1206 SMD parts
I have billions of 1206 SMD parts which are less than useful given their size and infrequent use. Simultaneously I was finding sourcing an exact through hole part for protoyping to be quite frustrating. I did the usual things including:- organising all the components ordered into containers which then went into lidded bins - with one problem being that if I want a 100nF capacitor I have to look up the bin number and the container number on a spreadsheet and then hunt through to bring the prize back to the bench - a little awkward at times.
- having a "common parts" container which houses those parts that crop up frequently in prototyping such as a green LED and a matching 220Ω resistor - with the double problem of firstly not having a, for instance, LM317 in the parts container (therefore see point 1 above), or spending 10 minutes with poor eyesight trying to dig out an appropriate resistor from the tangle.
- using a flip lid storage box - which took half a day to fill up with resistors and then label appropriately only to find that I've only reached for the parts in this way a couple of times, and I'm not sure why.
Bins in bins - thorough but awkward |
The "common parts" container |
The tiny compartment method |
So I was looking around for a solution to these (and other) problems, when I chanced upon an smd to dip adapter on the interwebs. I bought a few but they were 0805 size (which was fine, but most of my components in SMD are 1206 - eyesight!). So I looked hard for a 1206 version but all that I found seemed expensive given the simplicity of the board.
Chuffed with recent success making my own 555 timer PCB (and a few other projects), I threw a few ideas together on EasyEDA and then had JLCPCB pump them out to Tassie just before the twin brakes of Chinese New Year and COVID-19 slowed up delivery.
Arrival from China just before the gates closed |
Half soldered after headers attached |
With 1206 resistors attached |
Forming a simple LED circuit - nice! |
After triumphant testing (they're awesome) I decided that I needed to spread the joy so I've set up a Tindie shop if anyone else is interested in this way of prototyping. I'll chuck on a few other products (like the 555 PCB as a DIY kit) as soon as I can just to see if anyone else enjoys this sort of madness.
OMG and we're live |
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