Thanks for the tips, gents.
Sounds like a binocular microscope would be a great tool; otherwise I
suspect depth perception might be an issue.

I'll keep an eye out for one.

Jim, N7CXI


ken scharf wrote:
Ian White GM3SEK wrote:
Jim Barber wrote:
I've been working on a high-power HF autotuner design that I'd just
about shelved because of the necessity of soldering the DDS chip. (it
uses an internal RF source to power the phase detector)

This thread has helped a lot. When time permits I may order up some
parts and give it a try. I have a good-quality magnifier lamp and a
fine-point temp-controlled pencil, what I don't have is OEM eye lenses
and flexible finger joints... ;-)
Most of my SMD work is done using half-moon reading glasses - the
strongest and cheapest available from the drugstore - in front of my
normal glasses. When not in use, they hang from a neck cord.

After publishing this suggestion, a very generous person *gave* me a
professional-quality binocular microscope. This is wonderful for big
jobs like assembling a whole new board... but to be honest, I still tend
to use the double glasses more, because the "setup process" is much
quicker.

You will find that the tip of the soldering iron becomes much steadier
when seen under the magnifier. This feedback loop is a wonderful thing,
especially if you give it the best possible chance to work:

* "Use the scope, Luke!" - learn to concentrate exclusively on what
you're SEEING. This is harder than it seems, because for normal
soldering we also rely a lot on our sense of touch, and automatically
tend to press the tip of the iron against the parts being soldered. With
SMD this is a disaster - it simply pushes the parts out of position - so
you need to break that habit and concentrate on using ONLY your eyes.

The problem with a 10x microscope is first FINDING the soldering iron
tip in the field of view. If I am looking into the microscope and
trying to place the iron on the work often the iron ends up way in left
field (or I push it into my other hand OUCH!) TOO much magnification
can be TOO much of a good thing. I wish I had another set of eye piece
lenses (or an other objective) so I could go down to 5X sometimes.

My microscope is a true binocular with poro prisms and dual objective
and eyepiece lenses. It was a 'gift' from a former employer (they were
cleaning up the lab and threw it out). I did have to jury rig a stand
since only the optic head was found in the trash, the unit originally
mounted on a long spring loaded 'gooseneek', like those circleline
magnifier lamps. (One of the focus knobs is cracked in half, but I can
live with that).

* Steady your arm against the edge of the bench, so you're not trying to
stabilize your whole body.

* Stay off the caffeine - it creates a fine tremor that the brain cannot
stabilize (too much "noise" in the feedback loop).



Damn Cuban Coffee (Well, I work in Miami!)

Jim Barber wrote:
Thanks for the tips, gents.
Sounds like a binocular microscope would be a great tool; otherwise I
suspect depth perception might be an issue.

It still is an issue, because a microscope prevents you from using one
of the most natural ways of perceiving depth, by looking at the board
from a few different angles. Only a head-mounted viewer allows this.

A large lens on a spring arm is a kind of half-way option, but it
rapidly loses quality at off-axis angles.

Another problem that needs to be mentioned is focusing and depth of
focus. With a microscope, you have to put down the iron or the solder in
order to adjust the focus. With a head-mounted viewer, you simply move
your head to re-focus... but by the end of the day you'll probably have
neck strain.

Also we haven't mentioned lighting. All microscopes tend to suffer from
poor light-gathering power, so the work area needs to be very brightly
lit.


While we're on the subject, a friend has come up with yet another
option. Like many of us, he has a very good detachable zoom lens for a
35mm camera that he doesn't use any more. He has fixed this onto a
low-cost colour CCTV camera, and positioned it about 4 feet above the
workbench, looking straight down. This gives a moderately magnified view
of the work area on a TV monitor directly in front of him.

This has the big advantage of leaving the workspace completely
unobstructed, so he can switch very easily and naturally between the
monitor and the direct view. He reports that it avoids a lot of the eye
and neck strain.

The main practical problem that he still has to solve is "camera
shake", because of viewing from such a long distance. In his case, the
camera is mounted from the roof of a wooden shack, so he can't do SMD
work on a windy day.

If you have a suitable lens and a CCTV camera, this option would be well
worth trying.


--
73 from Ian GM3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

Now that has potential:

By pure coincidence, I already have a Sony HDR-SR1 high-def (1080i)
camcorder and a 21" 16:9 LCD display with HDMI input in the lab.

Putting those two devices together and adding an appropriate macro lens
would seem to be a natural thing for this kind of work.

Great idea, Ian!

Jim, N7CXI


Ian White GM3SEK wrote:
Jim Barber wrote:
Thanks for the tips, gents.
Sounds like a binocular microscope would be a great tool; otherwise I
suspect depth perception might be an issue.

It still is an issue, because a microscope prevents you from using one
of the most natural ways of perceiving depth, by looking at the board
from a few different angles. Only a head-mounted viewer allows this.

A large lens on a spring arm is a kind of half-way option, but it
rapidly loses quality at off-axis angles.

Another problem that needs to be mentioned is focusing and depth of
focus. With a microscope, you have to put down the iron or the solder in
order to adjust the focus. With a head-mounted viewer, you simply move
your head to re-focus... but by the end of the day you'll probably have
neck strain.

Also we haven't mentioned lighting. All microscopes tend to suffer from
poor light-gathering power, so the work area needs to be very brightly lit.


While we're on the subject, a friend has come up with yet another
option. Like many of us, he has a very good detachable zoom lens for a
35mm camera that he doesn't use any more. He has fixed this onto a
low-cost colour CCTV camera, and positioned it about 4 feet above the
workbench, looking straight down. This gives a moderately magnified view
of the work area on a TV monitor directly in front of him.

