SMD mount for breadboard

thingiverse

## The problem I needed to mount PCB surface mount component to test them (the problem arised with a LM3588 in SOIC8 package, 2x4 pins with a 1.27mm pitch) Instead of buying a mounting board (pricey, and in any case you have to complete adding pins compatible with the breadboard), I thought of giving a try making a support in PLA. ## My solution ### material needed - PLA - Long nose pliers for electronics (I use these ) - 0.5 single strand copper wire - 0.3 mm solwer wire with 1mm solder iron tip (I use 900M-T-1C ) The support is deigned to use 0.5mm dia solid copper wire (common used in telephone cables, you can get 25m of 4 core 0.5mm wire for 5 or 6 euros- the same cable can be used for jumpers for the breadboard) ### how to assemble - notice the support has a dent on one side to identify the pin 1 side of the IC. Mount the IC accordingly. - Check the holes are through, use a needle to open them up so that the copper wire goes through without bending. - Push the wire through the exit hole, bend with a pliers for electronics to a L shape, The end hook of the L should be inserted in the hole in the center as shown in the picture. - Using the pliers, adjust the position of the wires as required to fall right below the pins of the IC. To do that, leverage the wire with the perimeter of the support. - the central support is meant to help to keep the IC in place for soldering (add something viscous, the solder flux is okay. if you clean up with IPA after soldering as I do. Or you can use a strip of electric tape, sticking to the lower face of the support and *grabbing* the IC with two stripes protuding from the sides. - use the pliers to flatten the wires on each side so that they are even ### suggestions - you can write down the marking of the IC on the lower face to identify the IC easily The soldering activity has been surprisingly easy (of course I sed a soldering iron with 1mm tip. Here the contacts have a pitch of 1.27mm). Soldering on the board heats up the copper wires as much as is required to melt the PLA which makes the support stick to the wires, so removing the mount from the breadboard brings no strain on the delicate SMD and its soldered pins. See the pictures for the DPAK stand tofollow the process. I'll keep adding more package supports as I make them. Currently, - SOIC 8 for 0.5mm wire - SOIC 16 - TSOT3l / SOT 23-3 for 0.6mm wire - DPAK - SOT223 - 0402, led mount - SOD123F For the moment, just wanted to share the idea. ## Note! - I usually place relevant notes using a piece of white tape stuck to the bottom face and held by pins. Check the 0402 led example, where I wrote color and Vth. I also painted black the side tab to easily identify the catode side. - The diameters of the holes is optimized to be just right to get 0.5mm holes, tight, using a 0.4mm nozzle and printing at normal cura settings at 190C of temperature. Beware higher temperatures, the walls sag and clog the hole. You should modify the hole size in that case. In case the hole is partially closed, a simple needle helps to fix the issue. Enjoy! ## Notes and suggestions on SOIC 16 - obviously this is a bit complicated. Reason being I wanted to keep the same sequence of pins on the breadboard, which forced to implement some crossing. - Refer to picture for wiring. I suggest you leave the wiring of the central pins (4,5,12,13) last since, not having loops, they are easier to come off when handling - to keep everything in place, and tweak the position of the wires in reparation of soldering, insert the board on a breadboard, adjust as needed to have a precise match with the pins and then solder - avoid pulling too much wires entering the holes facing the pins, if the wire is too sunken welding will be more difficult. - test each breadboard pin to see if it moves back while pushing in. In that case, apply some heat to the external loops so that plastic melts as require to keep the pin in place.