DIY SMD Soldering
- 1). Heat up the soldering iron to 340 degrees. You'll need a quality soldering iron, with a small tip and a variable temperature control. The high temperature will allow you to work quickly, reducing the risk that you'll overheat a part and destroy it.
- 2). Cover the tip of the hot iron with solder. Melting solder onto the tip is called "tinning" it, and will help the iron transfer heat.
- 3). Wipe the tip of the iron on a damp sponge to clean it. You should clean the iron regularly while you're working.
- 4). Melt a small blob of solder onto one or two of the pads at a corner of the circuit board footprint for the chip you are soldering. If you are soldering a two-lead device like a resistor or capacitor, pick one of the pads and melt a dot of solder onto it.
- 5). Shake the flux pen with the cap on a few times to load the tip, then uncap it and swipe it across the rest of the pads on the circuit board. The flux will help the solder flow over the pads.
- 6). Hold the component with a pair of tweezers and position it over the pads.
- 7). Heat the pad that you applied solder to, and press the component into position. Heat the component lead over the soldered pad as well, and the lead should join to the pad. Remove the iron as soon as the component is in position.
- 8). Inspect the component to make sure it is positioned properly. It must be flush to the board, and all the pins should be correctly lined up over their pads. If the component is out of alignment, reheat the pad you've soldered and carefully reposition the component with the tweezers.
- 9). Solder a pad at the opposite corner of the chip by heating both the lead and pad, and applying a small amount of solder to the pad. Solder all the pins, continually switching sides of the chip. Don't worry if pins get shorted together with solder. This is called a solder "bridge," and it's inevitable when you're working by hand. You can clean it up later.
- 10
Use a solder wick to clean up any excess solder or solder bridges. Lay the wick over the solder you want to remove, and press the side of the iron onto the wick. The wick will heat up almost instantly, melting the solder beneath it. The wick will soak up the excess solder through capillary action, the same way that a rag soaks up water. The whole process should take only a second or two. The solder between the pin and the pad will remain trapped, so you don't need to worry about absorbing too much solder and breaking the join. - 11
Remove the wick and iron together. If you remove the iron first, the wick will bond to the solder and you'll need to heat it up again to remove it. Cut off the used portion of the wick and discard it.
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