PCB Soldering Fixture
Can't get your components to stay in place? Try this cost-effective surface-mount soldering jig PCB idea!
Modern surface-mount electronics component assembly is truly an amazing innovation, allowing manufacturers to shrink the size of devices down to ranges that would have been inconceivable just a few decades ago. However, when you want to put together electronics with itsy-bitsy contacts, i.e. fine-pitch SMD components, things become a bit dicey as a small misalignment means that things simply do not work.
As a solution to this tiny problem, rahmanshaber (AKA mutantCybernetics on YouTube) came up with a way to fixture parts on a PCB… with a PCB. As described here and outlined in the video below, he manufactured a special custom PCB as an alignment jig for components on the to-be-assembled PCB.
The new jig is put into place with the help of alignment holes on both PCBs, then held on with masking tape. With the PCB and jig in place, the appropriate connectors, MCU, or other components are then soldered on using a hot plate.
Rahmanshaber shows how to make this sort of jig in the video below, using a combination of KiCad and FreeCAD to generate the appropriate shapes. The new PCB is then ordered from a fab, providing a cost-effective parts alignment methodology.
Of course, your process may be a bit different than rahmanshaber’s, but the general concept could be useful in a variety of situations. It’s something to keep in mind for the next time you have a connector that you can’t quite get to stay in place!
