"ChipS" wrote in message
...
I readily admit that there are only a few options for experimenters when
the cold hard facts are faced.
1) gripe and cease building at the cutting edge of ic technology as I have
done;

A loss - for you *and* for those who might benefit from the fruits of your
experimentation.

2) buckle down and force oneself to say "SMD soldering is good for me- I
deserve it."(I'm sorry, I couldn't resist );

I don't understand the "pain" aspect that folks keep citing ... I'm 53, "my
arms are
too short," and I've had corneal surgery that introduced some very irregular
astigmatism,
but I can still handle SMDs (at least down to 0403). Again, it's a matter
of learning
and using the proper techniques.

You need the following:

One of those adjustable lamps with the circular flourescent lamp and a
magnifier.
An eye loupe (10x) works well for me (for really close inspection).
A couple of small-tiped temperature-controlled soldering irons.
Some flux.
Some solder wick.
Some fine-tipped tweezers (almost needle pointed).
Fine guage solder (for use with the iron). Solder paste is best, though if
you're going to
do much SMD work ... I prefer the "no-clean" type with water soluble flux.

And, the best option, which I have, is a hot air reflow/rework station (I
bought one
brand new on eBay for $315 ... I also bought a "vacuum pen" which is the
easiest way
to pick up SMD parts and place them.)
Note that the hot air station and vacuum pen are NOT necessary to make SMD
work
painless - they are just niceties that I have chosen to invest in to make
the work even
faster and easier.

or 3) look for other options - Dave, Mike W, and you have made some good,
pertinent comments about daughterboards and adapters (a "Manhattan Style"
adapter with the ic soldered on would be just as useable as a DIP
adapter -
if someone wants to take up Dave's challange.); just to prove that I'm not
the old stuck in my ways fart that some probably envision me as, I am
investigating DDS out a PCI or AGP slot of a pc (too bad video speed d/a
converters are unobtainable.) ;-).

You start kludging all sorts of adaptor boards into the brew and you extend
lead lengths,
making it harder to get decent grounding and introducing all sorts of wierd
impedance
"bumps" - you can get away with it on audio and things that run at really
low clock rates,
but you're asking for trouble with RF or high-speed logic.

May the hobby continue to grow and be fun for all who find it.

Ah!!! Something we completely agree on :-)

73,
Carl - wk3c