For electronics, your knowledge probably follows a bit of a bell curve over time. When you start out, you know nothing. But you eventually learn a lot. Then you learn enough to be comfortable, and most of us don’t learn as much about new things unless we just happen to need it. Take SMD components. If you are just starting out, you might not know how to find the positive lead of an SMD capacitor. However, if you’ve been doing electronics for a long time, you might not have learned all the nuances of SMD. [Mr SolderFix] has been addressing this with a series of videos covering the basics of different SMD components, and this installment covers capacitors.
If you are dyed-in-the-wool with SMD, you might not get a lot out of the video, but we picked up a few tips, like using a zip tie for applying flux. The video starts with an examination of the different packages and markings. Then it moves on to soldering the components down.
We haven’t run into the little trimmer capacitors, so that was new to us, also. It is a great idea for a series, and the photography of the solder is very clear and useful. Worth a watch!
SMD parts don’t have a lot of room for markings, so they can be a bit cryptic. If you show up at a Supercon, you can always join us to show off your SMD soldering skills.
Source: AN SMD CAPACITOR GUIDE
