Lighted Magnifying lamp diopter power for SMT circuit board soldering

Thread Starter

Gcan61

Joined Nov 24, 2014
19
I'm trying to assemble a altimeter flight computer to put in my rocket. http://eggtimerrocketry.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Eggtimer_Quantum_Assembly_A18.pdf This is the first time soldering such small SMT parts. I just bought a Harbor Freight magnifying lamp 1.5X that just doesn't seem strong enough. Can anyone suggest a how much magnification is needed to make soldering these small parts easier. There are three, five and eight power magnifying lamps available https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...dFP9xawLk_I0O_VD9qKXI9ninUtewZcxoCbvcQAvD_BwE

Thx in advance.

Geoffrey
 
Last edited:

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
How small are the SMD parts? There is a wide range. My visior is #4 Optivisor (about 2x) and works very well for me down to 603 size parts. I haven't tried smaller. Of course, as an older person who wears reading glasses (1.75 diopter) with the visor, the total is higher. A younger person with accommodation could get by with that visor unaided. The strongest of my jeweler's loops is marked 10 X and works fine without glasses, but of course, the working distance is much less. Roughly, (diopter/4) +1 = times magnification.

One thing I would recommend with a visor is to spend a little extra and get glass lenses. I have had mine for a long time (>20 years) and the lenses are still not scratched. Moreover, a little flux splatter is easily removed with solvent without worrying about ruining the optics.
 

pmd34

Joined Feb 22, 2014
527
I had a magnifier lamp for a while, but very quickly got frustrated with it, the cheap ones at least have a very limited area in the lens that you can look through without distortion, and the tubes did not actually provide much light. Not tried the visor solution myslef I ended up opting for a boom microscope which has been fantastic.. but a bit pricey at about $500.. it was a bit like this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/328...hweb0_0,searchweb201602_10,searchweb201603_53

I was actually quite suprised by how good quality it was!
 

Thread Starter

Gcan61

Joined Nov 24, 2014
19
The SMT parts are as small at 0402. I think a 3X or 5X magnification lamp might be the two choices to choose from, and I'm leaning towards the 5X. To often these situations are a personal choice. Wish me luck.

Geoff
 

peterdeco

Joined Oct 8, 2019
484
I use reading glasses. One pair for reading (+1.5), another for soldering through hole parts (+2.5) and another for SMT (+3.75). Very important to me is the lighting. A simple fluorescent lamp is not bright enough for me. I have a small halogen fixture that is very bright. Yes - age is an important factor.
 
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