As I mentioned before, the main problem I have with SMD’s on JeeLinks is applying too much solder paste.
Well, I just got a few test stencils in the mail from Paul Badger of Modern Device, who is experimenting with a laser cutter and a variety of plastic sheets.
So here’s my first DIY solder paste stencil jig for JeeLinks:
In good DIY fashion, it’s made of things I “happened” to have lying around, such as a piece of “foam” used by photographers, i.e. a few millimeters of foam (PU?) sandwiched between two thin plastic sheets. It’s easy to cut so size, and a bit of a cushion might actually help level out the pressure when applying paste. I used hot glue to fix a couple of pcb scraps to the board, and a single line of adhesive tape to fix the stencil.
This jig opens up to take a panel with 4 JeeLink boards, like this:
It’s all about getting the alignment right, of course:
Will it work? I’ll report in the next few days…
Stencils are prob by far the quickest and best way to apply paste. (if you can get them made cheaply) However, I still want to give my CNC a go if i can only find out what these guys are using as the dispenser, seems very precise and consistent using pneumatics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG_Sy0FT3EA
Yes me too – I found out that stencil cleaning takes its time as well.
Thanks for the link. I’m thinking of expermenting with a Delta Robot – similar to this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DUuzecAtXQ
Some background on the required calculations for this non-cartesian system: http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/tutorials/introduction-129/delta-robot-kinematics-3276/
Looks doable. And instead of a plunger, why not a big slow-turning plastic screw inside a syringe? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes'_screw