MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

fmilburn — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 01:16:25 GMT

During a slow period two weeks back I pulled thie design back out and added vias to the central pad and added some exposed copper to the back.

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x620/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-b3f1a843-cd83-4530-b611-4f5c93d52968/2146.contentimage_5F00_187285.jpg:620:620]

I also added a cartoon animal with exposed ground plane copper that I drew for the grandkids. It is supposed to be a mouse with a LED lit up over the head but it has ended up looking more like a bear. The design was done in KiCad and they generally do not recommend adding a graphic to anything other than the silkscreen as the program cannot do a DRC on other planes. But I was careful and everything appears OK when I check the connections.

Unfortunately I will have to wait to test it because I thought I had the chip on hand but I don't. Doh! I notice that I also did not mark the cathode on the silkscreen so need to fix that.

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

genebren — Thu, 17 May 2018 14:23:58 GMT

Great updates on your project [mention:cff82ed12b714001a1ba5205f2cb553c:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05]. I am glad that you were able to sort out the soldering issues. It is very difficult, even with a good microscope, proper lighting and a good solder iron/tip to get those lead-less packages to solder well. I have been managing, but it might be time for me to invest in an oven/hot air system to improve my results and allow me to use some of the packages that I have been avoiding.

Good work!

Gene

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

mcb1 — Thu, 17 May 2018 03:37:18 GMT

Looks like it is sorted now.

You might want to look for a PCB Preheater

http://www.newark.com/tenma/21-19640/quartz-rework-preheater/dp/47Y6405

One similar to this came on sale and I grabbed it.

Someone borrowed it and then decided it was so good he brought his own, as it simplified how much Hot Air was required to stick the part down.

I have a couple of bits that might help in the post about a repair on an Intel Edison Base board.

First Steps - Intel Edison Repair

Cheers

Mark

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

shabaz — Thu, 17 May 2018 02:18:32 GMT

Hi Frank,

That's great it is sorted! I wonder if it it had needed more heat in that area originally, for the short to fall away - of course impossible to know until you did that autopsy and removed the chip. Anyway, excellent news, and it's a nice looking PCB design too, very handy for projects.

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

shabaz — Tue, 15 May 2018 09:29:26 GMT

Hi Frank,

Sorry to hear it isn't working manually. I have not done it enough to provide good advice, but it could be the solder paste as you say, if it is old. I'm guessing you know roughly how much paste to apply for the center pad, if you've used a stencil before. The few times I tried QFN, I was able to do some inspection, by putting it under a microscope with the board held at an angle. Then it was possible to see if the pads were connecting. It's not easy because of shallow depth of view, but it was possible to see it. If you have access to a microscope or a high-res photo, then this could be an option to see if it is an issue with raised centre, or some solder solder paste not reflowing.

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

mcb1 — Tue, 15 May 2018 01:15:04 GMT

I'd trying not adding any solder to the central block of copper.

With no vias, any solder will hold it up and not be able to flow out.

Our auto flow machine applies the solder paste to the device, which could be another trick.

Mark

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

Jan Cumps — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 17:41:25 GMT

critique [View:/resized-image/__size/16x16/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-b3f1a843-cd83-4530-b611-4f5c93d52968/contentimage_5F00_1.png:16:16]

I don't think that a block of copper under the device does anything for heat management, unless it's routed via vias to a copper area on the backside of the pcb.
The square you have under the chip will just adapt to the temperature of the package and has no way to release that temperature.

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

dougw — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 03:57:09 GMT

Great looking MCU card.

Have you considered Cypress PSoC[emoticon:6abd1cb2558648488dbea31d006afc59] 4 CY8CKIT-049 4xxx Prototyping Kits?

They cost $4 US but include the PCB and programmer.

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

fmilburn — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 03:14:06 GMT

[mention:b0bc65b9ecdc4307bd967592f00e340a:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] Mar 14, 2018 8:25 PM
I had not initially desired so many features, but now I do : ).

Feature creep :-) I suffer as well.

I am lucky to have befriended a knowledgeable person locally who patiently puts up with my questions on software and hardware. He tells me he prefers QFN to packages with pins as there are no pins to bend. He uses a toaster oven to reflow and cleans up when necessary with a hot air rework station if necessary. We shall see how my efforts go and I will report back on the experience.

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

genebren — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 02:30:14 GMT

Hi Frank,

Nice looking PCB. You should not have any problem soldering the package. Staying with a family and tools that are familiar is a solid choice. You should be up and coding in no time.

Good luck!

Gene

RE: MSP430FR2433 Breakout Board

shabaz — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 01:25:19 GMT

Hi Frank,

Nice looking board : ) I think you'll have no issue with the soldering since you lengthened the pads beyond the underside. At 0.5mm pitch there is still space for solder mask between the pads even from low-cost PCB manufacturers, so that helps with keeping the solder in the right place. The MSP430G2553 is great for beginners projects because of the DIP package, but as you say it's quite restrictive as code grows (which is what I'm hitting with the servo project - I had not initially desired so many features, but now I do : ).