Nuts and Volts - September 2011

■ FIGURE 8. Jig oriented for soldering. Note leaded components held in place by foam.

THROUGH-HOLE VS.

SURFACE-MOUNT

Surface-mount technology (SMT) has slowly replaced traditional through-hole designs for many components. It offers the advantage a of reduced footprint resulting in higher circuit density, and is more conducive to automated assembly and soldering. Through-hole technology remains in use mainly for higher powered components and those which require mechanical stability through the solder joint. It also lends itself well to hand soldering and prototyping. The jig described in this article can be used in several different orientations and streamlines PCB assembly with either type of component.

won’t need. If, for example, the jig frame was reduced to approximately 6” x 8” overall, then only one two-foot piece of aluminum extrusion would be required, and two toggle clamps would likely be sufficient to hold the foam plate in place. The foam could even be eliminated if you work mainly with surface-mount parts or have other ways to hold through-hole components in place.

The versatility of the T-slot system offers many possibilities. Perhaps a miniature gooseneck lamp or magnifier mounted to the soldering side of the jig? One nice feature I noticed on the expensive professional units was a pivoting system — the entire jig could be set on an angle to face the user during soldering or assembly.

Even without all the bells and whistles, I can assure you that having a proper PCB assembly jig goes a long way toward making electronics a more enjoyable hobby.