This has the big advantage of leaving the workspace completely
unobstructed, so he can switch very easily and naturally between the
monitor and the direct view. He reports that it avoids a lot of the eye
and neck strain.

The main practical problem that he still has to solve is "camera
shake", because of viewing from such a long distance. In his case, the
camera is mounted from the roof of a wooden shack, so he can't do SMD
work on a windy day.

If you have a suitable lens and a CCTV camera, this option would be well
worth trying.

On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:18:36 -0800, Jim Barber wrote in :
Now that has potential:

By pure coincidence, I already have a Sony HDR-SR1 high-def (1080i)
camcorder and a 21" 16:9 LCD display with HDMI input in the lab.

Putting those two devices together and adding an appropriate macro lens
would seem to be a natural thing for this kind of work.

Great idea, Ian!

Jim, N7CXI

One can find similar devices on the used market from time to time,
made for folks who are visually-impaired. My late wife left me one,
but it's up in Canada. I hope to retrieve it this coming summer.

--
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on
occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them
unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." -- James D. Nicoll

Jim Barber wrote:
Now that has potential:

By pure coincidence, I already have a Sony HDR-SR1 high-def (1080i)
camcorder and a 21" 16:9 LCD display with HDMI input in the lab.

Putting those two devices together and adding an appropriate macro lens
would seem to be a natural thing for this kind of work.

Great idea, Ian!

Not my own idea, but a friend's. He particularly likes having the camera
a long way above the work, so the area in front of him is completely
clear.

Come to think, my dentist has very a similar system as part of his fancy
new workstation, which is styled like the bridge of the Starship
Enterprise.


--
73 from Ian GM3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

"Ian White GM3SEK" wrote in message
...
Jim Barber wrote:
Now that has potential:

By pure coincidence, I already have a Sony HDR-SR1 high-def (1080i)
camcorder and a 21" 16:9 LCD display with HDMI input in the lab.

Putting those two devices together and adding an appropriate macro lens
would seem to be a natural thing for this kind of work.

Great idea, Ian!

Not my own idea, but a friend's. He particularly likes having the camera a
long way above the work, so the area in front of him is completely clear.

Come to think, my dentist has very a similar system as part of his fancy
new workstation, which is styled like the bridge of the Starship
Enterprise.

Speaking of the dentist, I visited the dentist yesterday and quizzed the
hygienist
about her glasses with the special lenses mounted out front. She said the
had a
magnification of 2.5 and focus length around 18". Always thought I wanted a
pair of those but 2.5 magnification doesn't seem like enough and she
reported
the cost as $800.00. The dentist had a flip down style that mounted to his
regular
glasses. They cost less but still expensive.
Mike

amdx wrote:

"Ian White GM3SEK" wrote in message
...
Jim Barber wrote:
Now that has potential:

By pure coincidence, I already have a Sony HDR-SR1 high-def (1080i)
camcorder and a 21" 16:9 LCD display with HDMI input in the lab.

Putting those two devices together and adding an appropriate macro lens
would seem to be a natural thing for this kind of work.

Great idea, Ian!

Not my own idea, but a friend's. He particularly likes having the camera a
long way above the work, so the area in front of him is completely clear.

Come to think, my dentist has very a similar system as part of his fancy
new workstation, which is styled like the bridge of the Starship
Enterprise.

Speaking of the dentist, I visited the dentist yesterday and quizzed the
hygienist
about her glasses with the special lenses mounted out front. She said the
had a
magnification of 2.5 and focus length around 18". Always thought I wanted a
pair of those but 2.5 magnification doesn't seem like enough and she
reported
the cost as $800.00. The dentist had a flip down style that mounted to his
regular
glasses. They cost less but still expensive.

I should have said that the TV camera was mostly for the education and
amusement(?) of the patients, and to allow images to be captured for the
records. For his own use, my dentist has exactly the same kinds of
flip-up compound lenses that give a reasonably magnified view from a
long focal distance. This allows him to sit more upright and avoid back
strain.

Such lenses would be fine for SMD work too, because they would give us
an unobstructed work area, and would reduce back and neck strain for us
too. But as you say, they are low on magnification for our needs, and
very expensive.

People's eyes and preferences vary, so there's no one 'best'
magnification. Personally I find x10 is plenty for SMD, and might even
trade down to x5 for a system that gave me more clear space to wave the
soldering iron... and of course if the price was right.



--
73 from Ian GM3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

I use these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38896

Also, I've soldered literally hundreds of fine-pitch SMD ICs using the
simplest method of all: just bridge all the pins with solder and wick off
the excess with solder-wick. Never had any problems with residual solder
bridging or whiskers of solder-wick. You folks have made a mountain out of a
molehill on this subject.

Joe
W3JDR

"amdx" wrote in message
...

"Ian White GM3SEK" wrote in message
...
Jim Barber wrote:
Now that has potential:

By pure coincidence, I already have a Sony HDR-SR1 high-def (1080i)
camcorder and a 21" 16:9 LCD display with HDMI input in the lab.

Putting those two devices together and adding an appropriate macro lens
would seem to be a natural thing for this kind of work.

Great idea, Ian!

Not my own idea, but a friend's. He particularly likes having the camera
a long way above the work, so the area in front of him is completely
clear.

Come to think, my dentist has very a similar system as part of his fancy
new workstation, which is styled like the bridge of the Starship
Enterprise.

Speaking of the dentist, I visited the dentist yesterday and quizzed the
hygienist
about her glasses with the special lenses mounted out front. She said the
had a
magnification of 2.5 and focus length around 18". Always thought I wanted
a
pair of those but 2.5 magnification doesn't seem like enough and she
reported
the cost as $800.00. The dentist had a flip down style that mounted to his
regular
glasses. They cost less but still expensive.
Mike