Any interest in a jig that's better than using tweezers or a bit of coat hanger but not as complex (expensive) as the commercial pick and place machines?
I'm hoping that between us we can come up with a good design and get them built, maybe by a hobbiest model engineer. (I have no lathe or mill.)
Target price $50 or less.
Any ideas/interest?
I'm hoping that between us we can come up with a good design and get them built, maybe by a hobbiest model engineer. (I have no lathe or mill.)
Target price $50 or less.
Any ideas/interest?
Have you seen the Australian movie "The Castle"?
It has an often quoted tag line which seems appropriate.
"Tell him he's dreaming".
Cheers
Rob
It has an often quoted tag line which seems appropriate.
"Tell him he's dreaming".
Cheers
Rob
A suction handler is perfectly good for DIY work. I got mine on eBay, with three different nozzles, for under GBP10.00.
Thanks dnsey, didn't know suitable suction handlers were available as one-offs.
Had a look on UK ebay for 'suction handle' but nothing current or completed except stuff for pulling dents or lifting glass sheets etc. Any chance of a pic of yours to let me know what I'm looking for?
rpapps, I'm not trying to build a robot for a quid, just hoping to get a bit more convenience in smd soldering for some collective thought and a little cash.
I messed about with an old drill stand attachment, the basic design might have possibilities: pick up component, raise, slide pcb under it, lower component and solder.
I assume the assembly factories have nozzles specifically for 0805 packages etc. No idea if those nozzles can be bought at a realistic price but I'm sure the guys building model steam engines are good enough to make ones to our design.
Had a look on UK ebay for 'suction handle' but nothing current or completed except stuff for pulling dents or lifting glass sheets etc. Any chance of a pic of yours to let me know what I'm looking for?
rpapps, I'm not trying to build a robot for a quid, just hoping to get a bit more convenience in smd soldering for some collective thought and a little cash.
I messed about with an old drill stand attachment, the basic design might have possibilities: pick up component, raise, slide pcb under it, lower component and solder.
I assume the assembly factories have nozzles specifically for 0805 packages etc. No idea if those nozzles can be bought at a realistic price but I'm sure the guys building model steam engines are good enough to make ones to our design.
Hi,
seeing that pic reminds me of a medical syringe.
Get an outsize needle and bend it around a former, then blunt it on some carbide paper.
Fit a spring inside the syringe to force the plunger out.
Fit a suction cup over the end of the bent needle.
Any better ideas?
seeing that pic reminds me of a medical syringe.
Get an outsize needle and bend it around a former, then blunt it on some carbide paper.
Fit a spring inside the syringe to force the plunger out.
Fit a suction cup over the end of the bent needle.
Any better ideas?
That sounds workable.
Does the needle have to be bent? I'm still thinking on the lines of something vertical. Thin brass tubing could be the needle. Doesn't have to be a medical syringe, got a 150ml one here that's just for measuring. A small Calpol syringe, as used for teething babies, might also work, will have to test.
dnsey, is the vacuum good enough to stop the component moving while soldering? Half of those on my first smd attempt aren't straight.
Also, how does the rubber (?) seal stand up to the heat?
Does the needle have to be bent? I'm still thinking on the lines of something vertical. Thin brass tubing could be the needle. Doesn't have to be a medical syringe, got a 150ml one here that's just for measuring. A small Calpol syringe, as used for teething babies, might also work, will have to test.
dnsey, is the vacuum good enough to stop the component moving while soldering? Half of those on my first smd attempt aren't straight.
Also, how does the rubber (?) seal stand up to the heat?
I'm not sure the syringe with a spring concept will work very well. It seems to me you need a constant airflow 'vacuum' like from a pump in order to overcome leakage around the part being held. A syringe could only hold the part for a limited time unless the seal at the tip was very good.
Robert
Robert
The cylinder is large in relation to the suction nozzles, so there's plenty of reserve to hold parts for several minutes (in fact I've never found the limit).
The nozzles are presumably silicone rubber - very flexible - and stand normal soldering temperatures without damage. There's inevitably a bit of movement due to the flexibility, but it's so easy to place components precisely that you don't need to 'nudge' them as with other methods, so they get soldered wherever you put them.
