about it, so you can get an idea of what you will get and where I am mainly using it for. Do keep in mind that this is a generic dispenser. This means that almost anything can be dispensed, as long as it isn't too thick (high viscous fluids and/or pastes might work for you or not, hence it must be tried). The review will cover everything, from presales to the first use of the device (as well as a small teardown) until the aftersales (and then even some other bits 'n bobs). You can find which solder paste/flux I used at the end of this post and why I chose these (see the Conclusion for this).
Reason for buying itI mainly do one off boards for friends, family and other people I know, as it is purely a hobby of mine (I am a beginning software programmer (university calls it 'engineer') myself, currently following a Bachelor degree). I am also using surface mount components for about a year now and I have to say that I like them quite much (sometimes more than through-hole, but that's just personal preference I guess). However, the main reason that I bought this dispenser is that I cannot grab those small syringes quite well, because the muscles in my hand will contract themselves when I'm putting force on the syringe (and that hurts).
Pre-salesI didn't contact the seller to ask any questions before buying the product, because IMHO the videos and neat website had already answered them.
BuyingBuying the device from Tindie was straightforward with my PayPal account (after creating a Tindie account first, of course) and the order went through instantly. I bought it on Saturday, 11th June around 6PM local time (GMT+1). I bought the complete package (including foot pedal and spare pistons/barrels), because I had a strong feeling that this dispenser would be a real boost in productivity. As a bonus (because I bought quite a lot in one go), the seller asked me what I would be doing with it. After a few e-mails going back and forth he decided that I would get an extra set of tips (because I bought more than the whole package in one go), with the openings that would suit the things I would going to use the dispenser for. I felt really lucky to get an extra set of tips
ShippingThe seller contacted me the same day as I bought it, asking what he should put on the customs declaration forms to let the package get to it's destination as quickly as possible. Replies were also quickly answered, hence it gave me a good impression of the person who is selling this dispenser (good organized, customer oriented etc. etc.). I ordered it on a Saturday (11th June) and, including all correspondence I had with the seller, it began it's journey to Europe (NL) on Monday morning (13th June). I call that, to this point, excellent customer service, knowing that there is a Sunday in between as well.
I chose the DHL Express Worldwide option, which costs 42USD. IMO it's worth the money as you don't need to wait that long and the chances of it arriving in one piece is greater than with regular airmail. I had some conflicts in the past when receiving something from US by standard Airmail, so that is the main reason I chose the Express option this time as it isn't exactly a cheap device. Though, it could be considered cheap, knowing the entire feature set of this little gadget. I leave that decision to you (the reader)
The seller also let me know that shipping from Mexico in general is, unfortunately, quite expensive and hence the large shipping costs.
UnboxingYay, the package arrived on the Friday (17th June) of the same week! Now that's what I call fast (well, it's called Express for a reason, isn't it). However, there was a small hole poked in the side of the package where the cardboard was supposed to be glued together (see picture below). After unpacking and checking whether all parts were still there, I continued. This is also where I had the first aftersales experience with the seller (see Aftersales section about that). You also get (along your ordered items) a few papers as well with the inner workings of the device (schematic, ext. trigger hookup) and a small table layout with which tips are suited for which work (this table can also be found on the website) and don't forget the invoice, too
The hole in the box.
Box opened. Remember the city of departure as it will turn up later in the review
After removing the first layer of packing material I saw the barrels and pistons, nicely packed.
This is after removing the previous layer (pistons and barrels).
The bottom of the box. As you can see, that has also got extra material to protect the device.
We're done with the box itself
Now I have some more detailed pictures for you.
The pistons, barrels and protecting caps to make it all airtight.
The foot pedal (very important part, that is).
Again, but now unwrapped. It has a default 3.5mm stereo (male) audio jack.
The (double) set of tips/needles.
The stepper motor & syringe holder.
Again, the stepper motor & syringe holder. This time unwrapped.
As you can see, the seller also put a bit of grease on to let the parts work a bit easier together.
Now, on to the main unit
Never thought about using it for that, however...
Now the main unit is unwrapped.
The (small) on-off switch.
The other connectors (from left to right: power over micro USB, stepper motor output, external trigger).
First UseAfter connecting the power, foot pedal and stepper motor to the unit I started to have another look at the website to see what the easiest way of filling the syringes was (I also could have looked on the manual that was delivered, too). After that I started dispensing solder paste on the PCB around a TQFP/LQFP (144p with thermal ground pad) footprint with a suitable tip. It was a bit different, considering that you normally had to press on the syringe, which you are now doing with your foot
Be warned that even a low speed can result in a fairly high flow of solder paste (or whatever else is in the barrel) coming out of the tip (I still had to move quite quickly, but to be honest I also didn't set the dispenser up 100% before starting, so that's my own fault). Then I put the chip on and heated it like you would solder any other surface mount component. I had some bridges on one side, but the other ones were fine and didn't need any 'extra care'. Surface tension does most of the magic if not too much solder paste is applied. According to the seller, a thin stroke on the outer edges of the footprint(s) will yield best results (and I can confirm that too).
FeaturesI won't go into all the possible features. For that I will happily redirect you to the website of this device, which you can find in the first post of this topic. It is explained in greater detail there then I feel I'm able to.
FirmwareThe firmware is also very intuitive with it's large LCD multiple lines character display, which has a nice white-blueish background LED (looks very cool and clear). Almost everything is adjustable, the list is almost unlimited and then there are also a lot of memory profiles you can save data in, like if you have different pastes/fluids around where you need different speed/retraction etc. settings for, but still want to use one device. It's all there and possible. When using profiles, one can switch very quickly (remove barrel, put other barrel in place, select profile and GO!). Best of all, any adjustment you do does not need saving, it will be written into memory instantly without any interaction required.
