Home computer construction with SMT parts and PLCCs

[ElEctric_EyE]

Daryl, the youtube video was very informative. I watched it a couple of times, and headed out this morning to get paste flux, and solder wick (braid as radio shack calls it). It was a sinch. Much, much easier than I thought. I didn't have to add solder, there was enough on the adapter. I had to use the wick once when the solder built up on the tip and bridged 2 pins. Took me less than 5 min's total. The hardest part is precisely lining up the pins, on all four sides, to the adapter.

I was intimidated because I had tried a couple weeks ago to solder a 44 pin QFP (no where near the fine pitch of this 208 pin QFP) without using flux, just rosin core solder, and it was bridging pins like mad, and looked sloppy. I was using a solder sucker to unbridge the solder. I went back over it today after adding some flux, and it cleaned it right up...

Owen, you said it, a liberal amount of flux is mandatory for success... I wish I could take better close up pictures.



Garth, I can't believe I was thinking about using a torch, (it was a small mini butane torch though, still...)

edit:
Thanks for the pointers all. (No pun intended with the last pic

[BigDumbDinosaur]

ElEctric_EyE wrote:

I wish I could take better close up pictures.

Smaller ones would help.

As for the slobbering job, it almost looks like it came from the factory.

[ElEctric_EyE]

Thanks! Probably my last post on this thread... Hope it helps those so inclined for home brew.

[ElEctric_EyE]

Sorry to dig up this old thread yet once again, but...

There's another company which deserves mention here. I forgot to do so in regards to my last pic, with the 208-pin QFP version of the Spartan 3...

My current project uses a Spartan 2 100-pin VQFP PGA adapter and also a 54-pin TSOP II PGA adapter, made by EPBoard, which you can see here: (1st and 3rd sockets down), viewtopic.php?t=1370&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=172

They have excellent timely service, I usually receive the order 3-5 days after placing it online. Not sure about a minimum order, maybe $50US?

Don't confuse PGA with BGA. These are "through-hole" QFP adapters that can fit wire-wrap headers, check out the pre-mount 208-pin QFP pics: viewtopic.php?t=1492&start=32

Visit the site and check out the diag's:

http://epboard.com/eproducts/protoadapt ... PGAAdapter

-EyE

[ElEctric_EyE]

Recently, I found it very frustrating to be limited to 144-pin QFP's. So, I've been looking at some IR "welders" to solder BGA's. Found one today for about $150US. I figure I could practice on QFP's or old motherboards and work my way up to designing with 1mm BGAs. I imagine the tough part would be accurately placing the part.
Here's a link to the one I found. There's an annoying little video there too. Anyone tried using one before?

EDIT: A related thread on BGA soldering in the Programmable Logic section. BTW, I @myself on the Virtex 6 comment in there. Those IC's cost more than a new car!!! There are more capable IC's though, even just a larger 484-pin Spartan 6 in 1mm BGA, that are reasonable prices, i.e. <$50. Scratch that . The Virtex-6 IC is the XC6VLX75T-1FFG484C @ $530ea. Mucho deneiro, but still in range for a most powerful 484-pin FPGA!
Re-EDIT: The most powerful Spartan 6 in 484-pin package is the XC6VLX130T, although that weighs in @$767!