Frighteningly small parts
Hey guys,
I just received a Titanium PowerBook this morning, and while
installing an Airport card (internally) I took a look at the logic
boards. It reminded me of a very large version of the innards of a
Handspring Visor. I recognized very few parts. Granted, I'm not a
hardware guru, but I have no idea what some of that is! If one is
trying to build a piece of hardware with parts that small, how do you
prototype it? Can you buy resistors/capacitors/etc., off the shelf
that are of the 'wicked small' variety? And if so, where?
I didn't even see an IC that looked 'normal sized'. How can companies
do this? I'm looking at one of the devices I'm building for a client
and realizing it's thicker and has a shorter battery life than the
Titanium PowerBook.
-Chilton (feeling quite a bit smaller right now)
I just received a Titanium PowerBook this morning, and while
installing an Airport card (internally) I took a look at the logic
boards. It reminded me of a very large version of the innards of a
Handspring Visor. I recognized very few parts. Granted, I'm not a
hardware guru, but I have no idea what some of that is! If one is
trying to build a piece of hardware with parts that small, how do you
prototype it? Can you buy resistors/capacitors/etc., off the shelf
that are of the 'wicked small' variety? And if so, where?
I didn't even see an IC that looked 'normal sized'. How can companies
do this? I'm looking at one of the devices I'm building for a client
and realizing it's thicker and has a shorter battery life than the
Titanium PowerBook.
-Chilton (feeling quite a bit smaller right now)
Comments
using automatic insertion equipment and flow soldering machines. Typically a
person loads the boards into carriers, and loads strips of components into
machines, and the machine grabs a board, places the parts, then sends them
on to a flow solder machine where all of the joints are soldered at once. At
the other end a person tests the boards. Pretty cool stuff.
Original Message
> I just received a Titanium PowerBook this morning, and while
> installing an Airport card (internally) I took a look at the logic
> boards. It reminded me of a very large version of the innards of a
> Handspring Visor. I recognized very few parts. Granted, I'm not a
> hardware guru, but I have no idea what some of that is! If one is
> trying to build a piece of hardware with parts that small, how do you
> prototype it? Can you buy resistors/capacitors/etc., off the shelf
> that are of the 'wicked small' variety? And if so, where?
>
> I didn't even see an IC that looked 'normal sized'. How can companies
> do this? I'm looking at one of the devices I'm building for a client
> and realizing it's thicker and has a shorter battery life than the
> Titanium PowerBook.
For better or worse, I attend and help in my company's exhibit booth at
trade shows that include hearing aid companies. I like to make the exhibit
rounds, because they include specialty component suppliers that make the
'wicked small' parts used in the newer digital in-the-ear hearing aids.
Much of it is thick film hybrid technology: flip chip, chip on chip, chip on
flex board. Hack into an old hearing aid sometime, and you will be amazed.
The latest and greatest is the "all digital" hearing aid -- about $3k per
ear, and about $300M-600M per year for the major manufacturers. They can
afford the specialized manufacturing processes at those figures.
Dennis O'Leary
WSR Inc
Pasadena CA
Original Message
From: chilton@t... [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=8jdlSXQRTRfwLxGFsU2_y-Kc-bkYsoTlv-_-uSh2sKRRkWy3y7kLv08A1YBdUDPfoBboeajQ4auf]chilton@t...[/url
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 2:00 PM
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Frighteningly small parts
Hey guys,
I just received a Titanium PowerBook this morning, and while
installing an Airport card (internally) I took a look at the logic
boards. It reminded me of a very large version of the innards of a
Handspring Visor. I recognized very few parts. Granted, I'm not a
hardware guru, but I have no idea what some of that is! If one is
trying to build a piece of hardware with parts that small, how do you
prototype it? Can you buy resistors/capacitors/etc., off the shelf
that are of the 'wicked small' variety? And if so, where?
I didn't even see an IC that looked 'normal sized'. How can companies
do this? I'm looking at one of the devices I'm building for a client
and realizing it's thicker and has a shorter battery life than the
Titanium PowerBook.
-Chilton (feeling quite a bit smaller right now)
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On Wed, 14 Mar 2001, Rodent wrote:
> These things are prototyped by hand, but for production they are assembled
> using automatic insertion equipment and flow soldering machines. Typically a
> person loads the boards into carriers, and loads strips of components into
> machines, and the machine grabs a board, places the parts,
...using a cartesian robot arm, which can move at very high speeds. A few
years ago I attended a demonstration for a new machine said to be the
fastest and most accurate. The operator was boasting (like a good
salesman) about how rarely this model malfunctions.
I glanced in the chamber window, and saw about fifty of these
small components on each of four boards, randomly bouncing high into
the air like popcorn every time a new component placement was attempted.
The machine was wildly malfunctioning, and there was no error
message whatsoever.
So, even with a machine it may be difficult[noparse]:)[/noparse]
Just a humorous story, although I'm sure the salesman would
disagree. Maybe with a stamp it would work.
Paul
pick and place machine specifically for small components. Cost was about
$35K. The one they already had for large surface mount components wouldn't
handle the small stuff.
Dennis O'Leary
Original Message
From: Paul J. Csonka [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=hqe4UtlfXoPgDtnabW8YYHLh4XBl9mVPCfxtLBdwkfoktoDMhQ_aVFr0ptuXuzmWzyLhF5ufMmU]csonka@e...[/url
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 4:36 PM
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Frighteningly small parts
Good afternoon,
On Wed, 14 Mar 2001, Rodent wrote:
> These things are prototyped by hand, but for production they are assembled
> using automatic insertion equipment and flow soldering machines. Typically
a
> person loads the boards into carriers, and loads strips of components into
> machines, and the machine grabs a board, places the parts,
...using a cartesian robot arm, which can move at very high speeds. A few
years ago I attended a demonstration for a new machine said to be the
fastest and most accurate. The operator was boasting (like a good
salesman) about how rarely this model malfunctions.
I glanced in the chamber window, and saw about fifty of these
small components on each of four boards, randomly bouncing high into
the air like popcorn every time a new component placement was attempted.
The machine was wildly malfunctioning, and there was no error
message whatsoever.
So, even with a machine it may be difficult[noparse]:)[/noparse]
Just a humorous story, although I'm sure the salesman would
disagree. Maybe with a stamp it would work.
Paul
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