I have 5 of these tiny surface mount Integrated Circuits and have no idea how I am going to solder them. I have ordered some soldering chemical on the web but what I really need to know is whether there is a circuit board made especially for this kind of thing.

Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated. I didn't realize when I bought them that they were surface mount so I'm now facing a new challenge. It will be a good learner all the same.

Please see the photo below. Please remember, this is a match head you're looking at and with my eyes on the way out it's difficult to see the pins.

 

Tin two opposite corner pads on the PCB.
Position the chip correctly and hold in place with your fingernail/small screwdriver/toothpick...
Touch one of the tinned pads with the iron (no extra solder needed yet) to secure that corner then the other corner. Now the chip is secured to the board.
Now use the iron and solder along one side of the chip then when that has cooled, the other side.
Do this quickly and don't worry about shorts between pins.
Then, if there are shorts use desolder braid to remove excess solder from between the pins. Again do this quickly.

 

Is there a circuit board available for IC's this small or do I have to make one myself?
If there is, what is it called?

Thanks for replying.

 

Welcome to the SMD world.
https://www.chipquik.com/store/

They make SMD-DIP Adapters for just about anything.
https://www.chipquik.com/store/index.php?cPath=1200

 

Adafruit also make SMT-to-DIP adapter boards; these can be bought directly from them, but Digi-Key also carries them. For your immediate needs, it looks like this one is what you're looking for.

 

Some weeks ago I had to solder one of those, I think they were smaller than that one . It was a SC-70-6 package. I followed the steps described by Albert on post#2, and it worked well.

 

this is a match head you're looking at and with my eyes on the way out it's difficult to see the pins.

I soldered this with a soldering iron:


Not very pretty, but I just needed some P MOSFETs for a circuit I was prototyping and the only one I had in my supplies was this tiny SMT package; so cobbled up a dozen of these. "Etched" away the copper with a Dremel tool with a small engraver bit.

 

I have used Schmartboard (http://schmartboard.com/ ) for really small stuff. It is designed with small troughs for the component's pins. Thus, the component sits nicely and doesn't move while soldering.

On a standard pcb's, I will sometimes put a small dab (very small) of CA glue ("superglue") where the component sits. That will hold the component until it is soldered. CA glues are heat labile after setting. If the part gets hot enough,they just depolymerize and evaporate; although, they do not need to be removed. If you check under components on commercial boards, you will likely find little dots or blue or red CA adhesive.

 

What you're looking for is called a breakout board. Get the data sheet for your chip and get the name of the package that it's in and the pin pitch, then find a breakout board that matches. For example:

https://www.kr4.us/dfn-6-to-dip-6-smt-adapter-0.65-mm-pitch-2.0-x-2.0-mm-body.html

When it's time to solder, tweezers, a steady hand and a magnifier can help greatly. Generally I try to position it with the tweezers then hold it down with the tweezer as best you can. Use the iron to tack down one pin. Check the alignment, if it's good then run the iron over the remaining pins. If the pads are already tinned then this might be all you need. Else you can put flux on the pins, some solder on the iron and run over them. If you ever need to remove a multi pin package, hot air is the easiest way to go.

There are tons of SMD soldering videos on youtube, like this:

 

www.proto-advantage.com has lots of adapters. They will even solder a DIgi-key p/n and assemble their devices. They also have soldering kits for each package. You use a stencil and a squeegee and cover the pad with solder paste through the stencil. Heat and go. Some people use a modified toaster oven. In this case, a solder iron or hot air tool would work.

That one isn't bad. If you can use lead solder 63/37 is probably the best. You solder one corner first.

For larger packages, like a CPU chip with finely spacing, you can tack a couple of corners and drag 63/37 solder across the pins and then remove shorts. This is more difficult with other solders.

Alternatively, use solder paste. I like the ones containing Bismith.

