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What heatsink? Where the reg sits on the board is supposed to be a heatsink of sorts but it doesn't work very well but maybe you could slip something between there.
Robert
Robert
The reg is the black thing with the 5 pins, you need to tin those and the 5 pads on the board so they're easier to solder without applying to much heat. Make sure not to use to much solder. You don't want any of the connections to short.
Robert
Robert
OK, I took a look at it and it's a surface mount regulator. The relatively large tab IS the heatsink and it is meant to be soldered onto the large pad at the top of the board.
Wipe the board down with ISO alcohol first, to remove any oils/contaminants to aid in solder "wetting". If you have liquid flux, dab the pads, pins and heatsink tab with it prior to soldering. Have an assistant hold the regulator down with tweezers or a small screwdriver in place, taking care to align the pins with the pads. Tack solder the outermost pins to hold the part in place. Place the side of your iron's tip against the junction between the tab and the large pad and feed a small amount of solder to said junction. You want a smooth, uniform, concave "ramp" of solder between the pad and tab, not a "gob", so it doesn't take much solder; just enough to ensure good heat transfer.
Proceed to apply solder to the pins and you're done! Any questions, feel free to ask or PM me. Good luck!
Wipe the board down with ISO alcohol first, to remove any oils/contaminants to aid in solder "wetting". If you have liquid flux, dab the pads, pins and heatsink tab with it prior to soldering. Have an assistant hold the regulator down with tweezers or a small screwdriver in place, taking care to align the pins with the pads. Tack solder the outermost pins to hold the part in place. Place the side of your iron's tip against the junction between the tab and the large pad and feed a small amount of solder to said junction. You want a smooth, uniform, concave "ramp" of solder between the pad and tab, not a "gob", so it doesn't take much solder; just enough to ensure good heat transfer.
Proceed to apply solder to the pins and you're done! Any questions, feel free to ask or PM me. Good luck!
No. The thermal compound will prevent the solder from "sticking". You now MUST clean the board with alcohol to be able to solder the tab there.
ETA: This is one of my favorite SMT soldering training vids:
ETA: This is one of my favorite SMT soldering training vids:
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I believe either way is fine, but if you solder the tab first, the part will not wiggle the smaller solder joints. You just have to take care to keep the part aligned!
Took another look at the regulator. That metal tab just needs to be secured onto the large pad on the board with some solder on the protruding end of said tab. It doesn't need to flow all the way under it, just secure the end with solder to the board.
It is not absolutely necessary to solder the metal tab to the board, but it does add rigidity to it and dissipates heat a little better. On commercial boards, the solder flows around and under the tab, thoroughly securing it to the board. The part is applied to the board with solder paste under it and the board is sent through a wave solder machine which melts the solder paste and (usually) achieves a perfect solder joint. I was the guy who reworked (by hand) those few that the machine would mess up, lol.
So I'm pretty sure I messed it up. Got some solder in between the tabs, which is causing a shot I'm sure. I've spend about 3 hrs on this stupid board and I'm done for now. Very frustrating. Thanks for all your guys help though!
No prob, buddy!
Do you have flux, though? Or solder wick?
Coat the shorted pins with flux and swipe them with your iron. Refer to the video I posted earlier in this thread (I edited my post, lol). If there is not too much solder on them, the solder shorts will separate. If there is too much solder, use solder wick or a solder sucker to remove some of the excess.
Don't give up, you'll get the hang of it!
I'm done for the day, so, g'night, guys...
Do you have flux, though? Or solder wick?
Coat the shorted pins with flux and swipe them with your iron. Refer to the video I posted earlier in this thread (I edited my post, lol). If there is not too much solder on them, the solder shorts will separate. If there is too much solder, use solder wick or a solder sucker to remove some of the excess.
Don't give up, you'll get the hang of it!
I'm done for the day, so, g'night, guys...
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