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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: Distilled on Sat, 23 August 2014, 19:12:02

Title: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: Distilled on Sat, 23 August 2014, 19:12:02
So I am on the search for a practice PCB. I have ordered some Duck keyboards and will be putting them together my self. However, I have never really soldered a PCB before and it seems like a bad idea for my first to be the duck one.

I am asking what other people have used as practice. Something that will help me learn where everything should go. Hopefully with some LEDs as well if possible.

As an option:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Deck-Cherry-MX-Red-Blue-Brown-Black-Sampler-kit-w-LED-for-Mechanical-Keyboards-/291058465282?pt=AU_Input_Peripherals&hash=item43c46fba02&_uhb=1

Any help is much appreciated.

Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: Lastpilot on Sat, 23 August 2014, 19:20:55
You can try taking apart an old alarm clock or even an outdated television remote. :]
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: dorkvader on Sat, 23 August 2014, 23:58:44
ming has some cool soldering practise kits for TH and SMD.
http://www.geekhackers.org/collections/electronics-kits

here's a review of it:
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=59038.0
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: berserkfan on Sun, 24 August 2014, 15:37:53
So I am on the search for a practice PCB. I have ordered some Duck keyboards and will be putting them together my self. However, I have never really soldered a PCB before and it seems like a bad idea for my first to be the duck one.

I am asking what other people have used as practice. Something that will help me learn where everything should go. Hopefully with some LEDs as well if possible.

As an option:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Deck-Cherry-MX-Red-Blue-Brown-Black-Sampler-kit-w-LED-for-Mechanical-Keyboards-/291058465282?pt=AU_Input_Peripherals&hash=item43c46fba02&_uhb=1

Any help is much appreciated.

Duck keyboards?

You mean Ducky or Deck?
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: Photekq on Sun, 24 August 2014, 15:43:44
Duck keyboards?

You mean Ducky or Deck?
No, he means Duck keyboards, as in custom keyboards made by Duck.
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: Findecanor on Mon, 25 August 2014, 00:22:47
Somewhere there is a guy wearing a t-shirt from Qwertees, typing on a Qwerkywriter with novelty caps from Qwerkeys ...
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: qwack on Mon, 25 August 2014, 10:36:11
When I was learning to solder, I used cheap components (diodes/resistors) and perfboard. Working on a quality PCB will be easier than perfboard (the pads/plated holes are harder to damage), but practicing on perfboard will make you learn to apply just the right amount of heat to avoic damaging the pads.
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: phoenix1234 on Mon, 25 August 2014, 10:48:21
So I am on the search for a practice PCB. I have ordered some Duck keyboards and will be putting them together my self. However, I have never really soldered a PCB before and it seems like a bad idea for my first to be the duck one.

I am asking what other people have used as practice. Something that will help me learn where everything should go. Hopefully with some LEDs as well if possible.

As an option:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Deck-Cherry-MX-Red-Blue-Brown-Black-Sampler-kit-w-LED-for-Mechanical-Keyboards-/291058465282?pt=AU_Input_Peripherals&hash=item43c46fba02&_uhb=1

Any help is much appreciated.

If you want to practice SMD soldering, my recommendation is to go with this cheap practice kit:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121320560517
It is only $3.78 for 2 sets
(http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwMFgxMjUw/z/mXgAAOxy69JTDb7j/$_57.JPG)
You can do a lot of soldering practices on them without concerning about damaging PCB.
Title: Re: Good source for practice PCB
Post by: phoenix1234 on Mon, 01 September 2014, 12:07:45
Just added the picture that I test on the kit that I mentioned above.
[attachimg=1]
This kit is good for practicing with SMD resisters and diodes because it has a big number of them. To be honest, SMD is not supposed for hand soldering, it may require a bit of patience, especially when it comes to very small ones.