[Weather] [personal] Weather PCB dimensions

[Dave McGuire]

On Nov 19, 2006, at 2:20 PM, Jim Pace wrote:
> Regarding through-hole boards, I was thinking that we ought to  
> consider
> using through-hole(but not plated through-hole) construction for the
> passives at least. I've built, for instance, the Simon Hub kit and  
> the Bray
> Barometer from the 1-Wire project of a few years ago and more  
> recently, the
> Hobby Boards Humidity module. I find those amoeba sized chip caps and
> resistors to be an unnecessary pain to place and solder when simple  
> axial
> leads would have been much easier.

   What size were they?  I've found that pretty much anyone can do  
0805-sized surface mount parts, but smaller than that becomes difficult.

   Two very important things to keep in mind are the matters of tools  
and techniques.  Soldering surface-mount components is different from  
soldering through-hole components.  Trying to use the same techniques  
as you'd use for through-hole parts is *wrong*.  Tools are a little  
more forgiving...Some "good" tools (not cheap Radio Shack garbage)  
can be used for both through-hole and surface-mount parts, but  
surface-mount soldering is more demanding of tool quality.  You need  
good light, possibly a magnifier, a quality soldering iron, and  
decent tweezers.

   The biggest mistakes I've seen people make regarding getting  
started in surface mount technology are assuming that it's just a  
small version of through-hole soldering, and that they can use cheap  
garbage tools to do it.  The former is stubbornness, and the  
latter...well, if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right.

   Now, that said...I solder surface-mount components literally every  
day; I have the correct tools and I enjoy doing it.  If anyone here  
needs any assistance (advice, equipment recommendations, or actual  
soldering) I am willing to help out in any way I can.  If the new  
weather station board winds up using surface-mount components and  
someone here is uncomfortable building one, I'll put it together as  
long as the shipping expenses are covered.

                 -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire
Cape Coral, FL