How do I attach wires to this little thing (Page 3): Correct, after I wrote that I looked over the diagram of the chip and saw that only 4 connections needed to be made. The wires and...

Red6

BebuLamar wrote:

I am looking for a circuit board. I can solder the 24 ga wire to the chip OK but a slight pull on the wire will break the tab off. There are 6 tabs but only 4 are used.

Correct, after I wrote that I looked over the diagram of the chip and saw that only 4 connections needed to be made.

The wires and connections can be an issue depending on how you handle the assembly. Normally something like this item would be soldered to a larger pcb and those connections would be used. Often the wires are attached to items like this AFTER the sensor chip is attached in the overall device so that movement of handling of the wire attachments is kept to a bare minimum. Mechanical assembly can also be challenging in this business also.

Another suggestion may be to try to find a socket. We often had sockets for devices like this. The ceramic SMT device simply pops into the socket and then attachments are then made to the socket. You may even find a socket with thru-hole pins which would make it much easier and safer to mount to.

Check out Digi-key, Mouser Electronics or Jameco. Identify the package first, that is the technical name of that particular device and look it up with one of the above supplier. They may even send you one as a sample.

BebuLamar

Red6 wrote:

Correct, after I wrote that I looked over the diag... (show quote)

I solder the wire to the tab and it came off. At first I thought the solder joint was bad but then I looked at the chip the tab is broken off. The tabs are simply folded underneath the ceramic and pulling on it will lift it and break at the bend because it's so thin.

mmills79 Loc: NJ

That likely means this chip was meant for a chip "carrier" as others have suggested. You could go back to the supplier you got the sensor from, have them help you with the name and contact info for the manufacturer, go back to the manufacturer, and ask the manufacturer what chip carrier to use? Also, as others have commented, you will probably need to come up with a PCB which you can mount the chip carrier to and which you can then wire to. Perhaps the manufacturer will let you know a vendor or customer that uses this sensor and you could buy their PCB?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Curmudgeon wrote:

If you have to ask I don't think you can. Those are delicate beyond belief. I think your question should be: How do I find a pro and I don't know the answer to that

I once sent an item that needed delicate soldering to a soldering pro. He couldn't do it, either.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That's a tough one. Basically, you need "tiny." Maybe you could use a large sewing needle. Heat it and apply solder to it. Hopefully, it will stick. Maybe you could use a similar needle to heat up the point on the board. Flux would help.

Both the needle to heat the contact point and the needle to apply the solder would have to be hot at the same time. Apply flux and heat to the circuit board and then touch the needle with the drop of solder to the board. This might be a two person job. I wonder if a candle would be hot enough to heat both needles at the same time. You will also need something other than your fingers to hold the needles.

I'm glad this isn't my problem.

Lost Again Loc: Middle of nowhere Oregon

therwol wrote:

Superglue and epoxy are non-metallic and don't conduct electricity like solder. Even if you think you have a good contact between wire and foil, the glue will creep under the wire and act as an insulator.

Good point. Thanks for the education.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

BebuLamar wrote:

I have this light sensor which is the Avago APDS-9007. I need to attach 4 wires to the 4 corners of the chip. It's intended to mount to a circuit board but I can' make a circuit board. Any idea?
The numbers are 1/10th inches.

I would think that type of soldering would be done by a robotic mechanism. The size of the solder points and precision required is beyond the human hand to achieve, IMO. I don’t think I could have held my hands that steady even in my youth.

Stan

BebuLamar

StanMac wrote:

I would think that type of soldering would be done by a robotic mechanism. The size of the solder points and precision required is beyond the human hand to achieve, IMO. I don’t think I could have held my hands that steady even in my youth.

Stan

Surely, surface mount components are meant to be glued to the PCB via robots then wave solder.

BebuLamar

Adafruit had this and it would be great but they don't sell it any more. I looked on ebay there is nobody selling them used or NOS either.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/1384

BebuLamar

Actually I found it and ordered it. I wish I found this before.
https://www.phidgets.com/?prodid=116

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

StanMac wrote:

I would think that type of soldering would be done by a robotic mechanism. The size of the solder points and precision required is beyond the human hand to achieve, IMO. I don’t think I could have held my hands that steady even in my youth.

Stan

Magnifying glasses would help with the vision part.

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

BebuLamar wrote:

I have this light sensor which is the Avago APDS-9007. I need to attach 4 wires to the 4 corners of the chip. It's intended to mount to a circuit board but I can' make a circuit board. Any idea?
The numbers are 1/10th inches.

This looks like a “surface mount” chip. These are usually soldered using wave-soldering, a hot-air soldering station. Relatively expensive, and with a steep learning curve.

As an alternative, I would recommend getting a chip-socket made for this size/part, or devising a mounting block with spring-clips to hold the sensor with a good mechanical connection. The spring-clips could be more easily soldered to.

A plastic block (maybe acrylic or teflon) could be shaped to hold the chip and the contacts.

The gold plating will give good contact (and no corrosion problems) with copper or tin-plated contacts. Or even steel or brass.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe some electrical or electronics teacher at a trade school or college could help you.

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

Lost Again wrote:

When you figure out how to hold each wire in place try to use a needle with superglue or a thinned epoxy mix.
Bad idea/ Let me know why.

This is not a good idea because there may not be a good ELECTRICAL Connection.

Get glue under any wire—>pad contact, and NO CONTACT.

Epoxy is an INSULATOR !

CoveArts Loc: Boston MA USA

1. Hold the device in a small vice such as those used for electronics work, not wood or metal work. It's positional stability will be important and you've much to do.

2. Apply solder paste carefully to only the corner pads.

3. Strip and pre-tin the wires you intend to attach.

4. Attach a heat shield (which you can probably form from a piece of aluminum flashing available at a hardware store) to a heat gun. (This is the type you'd use for heat-shrink tubing, not a hair dryer.)

5. Rest a wire on one of the pads and heat only that pad (to the extent possible) until the solder paste reflows. Be careful not to overheat other parts of the device. Immediately remove the heat as soon as the solder paste and tinned lead wet and join.

6. Repeat for the other three pads.

If you've never soldered miniature devices, you may want to find some inexpensive parts to develop your skills on, particularly if the sample you've shown is the only one you have.

BebuLamar

I give up because I found the chip mounted on the PCB with some other components and I ordered them. Check the post just before Jerry post.