The nozzles are presumably silicone rubber - very flexible - and stand normal soldering temperatures without damage. There's inevitably a bit of movement due to the flexibility, but it's so easy to place components precisely that you don't need to 'nudge' them as with other methods, so they get soldered wherever you put them.
johnthedoctor said:
Not for $50 earth dollars. The fundamentals remain the same irrespective of the target market. The bed holding the pcb or the placement arm still has to be move with the same degree of accuracy. The control logic, the actuators and sensors will be no different from a commercial variant. You couldn't get the metalwork for $50.
Re: Re: smd pick 'n place jig
This may not require control logic, actuators or sensors. I've used manual pick and place machines similar to
http://www.smt.uk.com/pages/smt/HPS350.html
in the past. The one I used had a circular rotating tray with small wedge bins to hold each type of component. A standalone vacuum pump was connected to a syringe mounted in the x-y movable head and a z-axis switch triggered vacuum pump.
Simple but very effective. I'm sure it could be built by someone for much less than the retail price. Aluminium extrusions are available from several UK suppliers. Add some plastic wheels etc. and you're done. But not possible at $50 unless you already have a lot of bits already sitting around.
James
rfbrw said:
This may not require control logic, actuators or sensors. I've used manual pick and place machines similar to
http://www.smt.uk.com/pages/smt/HPS350.html
in the past. The one I used had a circular rotating tray with small wedge bins to hold each type of component. A standalone vacuum pump was connected to a syringe mounted in the x-y movable head and a z-axis switch triggered vacuum pump.
Simple but very effective. I'm sure it could be built by someone for much less than the retail price. Aluminium extrusions are available from several UK suppliers. Add some plastic wheels etc. and you're done. But not possible at $50 unless you already have a lot of bits already sitting around.
James
hey I have one of those vacuum pens on my desk right now! works great.
The term you may want to try is vacuum ejector. You give it air, it gives you a little vacuum, to pick up parts with robots this is a common device. Much simpler to distribute air than vacuum in a factory.
The term you may want to try is vacuum ejector. You give it air, it gives you a little vacuum, to pick up parts with robots this is a common device. Much simpler to distribute air than vacuum in a factory.
If nothing else, I've learned that vacuum pick up tools are available for the hobby market.
Perhaps I should have asked what could we get made for $50? With a group buy we'd be sharing the set up costs. Placement of the pcb can be done manually, so can taking the component out of its packaging. It's the problem of keeping it in place while needing 2 hands to solder I want to solve.
Perhaps I should have asked what could we get made for $50? With a group buy we'd be sharing the set up costs. Placement of the pcb can be done manually, so can taking the component out of its packaging. It's the problem of keeping it in place while needing 2 hands to solder I want to solve.
Hi,
Don't have a sketch but I'll try to describe a simple tool.
A piece of board 6mm to 10mm thick to lay your PCB on top of.
The underside of the board has a narrow groove sawn in it, about 1mm to 2mm deep.
A hard steel wire 200mm long by about 0.6mm to 1mm diam, bent into a long hair pin shape about 4mm wider (between the legs) than the board thickness. This steel needs to be quite springy not soft. We are going to use it to "grip" the smd component.
One end (about 2mm) of the hairpin is bent over at 90 degrees.
Adjust the hairpin width so that the straight leg lies in the groove and the bent end rests (presses firmly) on top of the board.
Lift the bent end upwards and slide your pcb under and place your component in place directly below the bent end. Gently let the bent end descend to hold the component in place.
Now solder.
This not original, I found a sketch on a web site many years ago, so cannot give credit to the inventor.
Don't have a sketch but I'll try to describe a simple tool.
A piece of board 6mm to 10mm thick to lay your PCB on top of.
The underside of the board has a narrow groove sawn in it, about 1mm to 2mm deep.
A hard steel wire 200mm long by about 0.6mm to 1mm diam, bent into a long hair pin shape about 4mm wider (between the legs) than the board thickness. This steel needs to be quite springy not soft. We are going to use it to "grip" the smd component.
One end (about 2mm) of the hairpin is bent over at 90 degrees.
Adjust the hairpin width so that the straight leg lies in the groove and the bent end rests (presses firmly) on top of the board.
Lift the bent end upwards and slide your pcb under and place your component in place directly below the bent end. Gently let the bent end descend to hold the component in place.
Now solder.
This not original, I found a sketch on a web site many years ago, so cannot give credit to the inventor.
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