Hi,

> Do you have a picture you could share of this smd needle pickup doohicky?
> It doesn't have a vacuum break valve on it?


    I think I will even try ascii art for the first time in my life :-) It
is as simple as it can be. Just put a neddle that you have cut and filed
flat inside a silicon tube of appropiatte diameter and it is done. It is
even quite comfortable ! You do not need the break valve if the vacuum is
just strong enough to just barely hold the parts. They will fall off with
the surface tension of the solder paste. The parts are much lighter than we
can imagine. The only problem is with round parts, that we usually grab with
mechanical tweezers or use stronger vacuum and a break valve. This decision
I live for the operator, they usually use the mechanical tweezer for round
parts.


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    If the vacuum is too strong and the parts are not "gluing" to the solder
paste just make a small hole on the side of the needle and you should be
fine.

    By the way... I forgot to mention that the needle eventually "glogs"
with the solder paste and you need either to change it or "deglog" it with a
small "accupunture" needle ! These needles are quite strong and
exceptionally thin..

best regards,
Alexandre Guimaraes

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