Hi,

> This oven talk is interesting.
>
> If it's so critical to get the profiles right using an oven, how come I
seem to be able to hand solder SMD's with a great deal of butchery and still
get working boards?  (I have had one or two 1uF caps go crack on me though)

    It is not too critical, it is just a little critical :-)

    If you think better about it you will see that hand soldering produces
less stress because it is much more localized and it takes much less time to
make the solder joints ! My oven cycle takes 8 minutes and your hand
soldering less than 10 seconds. It is the same problem that you have when
using SOIC components in the oven process. You have to "bake" them for a
while at 50 celsius to make sure you do not have any humidity inside the
packages or they will crack in the oven. With hand soldering that is not
necessary at all..

    Getting the right profile done is quite easy and I got it working myself
in few days, you just have to know what to look for and read all the
manufacturers specs to make sure you are not violating the specs. A toaster
oven with the right temperature control can give you a better profile than a
cheap 3 zones conveyor oven !!! You just have to look at it carefully.

Best regards,
Alexandre Guimaraes

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