This was the first time I’ve used a stencil and solder paste to build up a pcb. It was so much easier to get all the components aligned and soldered on the board (on the back, there are 38 0603 capacitors which are always time consuming to hand solder). After just had to clear a few bridges and added a little extra solder to U1.

Project link

    • v1605@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      11 months ago

      I’m not too familiar since it was my first time using it but from my research brand does matter as well as how old it is. The flux in the paste can dry out. I did notice that it worked better when I moved it around the board a lot towards the beginning, basically it was preheating so the paste melted easier. It did appear like it was drying before it went molten, so maybe your heat is not quite high enough or you’re not giving it enough time.

      Also, keep the air flow on the low end and angled straight down. Otherwise some components might fly off the board.