Re: gEDA-user: Free Dog meetings at MIT starting this September!

[Karel Kulhavý <clock@twibright.com>]

> >neophyte to solder.
> 
>   I must strongly disagree with this statement.  The notion that 
> through-hole soldering is easier than soldering surface-mount devices 
> is, and always has been, a myth.  Personally, any more, I *hate* 
> soldering through-hole parts.  Sure it takes a steadier hand due to the 
> finer pin spacings and such, but give me an SOIC over a DIP any day.
> 
>   Perhaps a part of the problem is that people want to be able to 
> solder with a cheap soldering iron they bought at Radio Shack for $12 

I am using transformer gun with that loop of thick wire at the end. Should
I upgrade?

> that has a tip as big as their finger.  To that, I say "use crap tools, 
> get crap results".  With quality tools, good lighting, and a little bit 
> (maybe a few hours) of practice, I'm convinced that nearly anyone can 
> solder wide-pitch SMT with no problem.  Don't want to shell out a few 
> bucks for a quality temperature-controlled iron?  Don't try to solder.  
> It's as simple as that.

Isn't it possible to get away with the sioldering without a soldering iron
at all? The manufacturing lines are using allegedly some kind of solder
flowing in circles that makes a bulge on the surface of the liquid and
the PCB is stuck into the bulge. At least someone has been describing it to
me this way.

Isn't it possible to heat up amount of solder in an old pot or pan, add a
handful of rosin and then carefully dip the board into it?

I have once seen in TV how some guy was casting tin soldiers this way at home.

I have been soldering a copper HDD water cooler this way - put an iron plate
over gas stove, heated the biggest part up, and then it was just play with
liquid solder and rosin (I bought a 1kg bag in a drugstore).

Someone has also described a homebuilt thru-plating station (however it
isn't still probably a finished design yet).

Just add a homemade 150 000 rpm compressor-driven spindle PCB drill with
linear X-Y drives and 2um precision and you can save walking to PCB
manufacturer (however the machine weighs 6 tons - I fear it would
probably fall through the room's floor ;-) )

Cl<
> 
>              -Dave
> 
> --
> Dave McGuire             "...it's a matter of how tightly
> Cape Coral, FL             you pull the zip-tie."       -Nadine Miller
>