Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

RE: Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

philparker — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 05:43:56 GMT

Shabaz’s blog was a good one, but I loved how you explained things. I have never tried this, but I am gonna give it a try. Wish me luck!

RE: Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

michaelkellett — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 10:47:43 GMT

I'm puzzled - I've been putting surface mount bits onto boards using the the same pair of stainless steel tweezers for the last 12 years. I can do 0.5mm pitch and 0603 easily (and 0402 at a pinch). I've never felt the need for a vacuum pick up (there is one on the soldering workstation but I never got on with it at all.)

Where the vacuum pickup would help, perhaps, is when you need to solder 10 resistors of the same value to 4 boards, I used to ping all 40 onto the bench from the tape and of course some, (if you are really unlucky all) will be the wrong way up. If I picked slowly from the tape with a VP they would all come out the right way up.

I solved this problem by tipping the parts onto a plastic lid (yogurt or cream, makes no difference), I can invert parts by tapping the lid with the tweezers - it's random of course but never takes long. The same technique works with SOT23 and even MSOPs.

So, what am I missing, what does the vacuum pickup do extra ?

RE: Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

DAB — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 21:52:46 GMT

Looks like your ready to get your clean workbench dirty.

DAB

RE: Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

shabaz — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 19:04:50 GMT

Hi Rachael,

This is looking great! And that is a lovely case.

I've guessed a super-cool feature (using a couple of the parts on the right side) which it looks like you're planning to implement : )

Anyway I don't want to mention it, it will be more fun reading it from your future posts : )

RE: Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

Jan Cumps — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 18:48:55 GMT

I'll guess the pneumatics:

Left top: pump

left middle: several types of push-in connectors

left bottom: handpiece and filter

mid bottom: valve

right-bottom: wah-wah.

RE: Lab Equipment Projects - Vacuum Pick and Place Assistant Part 1 - Overview

jw0752 — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 18:42:44 GMT

Hi Rachael,

I am really looking forward to following this build.

John