 

Solder paste is not a bad idea, just keep in mind that it has a shelf life, so if you don't do this type of work often then keep that in mind when pricing the paste.

 

The "shelf-life" is over-rated. Fridge in a Zip-lock. My experience has been for a IC here and there, the shelf-life doesn't matter much.

For a whole board using a stencil in a production environment, it probably does matter.

 

Solder paste is not a bad idea, just keep in mind that it has a shelf life, so if you don't do this type of work often then keep that in mind when pricing the paste.

For hobby work, the expiration date is just a date. I've been using a 600 gram tube, that expired in 2008, for almost 10 years. I keep the lid on tight and it hasn't dried out yet.

When small amounts I have out for a project dry up, I just add flux to rehydrate.

I would never store solder paste in a refrigerator with food. Not worth the risk.

 

I would never store solder paste in a refrigerator with food. Not worth the risk.

I actually do in a 3 x 3.5" Zip lock. It's not very volatile.

If was really concerned, I'd use these containers. https://www.sciencecompany.com/HDPE-Wide-Mouth-Bottle-4oz-P16105.aspx Hard to get in less than case quantities elsewhere.

Sta-silv solder flux stays much better in these than the OEM containers. Not in the fridge.

They are just great containers overall and available in multiple sizes.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. My main concern is being able to solder the contacts to something so I can then attach that something to a standard circuit board. The SMD boards are what I am after. As for securing the chip to the board, that's relatively easy so that's not what I'm asking. Yes, glue or something like that would work fine.

I found this picture which suggests a good way at getting at the contacts with a soldering iron. That's 1.5 mm copper wire by the way.

 

There is glue for SMD chips and it's designed to break the bond when the IC is twisted.

 

I found this picture which suggests a good way at getting at the contacts with a soldering iron. That's 1.5 mm copper wire by the way.

What type of tip does your soldering iron have?

I used a 1/32" conical tip:

 

Tin two opposite corner pads on the PCB.

Not that it matters to OP, but this is incorrect. The part will not sit flat on the pads with two tinned contacts. It will ride high on the second solder ball when the first is soldered.

Better is to tin only one pad, align the part and solder to that pad. Then, tack the second. Finally, solder the remaining pins with whatever technique is most suitable for the part.

I've done SM assembly for 25 years. Trust me on this.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. My main concern is being able to solder the contacts to something so I can then attach that something to a standard circuit board. The SMD boards are what I am after. As for securing the chip to the board, that's relatively easy so that's not what I'm asking. Yes, glue or something like that would work fine.

I found this picture which suggests a good way at getting at the contacts with a soldering iron. That's 1.5 mm copper wire by the way.

View attachment 159361

Not good actually.
A larger tip is better. Small tips like that do a louse job. Not enough heat transfer for good reliable quick joints.
I tossed all the tiny useless tips as they are no good.
For the last 20 years or so I've been designing PCBs and assembling then by hand. Most are surface mount so I've had a lot of experience soldering them.
Posts #2 and #9 looks to be good.
One thing that helps a lot is a Video Presenter.

I have an earlier model than this.
A VGA screen plugs in and the optical plus digital zoom allows me to fill the screen with about 3 or 4 SMT IC pins. A great help in soldering but it does show up how much my hands shake
It also allows closeup pictures to be taken ans stored to an SD card. very handy for later on.
These are available on Ebay second hand for a couple of hundred dollars. Best tool I have purchased!

I did experiment with solder paste and an oven but found it quicker (for me) to do it by hand with an iron.

 

I wouldn't advise using any source such as proto advantage or schmart boards unless you have money to burn. Instead go look at EBay and search for terms similar to "soic adapter." I have several bins full of these as the free shipping from China can take a few weeks.

Some of these vendors are positioning stock in the US so you can get deals like the following, 10 pieces for $3 shipping from N Carolina.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-4-10-S...hash=item1a57a435b0:m:mqzHURQRLZ6EvRRbvWWUPVQ