Congrats! Yeap, a TC solder pen and braid does wonders :) Any links to your
work?

John

--- On Fri, 7/3/09, solarwind <x.solarwind.x@gmail.com> wrote:

> From: solarwind <x.solarwind.x@gmail.com>
> Subject: [OT] First surface mount component
> To: "PICLIST" <piclist@mit.edu>
> Date: Friday, July 3, 2009, 4:47 AM
> So today I soldered my first surface
> mount component - a PIC32 100 pin
> TQFP package with 0.4 mm pin pitch. It was perfect.
> 
> I would post pictures, but unfortunately, my camera is
> damaged.
> 
> I did it with a simple radio shack soldering iron, liquid
> flux, copper
> desoldering braid and a TQFP adapter board.
> 
> I first put liquid flux on the adapter board's pads with
> the flux
> applicator pen. Then I placed and aligned the surface mount
> component
> on the pad. This was the most difficult part.
> 
> I then put some tape on it so it wouldn't move around and
> soldered a
> few pins to hold it down. Then on the opposite side I used
> the drag
> solder & flood method (albeit easy on the solder) and
> continued the
> rest of the way - all around the chip. Some pins were
> bridged - so I
> took some handy copper desoldering braid (this stuff is
> awesome) and
> dragged it across all the pins with the hot iron. The
> excess solder
> was effortlessness absorbed and I was left with a cleanly
> soldered 100
> pin 0.4 mm pitch TQFP component!
> 
> Some of you may believe that I tend to ask too many
> questions
> regarding seemingly simple topics such as PCB etching or
> surface mount
> soldering - but it helps - because I got it perfectly the
> first time -
> no mess ups.
> 
> Interestingly enough, when I did my motorcycle insurance
> course, the
> instructor assured me (and was willing to bet) that I would
> drop the
> motorcycle since I had not driven one before (but had
> studied it
> carefully beforehand). Needless to say - I didn't drop it
> at all - or
> lose control. I didn't take the bet though :(
> 
> I just hope this trend follows through till next week when
> I etch my
> first PCB :)
> 
> Next up: etching a PCB for the PIC32 on a single sided
> copper clad board.
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