Circuit board assembly tools and procedures

As a developer of a prototype digital device, you can construct a professional-looking, high-performance circuit board using surface-mount technology with a suitable set of tools and a bit of practice. This section will cover the needs of individual developers who are assembling a small number of circuit boards, typically one at a time. For manufacturers who need larger numbers of boards, ranging from dozens to hundreds or more, it is likely to be more appropriate, though more costly, to delegate this work to a company that specializes in PCB assembly.

Optical magnification

We will be assembling some very small components on the PCB. Many of the resistors and capacitors on our project circuit board use the 0402 package, with dimensions of 1.0 mm x 0.5 mm. To allow you to appreciate the size of these components, the following photo is of a resistor in the 0402 package size beside a grain of jasmine rice:

Figure...