Teardown & Easter EggLet's crack on and apply one of Dave's laws (warranty void if seal
NOT broken
). I opened it up (your own risk of course, as always) and took a few pictures to let you show the inner build quality of the dispenser main unit. I find that the PCB is of good quality too, next to the other bits. No cheap stuff you find in some Chinese products, so thumbs up to the seller!
A nice shot, showing the front with the buttons and knobs. Actually, you can press on the silver 'turnable' knobs, too. If you do this then the piston moves quickly up or down (depending on which knob you pressed). Even the speed with which the piston moves is adjustable in the menu.
This is a little easter egg. I asked the seller what kind of dog it is. Did you remember the city of departure earlier in the review? Exactly! The dog is a Chihuahua. He came on the idea because of two reasons (I asked him why he put it on the PCB). 1) It was manufactured in Chihuahua, Mexico. 2) Every time he travels to work, he sees Chihuahua's in other people's gardens. Just found it funny to share with you.
Yet another shot, showing the on-off switch.
A picture I took after I soldered a 5 pin ICSP header onto it to backup the firmware just in case the micro gets killed (or kills itself) for some reason. Another note: The code is NOT read/write protected. So you can do with it what you like
AftersalesMy first aftersales experience with the seller was instantly after checking all the contents of the package, because the syringe holder (piece of plastic that is bolted to the stepper motor) was damaged (see pictures below)
. I contacted the seller and he was very kind, being really sorry that the part broke during transportation, so he offered a replacement part straightaway! He sent me another e-mail with two options, because sending it with regular Airmail from Mexico would take ~6 weeks. I had the option to let it be fabricated in the UK or he could send me the STL file, the latter would be the fastest option (if I had my own 3D printer or knew somebody who had one). Unfortunately I didn't knew anybody with a 3D printer, nor had I got one myself, so I went with the UK option. Note that up to this point, all this back and forth e-mailing was done on the SAME DAY as I got the package! That's in my opinion just real dedication to your customer! The replacement part arrived at the end of next week (because it had to be manufactured and shipped from the UK and there was also the Saturday and Sunday in between).
The broken part in more detail.
Other bits 'n bobsI keep communicating with the seller to exchange tips 'n tricks, so I can use the product to the fullest. If I find something that might help others I also contact the seller to have a look at it, so the product could be improved with another release. For example, he asked me (and I guess also other customers) to test out a hand support tool to keep the syringe in a more upright position (less stress on fingers etc.). I've got a few samples and tested them and supplied him with extensive details about positioning, which tolerance was the best etc. etc. You just know that the person behind this is just very passionate and dedicated to the project and if the feedback is constructive, he surely will put it to good use.
Possible improvementsAs with any product there are some improvements that could be made (some of these are also aware with the seller and he's working/experimenting with solutions). A few that I have noticed (or things that would just be nice to have) are:
- A hand support (he's already working on this and I also already tested a prototype of it for him).
- Rubber grips to slide over the syringe (is rather a nice-to-have feature, but nonetheless could be useful when greasing very small gears, cogs etc.). The seller is also already aware of this 'feature request' and is doing some experiments to decide whether it really adds value.
- A slightly bigger on-off button as the one currently is rather small and due to the light weight of the device it can be a bit of a hassle to turn it off (the right way) as it also doesn't stick out that much.
- A bit longer stepper motor leads (or maybe an 'extension cord' for this?) so that you have more free space to your availability (could be handy with some large PCBs without moving the unit around).
- Anti-slip pads on the main unit, because sometimes it 'drags' along. Maybe a nice combination with the 'extension cord'?
- A DC power jack. While using a micro USB to DC female jack works perfectly, I still would have favored an ordinary DC plug over a micro USB one, though. I also tested a 2m (6ft) USB A <--> micro USB cable, but the voltage drop was just way too much. A small length cable could be used, but I do not expect lengths greater than 50cm to work well (it dims the LCD very much when engaging the motor, which I think is not very durable when you do this often). To overcome this, I just bought a few 'converters' as you can see in the picture below. I bought 5 of them and they might also end up in other projects of mine (some day).
This is currently what I'm using to power the device with from my laboratory power supply's dedicated 5V line
ConclusionThe product is really easy to use. Also, refills can be done at a very high speed, due to the simple mechanical structure. I call it: twist 'n click (or click 'n go?)
I find it a great tool to work with and would buy one again without hesitation, given the extremely good customer service as well! Currently it has lived up to my expectations (and beyond). It has made it's place into my desk drawers and now shares one drawer with an IC suction tool and an 'Andonstar' USB microscope I bought (this handy little thing has been in a EEVBlog review some time back) which helps me with PCB inspections.
My respect also goes out to the seller (Dan), because he is really, really dedicated to give you the best customer service possible! For that a BIG
I also promised to tell you what kind of solder paste I have used it with. This solder paste is already 'syringe ready', but you can have a look at the datasheet and compare the viscosity numbers to check whether yours come close to it. The seller also confirmed that he will put up a page (I guess on his website) where he will list all tested solder pastes (and maybe other things that have been tested as well, like special adhesives).
- Solder paste: ChipQuik SMD291AX10.
- Extra flux: ChipQuik SMD291 No-Clean.
Rounding things upI hope you enjoyed this review and if there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask them! I did want to include much more, but I feel that it is getting too long then. So, again, if there are questions, don't hesitate to ask. I will try to find the 'subscribe' button, if I don't respond it's likely that I haven't figured that out yet, lol
Cheers
edit: Some improvements.
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