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Gertboard - The Element14 strikes back

e14 Contributor

Oh dear. It seems that If I "Fluke PiStalker" want to obtain a Deathstar beating Gertboard from the Element14 Empire. I have to pay £30 quid and then go all "Hands Solo" from "Solder Wars" fame. (if the farce is with my at the time) Thats a big shame really cos I would have paid £40 willinging for one assemmbled by "R2D2" or some other Solder super Driod.

 

It looks then as if I will have to go remain Fluke PiStalker and wait for a Droid to build me one.

 

Come on Gert please chase the powers that be to get some assembled versions on the go for poor old guys like me whose idea or circuit assemmbly was screwing and fixing a couple of bits a BakerLite together 60 years ago. image

 

Seriously Gert a fantastic job great to see them in the wild but we cant all solder however easy it is, Take Pity Darth Gert and sort it for us.

 

That tale was NOT bought to you by any members of any film companies on the planet Earth. image

 

Just to keep the balls and games rolling ahead is my target.

 

Ray

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Oh and only one burnt finger. image

    Give it some time, fingertips become much more heat resistant than you'd imagine image

  • in reply to cityswift

    This is what happens when you make a joint using 60/40 tin lead solder

    Lead free solder is somewhat different.. I still struggle with it, and as someone with long history of tin/lead soldering I always think I've done it wrong when I don't get the shiny surface I'm used to seeing image

  • Hi Ray -  Progress is being made - I have just fitted an 0805 resistor successfully but do not think anything smaller would be feasible by hand - do we know what the smallest component is in the Gertboard kit? I have not seen a full parts list. More to follow on how I did it. I am experimenting with an old PC motherboard and PCI cards, of which there are many heading for the tip.

  • in reply to cityswift

    cityswift wrote:

     

    Hi Ray -  Progress is being made - I have just fitted an 0805 resistor successfully but do not think anything smaller would be feasible by hand...

    I can go down to 0603 with a good magnifier and tweezers.  I put a small solder blob on one pad, then reflow the blob to one end of the 0603 while holding it with tweezers.  Then I solder the other end of the 0603, which is held in place by the first end.  Then I resolder the first end if needed.  This is all with good old SnPb.

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Thanks Selsinork and everyone for all the useful feedback in this topic.

     

              "I see others mentioning the helping hands things, the problem I always have with those and similar (I use a small vise to hold stuff when it really shouldn't move) is           that the extra few inches of height they add leaves me with nothing to steady my hands on and even more hand shake."

     

    Absolutley makes my shakes become veritable earthquakes... But practice whilst not making me proficient is making me a better solderererer. (oops. I can spell it I just dont know when to stop) image

     

    I've been away for a few days holiday. Sorry for late replies to some of these posts.

     

    Ray

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    Thanks John. The tiny blob to hold in place system is also one that I shall add to my growing repertoire. image

     

    Ray

    Not a total novice I have seen 900 AMP fuses welded into their sockets by a short to earth!!!! image (most of rest of panel gone)

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Ray Hughes wrote:

     

    Absolutley makes my shakes become veritable earthquakes.

     

    We may be in a transition phase at the moment, a time just before IC packages get so small that it's totally impossible for humans to solder devices directly.

     

    Maybe I should hurry up with building my 3D printer, and give it robotic solder station capability. image

     

    Morgaine.

  • in reply to morgaine

    Well Morgaine, along with your thingyverse printer you may by then be able to get that thingyflowsolder@home machine you always really wanted.

     

              Morgaine Dinova wrote:

              Maybe I should hurry up with building my 3D printer, and give it robotic solder station capability. image

     

    Regards Ray image

  • in reply to fustini

    There's been quite a few soldering tutorials floating around over the last couple of months and they all seem to make the same, probably invalid, assumption.

    "Smooth, Shiny Concave Surface", yep, unless you're using lead-free solder!

     

    Lots of people will struggle with lead-free, I certainly do and I know how to solder.

     

    They really should be showing the difference between lead-free and 'old school' by now, especially as it can be difficult to tell the difference between a bad 60/40 joint and a good lead-free one at times.  Side by side photos would be a good way...

     

    Possibly just as a result of having worked in the electronics industry, but I always physically cringe at the soldering irons they recommend too.