Plenty of people come to surface mount from a through-hole background and wonder whether their hands will translate. That is exactly the gap this build addresses: the maker learned soldering a decade ago on through-hole kits, later moved into swapping USB C ports, HDMI ports and burnt fuses on console boards, but had never finished a complete board kit before. This practice board was the test, and it sounds like it passed.
The blue PCB packs in two QFP ICs, an SOP8 labeled U1 and an SOP16 labeled U2, a row of SOT-23 transistors, and a spread of 0402, 0603 and 0805 passives, with ten red LEDs along the top right and test points TP1 through TP4 marked on the silkscreen alongside the HKT002 text. Power comes in via red and black wires on the lower-left terminals.
The workflow is methodical. Every pad got tinned with a generous dose of flux and 63/37 solder, components were set gently on top, and a basic 8858 hot air gun at around 400 degrees with the fan on low reflowed everything into place. The small chisel tip on a portable C210 iron only touched up IC legs. The LEDs were done with the iron instead of hot air, which seems sensible given how easily they melt. Total cost of the tools sits under $100, and the whole board took under two hours.
Powered up, the circuit drives the ten LEDs in a repeating chase, and the maker judges the joints solid. The standout detail for me is the 0402 resistors placed using only a magnifying desk lamp; the maker was surprised that eyesight held up at that size. An FM radio kit is already on order for next weekend.