PCB protective lacquer and SMDs?

[AudioWizard]

Hi all,

something I'm really wondering about, and for which I can't seem to get any definite answer.

Is that ok to use this green protective lacquer for PCBs on a PCB mounted with SMD parts? I mean, spraying it on the mounted PCB after having soldered everything. Can it do any damage to SMD parts?

Everyone always talks about spraying it on the solder side... but with SMDs, the solder side is also the component side...

So, what do you guys think? Any advice?

(Oh, and obviously: for home-made PCBs, which I'm talking about here, solder masks are out of the question, so I can't spray the PCB *before* soldering the parts. It does dissolve while heating it with the soldering iron, but it would make it hell to solder SMDs this way.)

[Stocker]

Depending on the coating, I suppose it could wreak havoc on small capacitors and high value resistors... but I couldn't tell you more than that gut feeling.

[Magura]

Originally posted by AudioWizard
H

(Oh, and obviously: for home-made PCBs, which I'm talking about here, solder masks are out of the question, so I can't spray the PCB *before* soldering the parts. It does dissolve while heating it with the soldering iron, but it would make it hell to solder SMDs this way.)

DIY soldermask is not all that hard to make.

http://www.briangt.com/gallery/album05

The ultimate CCS-X-BOSOZ

DIY solder mask

Magura

[AudioWizard]

Originally posted by Stocker
Depending on the coating, I suppose it could wreak havoc on small capacitors and high value resistors... but I couldn't tell you more than that gut feeling.

Well, I use KF coating spray. It's highly non-conductive and made just for PCBs... so I don't think this could give electrical problems.

I'm more concerned with how it could react with some components plastic shell in the long run...

[AudioWizard]

Originally posted by Magura

DIY soldermask is not all that hard to make.

Thanks Magura.

Sounds like a very longish process though... especially on PCBs with SMDs, with the very tiny pads and all...