For those of you not familiar with reflow soldering a good introduction can be found on the sparkfun website
I have, in the past, worked for a reasonably large PCB assembly company, and so I am familiar with the processes involved, so this wasn't all new to me. I didn't feel the need to go down the route of buying a reflow oven, but also wasn't keen on converting a toaster oven. I have used my hot air rework station, but often found that the smaller components are displaced. So I settled on using a hotplate.
I bought my stencil from OSHStencils. The prices are very reasonable, the quality is excellent and the delivery is quick. You have the option of ordering a support frame (cut acrylic) and can select the border size around your design. Simply upload the paste layer from an eagle design, follow the design wizard, and receive your stencil in a short time.
Logger board held in support frame with stencil raised. |
Stencil ready for solder paste. |
Paste applied to the Bare PCB. |
Components in place. |
The completed board. |
Overall I am happy with the result. It has reduced my assembly time by around half. Occasionally the smaller components experience "tomb-stoning" where only one end of the component adheres to the board and is lifted, but this is easily rectified using the hot air rework station.
The final stage involves fitting the main connector and USB cable, with potting compound applied to finish off the whole assembly.
Nice Blog…
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing…
Data logger, Digital Counter, Humidity Meter, Humidity Controller