Ok, so first come first serve on this deal. I want to do SMD work, mostly QFP controllers, however, resistors and diodes should be just as fun.
So the deal. First person to ship me a bunch of keyboard parts gets a keyboard assembled for free (not incl shipping )
As an additional, a white PCB would be fun to test these new flux removal methods.
I am not sure what it's like over in the states - I have a number of "practice" boards - they are just pcbs, with a whole load of pads on them, in all different sizes, and then there is also spaces to put controllers in etc. I bought a couple of reels of passives, and a couple of different pitch atmel controllers, and practiced away on there. Is useful, as I mess about with lots of different solders/pastes and it means you can just do tests without fear of borking anything (not suggesting you will, but I do all the time
). It's a shame you live a very long way away, otherwise I would send you some with a couple hundred passives.
You going to be smd soldering with an iron/hot air/the oven? One thing I have noticed doing pcb's with hot air - as the boards are quite long and narrow (due to the shape of keyboards) it's best to do all the board at once, and keep the whole thing warmish if you can, I did some boards where I would do the SMD stuff in rows along the board, and that warped the pcb a bit, I think as parts of the board were getting hot and some weren't and it was just causing some warping. To rectify I would just heat the whole board and apply a bit of pressure - but since doing the whole board at a time this hasn't been as much an issue - I just try to keep the whole thing as warm as possible by moving accross the board top to bottom as I work. I am considering getting an infrared preheating station to warm boards up a bit easier.
Sorry for the wall of text
Just some things I have noticed doing SMD.
Edit: Thanks for the referral brother mang