There are a couple of ways of mounting surface mount parts. One way is to make a suitable PCB and use a solder reflow technique, as discussed in an excellent tutorial from Sparkfun. If you prefer to take a different route, there is always the Schmartboard. These are designed with the solder necessary already in grooves in the PCB. You position the IC, tape it down, and put the tip of your iron in one of those silver tracks you see on the board. Once the solder has melted, you push the molten solder towards the pin making a joint. Mind, these are RoHS boards. You will need an iron hot enough to melt the modern lead-free solders.
Another nifty trick is the use of a hot air rework system. Sparkfun sells one model for around $200. Not only does hot air rework allow you to build SMT circuits, it also allows you to scavenge parts from dead electronics. A concern of mine has been the cost. I have a Weller WTCP, and while it isn't hot enough for RoHS, it is a fine iron and has served both myself and my father well for more than 20 years. It's difficult to justify $200 on a hot-air rework system. Interestingly, Episode 15 of AmateurLogic featured a technique for hot-air rework that uses a 'hot air embosser' to do the heating. This seems to perform yeoman service for very little money. More on this technique can be seen here.
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Posted by: Mike | January 24, 2008 at 04:20 AM