Breaking the epoxy bond under SMD ?

During a Unix book edit and ordeal, I was rather amazed to discover that I was being paid more as tech editor than any of the authors involved in the production. The result was predictable. The authors produced garbage and I was expected to clean up the mess. Even worse, the authors were paid by the page, which provided the incentive to produce voluminous garbage and excess verbiage.

Correct. By definition, everything I touch is improved by my involvement.

I haven't done that to any articles. However, I have done the same to science fiction business plans and project proposals. The only difference between those and articles is the amount of money involved.

Yep. I was once interviewed by a local newspaper reporter on some technical subject. When the article appeared, I didn't recognize any of my quotes, statements, or allegations. It was as if someone else had been interviewed. I correctly deduced that this was normal.

For many years afterwards, there were various attempts to interview me on similar technical topics. Instead of honestly stating my opinion, I changed to irreverent humor, arcane analogies, and bizarre statements, all calculated to drive the editor(s) insane. I may have been successful because the local newspaper sold out and left town.

Incorrect spelling is a great way to distract the reader from the topic. Spelling errors are instantly perceived by the reader, while logic error, political agendas, and editorial bias take much more effort.

Editors lie. I know because I'm an occasional editor. I suspect that your editor wanted something from you and found flattery to be effective.

Not really. I was never asked to edit something with which I was unfamiliar. On the business plan reviews, it was always on a subject with which I was totally familiar. The one review where I fell flat on my face was a rush job on an unfamiliar product area. In the book reviews, the publisher actively searched for experts in the field to do the reviews. Lack of familiarity might be a problem in popular magazines and newspapers, but for technical articles in technical publications, the tech editors are usually quite familiar with the technology. The style/grammar/spelling/fit editors may have been non-technical, but they are not suppose to change the meaning or technical content.

"As one engineer would talk to another.."? Was the booklet all in acronyms?

I suspect that you haven't read many depositions or stenographic records of court proceedings. People do not speak in anywhere near as precise a manner as they write. The resultant transcripts are often redundant, fragmented, and ambiguous. There are authors that can write in a "home style" manner, intended to sound like a personal discussion. The idea is to put the reader at ease and present the topic from a non-threatening position, rather than from an academically correct lofty position. It consists of adding prefixed and suffixed phrases to each paragraph or section that sound like conversation. Books written by those with considerable customer contact experience tend to write like that. If there's room, such a "home style" is usually left after the various edits. If the publication needs space, it's the first to be removed. I once ghost wrote an article for a radio magazine. When the article appeared, a paragraph of radio lingo had been added to the front and rear. To make room, two important paragraphs were excised. I was not thrilled.

I think that you do yourself an injustice, Jeff. I rather liked your playing on those clips. A little 'strident' or 'full' in places, but I think your touch is quite nice, and it's certainly a lot better than some I've heard who are supposedly professionals ...

Arfa

Thanks. Long ago, I wanted to do music full time. I was advised that there were plenty of engineers that play music in their spare time, but no musicians that do engineering in their spare time. I got the point and concentrated on engineering and ignored music.

Of course it was harsh and loud. I was trying to kill the synthesizer. As with poetry, I do my best work when I'm angry and irate. I've been told that I do the emotional content or "feeling" part fairly well. Now, all I need is some target practice hitting the correct keys. The problem is that the more I practice, the worse I play. Can't win.

I've never seen epoxy used to hold a part to a PC board. A tiny dot of a red glue was used on our boards, and it would release when you desoldered the transistor leads. Any rework at the factory level used very thin solder wick to remove the solder, and a very thin curved 'dental pick' to lift each lead while the joint was still hot. If the glue was still holding, you touched the transistor with the soldering iron to free it. If you worked fast enough, the glue was loose when you unsoldered the last lead.

If I can find my old rework tools, I'll make a video & put it on Youtube. I'm finally able to spend a little time in my shop, after 5+ years of health problems.

That sounds like the standard thermoset glue used in PCB assembly.

Den 28-06-2012 16:29, N_Cook skrev:

Have seen thermo curing glue used when SMD and leaded components are used in a mix on a single sided PCB. First step in production was to place all glue dots for smd. Then place all SMD components and cure glue in a reflow oven. Then place all leaded components and run through the wave solder machine. In this proces both SMD and leaded components are soldered at the same time and the glue is to assure that the SMD components do not fall of during soldering.

