in all of my classes i have learned to use ic sockets, and the industrial ways of soldering smt devices. i am working on a project that i do not want the ic to wiggle out of the socket, i am not worried about having to swap out the ic so i wish to solder it directly to the board. what ways do you recomend to solder ics and smts to a pcb within a hobiest budget, without overheating them? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu