Saturday 27 April 2013

Fuzz (Sur)Face

I've just done this as an experiment but thought I may as well share it here in case anyone else is interested.  I bought a few different SMD component kits a while back and wondered how easily they can be used with vero.  I think it will be a nightmare for bigger circuits because you're obviously stuck with the consecutive row spans which means you will end up having to use a lot of links, but I don't plan on swapping over from through hole components and layouts any time soon anyway, just wanted to see how easy it is to do in terms of layout and build.  A few notes about it.

1) The layout shows 1206 size passives.  A resistor and capacitor kit can be purchased from here which should last a while.  I left the transistors and electrolytics through hole though because they are obviously much less fiddly than SMD (the transistors would be awkward to use with vero and hard to place on 3 consecutive rows) and of course everyone already has a good selection in stock.  This is for an NPN silicon build, but it also means it could be easily adapted for a PNP germanium.

2) Solder the space you intend to put the component in first.  Then all you have to do is rest the components on the solder (preferably under a bit of force, maybe with a cocktail stick or tweezers), and melt the solder.  Finish off afterwards as necessary.

3) When the components goes over the top of a track cut you'll need to keep the cut as small as possible.  It may be better to do them with a Dremel or similar rather than a drill bit.  Check for no continuity with a multimeter before you solder over the top.

4) I haven't shown through board track cuts on the top side of the board to avoid any confusion.  You can still use the links as guides when placing the through hole components but I thought it better like that.  Then if you see a track cut you don't have to think about it and know you're looking at the copper side of the board.



7 comments:

  1. I've noticed that at the back there is a "10n". Is it a resistor or a capacitor? 'cause I thought the first back pic was about the resistors.

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    1. Yes there's one surface mount cap which is the 10n output cap. They're all the same size so it's a little difficult to differentiate between them other than by the label.

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    2. Thanks! can't wait to see it built!

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    3. I'm going to do it today so I'll post pics

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  2. Incidentally you could make this quite a bit more compact if you're feeling a bit more masochistic and use 0805 size passives or even smaller. You will definitely need to use a Dremel for the track cuts under the 330R and 10n cap though. I opted for 1206 though simply because they are the sort of size that won't be too fiddly for me to work with, in terms of soldering, placing and even getting out of the bag without losing! :o)

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  3. Thanks for the idea IvIark. I just ordered that kit. I don't know why I never considered incorporating SMD before. Should cut way down on the number of standing resistors in my layouts. Plus the components are so cheap.

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    1. Yes most passives are really cheap now, I bought 5000 x 0603 and 5000 x 0805 resistors too and I think I paid around £5 each for the kits. They are a bit small and fiddly for me though so I reckon 1206 is what I would stick to in any future layouts.

      SMD Transistors and electrolytics are still quite expensive though, but I'd probably always prefer to use through-hole components for them anyway. It's just a worry that more and more through hole transistors are becoming obsolete, all the common JFETs we use for instance. So stock up everybody! :o)

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