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Best scope to solder under....

Best scope to solder under....

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Hi all, just wondering what everyone is using for production... - Mar 22, 2007 by

Try this link. This is a reasonably priced system that give... - Mar 22, 2007 by

Sorry. I ment to send you to ... - Mar 22, 2007 by

I would recommend checking out the stereo microscopes from V... - Mar 22, 2007 by chrisw

I actually already have this scope Gary. I was looking for s... - Mar 22, 2007 by

I've used standard Nikon for years. We evaluated the Mantis ... - Mar 23, 2007 by

Chrisw said : We have used the older and newer style Mantis... - Mar 27, 2007 by jmelson

I have never personally understood the attraction to Mantis,... - Mar 27, 2007 by Steve Thomas

#48570

Best scope to solder under.... | 22 March, 2007

Hi all, just wondering what everyone is using for production microscopes. Our operators are not in love with the standard eyepiece microscopes. We have an old Vision Engineer stereo dynascope that everyone loves but cant find anymore. The new Mantis units are ok but they shake around too easy when soldering under them. Anyone with any suggestions? Thanks in advance...

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Gary

#48571

Best scope to solder under.... | 22 March, 2007

Try this link. This is a reasonably priced system that give preaty good results.

http://www.smtnet.com/Forums/index.cfm?fuseaction=view_thread&CFApp=1&Thread_ID=11586&mc=1

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Gary

#48572

Best scope to solder under.... | 22 March, 2007

Sorry. I ment to send you to http://www.smttools.com/ Look at the BGA-100 scope.

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chrisw

#48573

Best scope to solder under.... | 22 March, 2007

I would recommend checking out the stereo microscopes from Vision Engineering (www.visioneng.com). We have used the older and newer style Mantis scopes and our assemblers love them as you can do rework in a very natural and comfortable seating position. They are also easy on the eyes, very easy to adjust between users, have excellent space to rework under, and can be used without removing your eyeglasses. We've always opted for the Mantis Compact as the magnification options are sufficient but for inspection purposes you might want to consider the Mantis Elite.

By the way, I'm not a rep nor am I affiliated with the manufacturer (nor do I work for a CM). I work for a very low volume, (very) high tech OEM and we outsource the majority of our production so I use this site as a way to stay on top of the problems encountered during manufacturing and as a way to incorporate the reported issues in our DFM considerations.

Chris

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#48574

Best scope to solder under.... | 22 March, 2007

I actually already have this scope Gary. I was looking for something for PCB soldering assembly operations. Thanks for the suggestion though. I have had the new Mantis in here for an eval. Maybe ill bring it back in for another look now that Ive seen what else is out there.

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oldsmtdude

#48592

Best scope to solder under.... | 23 March, 2007

I've used standard Nikon for years. We evaluated the Mantis and while first impressions were positive but with continued use EVERYONE chose to move back to the standard eyepiece.

A lot depends on what size components you're dealing with - when you start hand soldering at 20X or more you want great optics over any other feature.

I'll bet if you put some thought into board holding fixtures with a easy rotate/tilt/cant feature your operators will find that outweighs other changes.

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jmelson

#48679

Best scope to solder under.... | 27 March, 2007

Chrisw said : We have used the older and newer style Mantis scopes and our assemblers love them as you can do rework in a very natural and comfortable seating position.

It took me a while fooling around to get everything in the right place, but I can use both the B&L and Olympus stereo scopes in a "natural seating position", and get great sharpness, contrast, true stereo view, etc. while doing some pretty tight soldering (0.5 mm quad flat packs). Actually, using the scope probably makes me keep my back straight, so it keeps me FROM slouching.

I still sometimes get some glare problems from both of these scopes, but I think that may be the nature of looking closely at solder joints.

Jon

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Steve Thomas

#48681

Best scope to solder under.... | 27 March, 2007

I have never personally understood the attraction to Mantis, but to each his/her own. They make me seasick from shaking around, and the view area always seems to be rotating off axis for me. They work great if I stand on my head and close my right eye.

Best scopes I've used were Meijis, 7x-40x I think, but only for inspection. I much prefer eyepiece jobs with side curtains to viewers like the mantis.

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