Soldering an SMD Electrolytic

Just a quick video showing how I solder down SMD electrolytics

[martincvitkovich]

Thanks for the video explanation! My initial state of confusion was what I couldn't see, and that is the solder running back under to complete the connection. I was just focused on what little area that was visible when the component sat in place

[nlain]

Good guide, thank you!
I was wondering: does solder paste make this any easier?

[R_J]

1.) Always best to hand solder SMT electrolytic caps. Even if viewers have a hot air reflow station, they likely won't have the skill and experience to use it without cooking the cap. I do, but still hand solder them. Keeps the heat exposure to a minimum.

2.) The iron's tip must be short and stout and not some thin precision tip. This is to provide low thermal resistance to heat from the rearward heating element to the tip.

3.) The iron needs to be the temperature controlled kind with the wattage to supply the impulse of heat that the tracks or ground plane will suck away.

4.) Crank the iron up as high as it will go. Crank that bad boy to the "incinerate" setting and let the iron heat-soak for 30 to 60 seconds to build up as much temperature (thus reserve heat energy) as possible. Don't worry, the tip temp will fall like a rock as soon as you apply it to the joint.

5.) Don't heat the cap's pin, heat the solder you put on the pad.

6.) Make sure your iron tip is clean and has a small blob of solder on it's tip. I said a small blob, just enough to create a good heat path from the tip to the solder on the pad.

7.) Often one cap pin will fall on an expanse of ground plane. You'll need a boat-load of heat to transfer into that area very quickly to heat the ground plane in a localized area up to soldering temp. See why you set the iron at incinerate and use a beefy tip as well as a high wattage iron?

8.) Use a rosin liquid flux and use only 1/10th the amount shown in the video.

9.) If the solder on the pad hasn't reflowed with the pin in less than about 8 seconds, take the iron off, something is wrong.

10.) Immediately crank the iron down to normal soldering temp after the second pin is soldered. Do not let it idle even a couple of minutes at highest temp setting. You'll shorten the iron's heating element's life and darken the tip, which you'll have to clean and re-tin.

[TheEmbeddedHobbyist]

I would not have used the flux, it just makes a mess. Flux is OK when your removing a component as the solder on the board will not have any flux so adding a bit helps. but the new solder has all the flux you need, but that's just me. The only place i see flux used during soldering is on youtube video's, in all my years of being an electronics engineer i've never needed it or seen it used in production. (exception is when using a solder pot for tinning wires).

Sorry using flux when not needed is on my hate list. :-) Still a nice bit of soldering in the end.

[pandaboy]

Every time I use the heat gun they go pop