The Tac-n-Stik posting has some good suggestions. Here are a couple
of variations.

1. Rather than use tac-n-stik, I usually use this procedure to
initially position the part:

a. melt solder onto a corner pad (without the part)
b. keep the iron on the pad while...
c. using tweezers to guide the part into place.

Don't worry about getting a good looking joint yet. You just need
mechanical stability and can always touch up the soldering later. If
you're unhappy with the position, all you have to do is remelt the
solder on the corner pad and move the part with the tweezers. When
you like the position, solder the opposite corner to secure it.

2. The drench-and-wick trick works well, and I do use it for parts
with extremely fine pitch. However, if you have a strong magnifier or
microscope and a good quality iron with a fine tip, it is possible to
just solder each leg in the traditional way. In that case, I'll still
use the wick when I (inevitably) goof and bridge two or more pins.

David

Behold, Tom Kreyche signalled from keyed 4-1000A filament:

I can't avoid it anymore! I have an IC in SSOP package that I want to
use. Does anyone have tips on how to do it or maybe this is on a FAQ
someplace.

thanks, Tom

Solder paste, a heat gun and a quick hand ;-)

--
Gregg
*It's probably useful, even if it can't be SPICE'd*
http://geek.scorpiorising.ca

Pretty simple if the board you are putting it on is well solder masked.

Run down to Staples and get a package of Tac 'n Stik. Pity, that package is
2 oz and you'll need about a milligram. The two buck package will last you
about ten lifetimes.

OK, now take a really tiny little ball of the stuff - less than a millimeter
in diameter - and stick it on the circuit board right where the part goes.
Squish the part down onto the blue stuff. The blue stuff won't hold it all
that well, so you need to be a little careful, but you do gotta squish it
good.

With your magnifier and an x-acto knife or dentist's pick, gently nudge the
part around until all the pins are lined up on their pads. This is the
hardest part -- be patient.

Timidly solder one corner pin. Take your magnifying glass and recheck all
the pins. Move the part back so it's lined up again.

Solder the opposite corner - this is the moment of truth. Take your
magnifier, and again check all the pins. Check them very carefully now,
there is no turning back.

Take your soldering iron and run a big blob of solder across each row of
pins. Be sure to give plenty of time for the first row to cool before you
do the second. If you have a part with a bazillion pins, you may want to do
a section at a time to avoid overheating the part. For something like an
AD9850 with only a couple dozen pins, this isn't necessary.

Now take your solder wick and suck all the solder out. You need good quality
solder wick for this operation. The cheap stuff seems to need a ton of
heat. Take your magnifier yet again and carefully inspect each pin. (Needs
to be a GOOD magnifier). You should have no little hairs of solder between
the pins, and a thin film of solder under each pin.

Solder paste is probably better, but it's breathtakingly expensive and has a
very short shelf life. Plus, you gotta use a heat gun which will heat a
large section of the board, potentially removing other stuff you already
mounted.

This takes a lot longer to describe than to actually do.

...


"Tom Kreyche" wrote in message
news:zpgqb.86794$9E1.437033@attbi_s52...
I can't avoid it anymore! I have an IC in SSOP package that I want to use.
Does anyone have tips on how to do it or maybe this is on a FAQ someplace.

thanks, Tom

In article zpgqb.86794$9E1.437033@attbi_s52, says...
I can't avoid it anymore! I have an IC in SSOP package that I want to use.
Does anyone have tips on how to do it or maybe this is on a FAQ someplace.

thanks, Tom




SSOPs aren't too hard. Assuming your soldering iron has a high-quality
tip, solder-wick and a good pair of tweezers are all you'll need.

TSSOPs are a bit trickier, but still not impossible.

-- jm

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.qsl.net/ke5fx
Note: My E-mail address has been altered to avoid spam
------------------------------------------------------

In article zpgqb.86794$9E1.437033@attbi_s52, says...
I can't avoid it anymore! I have an IC in SSOP package that I want to use.
Does anyone have tips on how to do it or maybe this is on a FAQ someplace.

thanks, Tom




SSOPs aren't too hard. Assuming your soldering iron has a high-quality
tip, solder-wick and a good pair of tweezers are all you'll need.

TSSOPs are a bit trickier, but still not impossible.

-- jm

------------------------------------------------------
http://www.qsl.net/ke5fx
Note: My E-mail address has been altered to avoid spam
------------------------------------------------------

I have adapted to the "toaster oven" method -- and now I am smt'ng all the
time:
my technique is to use an instrument looking like a pick to place a very
small dab of solder paste on each of the pads, then place the device using
tweezers. it takes about 4 minutes in the toaster oven -- some film
capacitors, electrolytics can only be soldered ONCE. my technique is to do
all the resistors and ceramic caps first on one run, then do the
electrolytics and IC's second, the discrete and non-SMT devices are then
soldered in by hand.

the method was discussed in Nuts n Volts a few issues ago -- using stainless
steel stencils -- I find that I can do it by hand.

"Tom Kreyche" wrote in message
news:zpgqb.86794$9E1.437033@attbi_s52...
I can't avoid it anymore! I have an IC in SSOP package that I want to use.
Does anyone have tips on how to do it or maybe this is on a FAQ someplace.

thanks, Tom

I have adapted to the "toaster oven" method -- and now I am smt'ng all the
time:
my technique is to use an instrument looking like a pick to place a very
small dab of solder paste on each of the pads, then place the device using
tweezers. it takes about 4 minutes in the toaster oven -- some film
capacitors, electrolytics can only be soldered ONCE. my technique is to do
all the resistors and ceramic caps first on one run, then do the
electrolytics and IC's second, the discrete and non-SMT devices are then
soldered in by hand.

the method was discussed in Nuts n Volts a few issues ago -- using stainless
steel stencils -- I find that I can do it by hand.

"Tom Kreyche" wrote in message
news:zpgqb.86794$9E1.437033@attbi_s52...
I can't avoid it anymore! I have an IC in SSOP package that I want to use.
Does anyone have tips on how to do it or maybe this is on a FAQ someplace.

thanks, Tom