>Andres wrote....
>When you see a four digit number like this, it's used to describe the
>dimensions of a "chip" SMT part (which is a two leaded component, ie
>resistor or capacitor).
>"0402" is describing a part which is 0.040" by 0.020".
>Right now, saying you can do 0402s is strictly a marketing ploy for card
>stuffers.
-'TOO BIG' you can still 'SEE' the part.
>This part is exceedingly small and the manufacturing guys here at Celestica
>often refer to them as "Grains of Sand" or other much more insulting terms.
>0402s cannot be glued to the backside of a card and wave soldered (they are
>so small the glue ends up covering the solder pads or short out due to the
>solder bridging over the components).  They are very hard to rework and
>often get misoriented in the tape or bounce right out of the feeders as the
>reels are advanced.
what kind of equipment due you use for the rework?
looking for a 'home' type setup to due proto-typing in my Apartment. (small
1 bd. rm. with 30+ cpu system (lastcount a year ago)
>If you're a test weenie (like myself) you hate them because the paste can
>flow and short underneath the part (requiring X-Ray to find/confirm) and
>they're so small values can't be printed on the (so you can't tell if the
>wrong part was put on by looking at it).
>If a customer came to us with a board that had 0402 parts, we would do
>everything in our power to get them to respin the board for 0603s (0.060" by
>0.030") or greater.
This means I'll have to do a 'board' 0201 just to make your day!!! [:->
>myke
>>Regards,
>>Andres
>"My ancestors didn't spend millions of years clawing their way to the top of
>the food chain, just so I could become a vegetarian"

http://ic.mankato.mn.us/~douglas