When I started soldering everything was big and had leads that went through holes in the board. You inserted the leads, bent them over to hold the component, flipped the board over, soldered everything, and trimmed off the excess leads.
Now I’m soldering things down to 0402 SMDs (1/4 the size of the smallest component in the picture) using a needle point soldering tip and a microscope.
A pair of 2N2222 transistors, one SOT23 and one TO-92.
When you get some equipment post some pictures and let us know what you bought. I am going to Walmart tomorrow to buy the cheapest soldering iron they sell. I plan to remake the SMD soldering videos to show that it can be done. I love soldering and I want to help make it accessible and to remove some of the fear for anyone who has been hesitating.
Will do! Just figuring out where to put stuff currently. toddlers and all that fun stuff haha
Keep the soldering away from little hands. Happy shopping!