Surface mount ic's

How long's your piece of string? Specifically, what type of SMT package are you using? If SOIC, PLCC etc., you can do it with just a fine-tip soldering iron. Poeple have reported doing BGA's in a toaster, but I haven't tried it myself. Is this a one-off hobbyest situation, or volume production?

Ooh, you've lit the touch-paper on one of my hobby-horses (and mixed metaphors, but hey, it's the New Year):

hobby, hobbyer, hobbyest: progressively increasing levels of similarity to a hob :-)

hobbyist: someone who indulges in a hobby

But David is right: PQFP/PLCC/SOIC can be done with a soldering iron ***and some good-quality liquid or, better, gel flux***. BGA is definitely beyond my hobby skills, but I too have seen reports of people using domestic toasting-ovens - note another linguistic barrier here: in the UK, a "toaster" is likely to be something that has slots to accept bread in a vertical plane, which is unlikely to be helpful for soldering BGA devices on to a board!

Even if you could assemble BGA at home, you would then have to worry about inspection or test. As far as I'm aware, JTAG testing software is still not widely used by amateurs, and X-ray inspection tools are even rarer.

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Hi, Try this Google search:- solder group:comp.arch.fpga author:freidin

Philip gives a list of links you'll find interesting. HTH, Syms.

p.s. On the subject of US vs. UK toasting techniques, IMO the problem in the US is not the toaster machines, it's the post-toasting technology. The toast just gets piled up on a plate. The US seems to be a veritable toast rack desert, so the toast always ends up soggy. I guess that's why it's IHOP and not IHOT! :-)

In addition to what others have said, a really nice soldering station can set you back a bit, but if you're doing small SM resistors/caps etc., then *two* fine pitch irons will ease your pain a lot. Most of the high end stations have multiple irons from a single controller including tweezer irons for such things, but it's usually beyond the needs or price range for a hobbyist.

If you're getting older (as I most certainly am), then a magnifier with light (at least) will be welcome boon - it would probably be welcome anyway :)

Cheers

PeteS

As I said, starting price tag, meaning proffessional one off production. Or hobbyist will do, as long as it is not ad-hoc type scenario.

I live in the US and use a toaster to toast bread. The bread goes in vertically. I don't know what restaurants use. A toaster oven is a small counter top appliance. I've never used a toaster oven to toast bread or cook anything - I use mine to relow SMD parts using solder paste ;) For a more commercial SMD oven, I think Zephyrtronics has some desk-top units. They sell solder paste that's a lot cheaper than Digikey.

-Dave Pollum

I use the toaster oven to toast bread, and a hot plate to reflow SMD parts.

And there is some else out there in "net land" that uses an electric skillet to reflow SMD parts although I personally think they are better for making grilled cheese sandwitches......

--
James T. White

I got the idea from sparkfun.com

See also

for a picture of the hotplate I use. It's a small but cheap $20 unit from Target. Here's a board I reflowed on it:

PeteS wrote: [snip]

There are also 2-pointed bits, which fit in a regular iron. These come with spacings to match standard SMT outlines: 1206, 0805, etc.

Agreed there! More light & a magnifier make all the difference.

Hi Dave, During my times in America, I use a toaster oven to make toast. It works just fine. The toaster oven is a cool(hot?) multipurpose US invention, which is only just starting to catch on in the UK, IME. But I can't find any of these:-

which greatly enhance the toast experience! Cheers, Syms. p.s. I don't believe the urban myths about the US and irony, so I know you'll appreciate being lectured about food by an Englishman! :-) Anyway, we're not as bad as Finland.

Hi,

I have an article about making a BGA owen from a low cost toast owen by integrating home made uP temperature control. It was published in "elektor"

magazine. The article is named "SMD Reflow Soldering Oven" and available here:

Cheers,

Guru

Speaking of Elektor is anyone on this group doing their FPGA project series? I think its currently at part 8 (January 2007 edition).

Richard

Guru wrote:

I've never been to Europe or the UK, so I don't know what the food is like. I have heard that the French have an overy inflated opinion of themselves, especially when it comes to food. Irony sometimes doesn't translate well, even though we both speak "English". Wasn't it Churchill who said that Britain and the US are separated by a common language?

-Dave Pollum

Prices drop all the time, but last time I checked:

$500 to $800 for a decent stereo microscope (you need approx x4 to x10 mag) with zoom, illumination, a boom arm, and a very heavy base.

$500 to $800 for a hot air solder rig.

Could be less on eBay.

You want one with a very large "working distance" so you can get your hands under there, and a large "throat" meaning the objective lens is well away from the vertical support for the microscope head. There is a VERY common stereo microscope in the US $300 range that is quite UNsuitable for this purpose, for the two reasons mentioned above. I'd check eBay for use Bausch & Lomb, Olympus, Zeiss, etc. microscopes with relatively LOW magnification.

10 - 20 X is what you want, and if you can get the low-mag eyepieces or the accessory lens to cover the 5 - 10 X range, that may be best.

Jon

We are an odd country: as you've suggested, we have very poor post-toasting technology, but we do have a cereal called Post Toasties. No one can explain this.

Bob Perlman Cambrian Design Works

Many thanks for that wonderful link, which has led me to the ultimate British Toasting Experience, a Wallace and Gromit Toast Rack:

Sadly, they have chosen not to bundle a free Toast-O-Matic jelly applicator with each purchase.

Brian

p.s. As an added bonus, I discovered these newer W&G shorts while looking for online video of the jelly launcher in action:

1mm pitch small number BGA could be hand soldered with a good hot air tool (some about $150-$300) if you have enough available parts "to make your hand" first. You also need proffesional solder paste which is quite expensive (some Kester is $47 a few ml).

greetings, Vasile

smount wrote: