Collaborate Disseminate
The crystal radio is a time-honored build that sadly doesn’t get much traction anymore. Once a rite of passage for electronics hobbyists, the classic coil-on-an-oatmeal-carton and cat’s whisker design just …read more Continue reading Fail of the Week: The SMD Crystal Radio That Wasn’t
There’s no denying how useful surface mount technology is, and how enabling the ability to make really small circuits has become. It comes at a price, though; most of us …read more Continue reading This Pogo Pin Test Fixture Keep Your SMDs from Taking Flight
It might seem quaint through the lends of history we have the luxury of looking through, but in the mid 1980s it was a major symbol of status to be …read more Continue reading A Mobile Phone from 1985
If you’ve ever seen those gadgets with the “breathing light” LEDs on them and wondered how to do it, then [DIY GUY Chris] can show you how to design your …read more Continue reading Surface-Mount Light Breathes Life into Your Project
You’ve finally decided to take the plunge and build a board with surface-mount parts. After carefully dispensing the solder paste with a syringe, it’s time to place the parts. You …read more Continue reading Pixel Pump Pick & Place Positions Parts Precisely
If you want to build cool things these days, you’ve probably had to master surface mount electronics. However, for many people, ball grid array (BGA) is still intimidating. Have a look at [VoltLog’s] video about his techniques for soldering BGA …read more
Surface mount devices were once upon a time considered a huge imposition for the electronics hobbyist. Tiny, difficult to solder by hand, and barely even labelled, many wondered whether the pastime was about to hit a brick wall entirely. Instead, …read more
Continue reading Manual Pick and Place Turntable Makes Board Assembly Easier
You can do your own Surface Mount Technology based PCB assembly with just a handful of tools and some patience. At the heart of my SMT process is stopping to inspect the various steps all while trying to maintain a …read more
Continue reading Learn Bil Herd’s DIY Surface Mount Assembly Process
You might assume that you need a lot of expensive stuff to make your own PCBs, but that isn’t the case: you can do it with a vinyl cutter and a few common chemicals and tools. [Emiliano Valencia] has laid out the entire process. While we’ve seen plenty of make …read more
When doing surface-mount assembly you can certainly use a soldering iron in the traditional way, but it’s far more convenient to cover the pads with solder paste, place the components, and bake the board in a reflow oven. If you’re lucky enough to have a precut stencil this can be …read more
Continue reading DIY Dispenser Places Solder Paste Without The Mess