Through Hole vs. Surface Mount

I use the TPS40210-11 Boost controller in 10 pin MSOP with powerpad. They aren't that bad. Drill one or two holes under the IC put light solder under the IC, and a dab of solder on the power pad. The parts are so tiny you can heat the exposed copper pore on either side of the IC causing the solder on the power pad to reflow. The other way is heat the wires you use for vias under the IC to reflow the solder.Just dont go crazy with the solder under The IC or when it settles it will push the solder on the pads; short phhsst!

The only thing about those parts if you suspect it's damaged there's no easy way to swap it out without damaging all the pads and traces.

The chemicals are practically free. Muriatic acid $5 at the hardware store. Acetone $5. You could get about a hundred boards from each, the cost per board doesn't even count. You'll spend more on the transfer paper.

As a student, I don't have $50 to spare, nor is my time worth more than $50 for the same. It makes sense to make my own boards.

There is one more advantage you missed. I also get them same day, a service you'd be charged many times the list price from a commercial supplier.

Tim

I've had no issues at all with it. Very clean solder joints, and they stay clean.

tore.

er

rvice

That's a fair statement. Several, in fact. I was a student myself the last time I went the DIY route. Perhaps it is a rite of passage? :)

Never again though.

Hammy wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

my problem isn't in soldering the IC,but in laying out and etching a PCB with such fine pitch leads. (I had thought the IC would be bigger...)

Also,I was mistaken about the 603 size,they are 805,except for the coil and diode.

Thats exactly the wrong way. Fine pitch is best soldered using a think flat soldering tip and flux. Its faster and it works better.

I would think ExpressPCB is plenty capable of this. That can lay out SSOP ICs with .025 inch pitch, also custom pads.

- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)

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Well I would hope so are they may want to get out of the PCB business;-).

What's the concern with laying out an etching? I do 0.0256 pitch regularly using the toner transfer method.

If you are young (good eyes), the smallest parts to use would be

"No-Clean"? GACK! avoid that junk like the plague it is...

Chacun à son goût!

Whoa! You'll get plonked by JT for that...

But you don't get a bag of trail mix with the shipment like I got last time :-))

I still have two gallons of muriatic acid sitting in the garage. Our pool used to need that on a regular basis. Right after I bought a new carton it stopped needing it. Beats me why.

Because it realized how cheap you are and refused to be used as your etchant bath?

There is no glop.

Never had any.

I have test gear here that I built years ago. Totally reliable. In fact I have to build some more today, need a variable frequency mains supply to test for international voltages and also 400Hz aircraft stuff.

Oh yeay, maybe the two bottles secretly joined a union :-)

All I can tell you is that there is no glop. I just did a few more solder joints and held them under a magnifier -> nada, zilch, clean.

Maybe you used the wrong temperature? My Weller is running at 640F right now.