BTW the glue was red.

Glad to hear you're feeling better Michael. How is it in Fl at the moment? We're seeing pictures on the TV here of widespread flooding and power loss down the eastern seaboard, I think they said ??

Arfa

here,

relieve

free.

resolute.

micro-dot

That sounds likely , a mixture of SMD and thru-board componentry on this pcb. More glue than the dot that would normally be used just for holding SMD in initial placement.

here,

relieve

free.

resolute.

micro-dot

There was another feature of it I'd noted but dismised ,thinking it was just due to thin film "dilution" of the colour. The exuding glue blobs around the SMDs was bright red but the underlying thin material was more beige or peach in colour - perhaps a side-effect of reflow oven and air exposure while curing

Thank you. :) It's just hot & humid in Central FLorida at the moment. We recently had several days of heavy rain, and a couple sinkholes in this county from the rain. The problems on the east coast are north of here. Some areas around Washington DC are without electricity & running water after recent storms. Luckily, they'll never run out of hot air.

"Arfa Daily" wrote in news:8crIr.583254$ snipped-for-privacy@fx19.am:

Ocala and Panhandle-area got the worst of it,with a lot of new sinkholes. It's a bummer when a big hole opens up next to or under your house and things start falling into it,your foundation and walls crack,or part of your home literally breaks off.

Central Florida(Orlando area) didn't fare too badly. Our drought had kept the lakes and retention ponds low so there was plenty of room for all the water. We're still 2.5" below normal for rainfall.

We're due out there in Jan or Feb '13, but I guess it will all be back to normal by then ...

Arfa

As long as you can handle all of the 'Snowbirds' ;-)

"Arfa Daily" wrote in news:wqMIr.437325$ snipped-for-privacy@fx06.am:

We had some good,hard rain last night. a lot of plant debris on the ground this morning,during my daily bike ride. The pool this morning was like bath water,almost body temp,even after the rain.

it will be nice and "mild" for you in those months,but "cold" to me,I've been here long enough to be acclimatized. February is usually nice,it's warming up by then.

Hi Jim

I've visited the area many times over the years, and have been there at most times from winter, through early and late spring, and through into autumn (fall I guess that is your side). I have only been once right in the summer, and I found it a bit too humid for me. I seem to remember that it poured of rain at three o'clock every afternoon for about a half hour, and then dried right up again. I think we had some pretty damned good thunderstorms as well.

It's going to be a big bunch of us again this time. Just had a grandchild presented, and another due in about five weeks, so it will be a full three generations thing. Would have been four except my mother died a little while back. She loved it there (and Vegas !). She was well into her eighties and still enjoyed jumping on a 747 and flying across the Atlantic :-)

Are you actually in Orlando itself ? We usually take a house for a couple of weeks in Kissimmee, way down Poinciana Blvd at Cumbrian Lakes. Maybe we can meet up for a beer or something while I'm there ... ?

Arfa

"Arfa Daily" wrote in news:4g4Jr.557815$ snipped-for-privacy@fx04.am:

yeah,that's typical Florida summer.... 8-)

did you know that the "lightning capital" of the US is centered in this area? Also,the lightning power density here averages twice that of lightning up north.

I'm way north of Orlando,in Seminole County,while Kissimmee is in Osceola,on the south side of Orange County where Orlando is. Plus,I don't drink any more,got tired of it,I stopped about the time the blood alcohol limits went from 0.1 to .08 and I had just got my Concealed Weapons Permit too. But thanks for the invite!

Hey,while you're here,try to visit Skycraft Surplus;I-4 at Fairbanks in Winter Park. It's a neat electronics surplus store,has a big rocket on the outside,and some dummy practice bombs and missiles hanging from the ceiling inside. Unfortunately,they don't have lots of old test equipment like they used to have.I used to enjoy seeing all the used TEK scopes and other stuff they had.

the

dot

used

the

soldering

you

moment?

loss

Yep, that torrent inflicts the whole world. It is a component of the Santa Ana winds what inflict Lost Angeles from time to time.

?-)