removing smd components from tape reels

[Ralph Doncaster]

I've finally made the move to surface-mount components.  Soldering 0.8mm QFPs and 0805 components has turned out to be easier than I expected.  One thing I haven't mastered yet is removing the components from the tape reels without dropping them.  I've tried popping them out from both the front and back, as well as using tweezers.  Almost half the time they bounce onto the floor.  Anyone got a system that works most of the time?

[Colin O'Flynn]

I pull open the cover of the tape using tweezers (sometimes you end up ripping the tape in half down the centre which also works), and dump the parts onto my desk carefully. That way you can select how many parts you need at once. This works well with e.g. a qty-10 strip from Digikey. You can put the rest of the tape back in the plastic bag it came in. My suggestion is to only cut a tiny hole in the bag though… I normally rip a hole with tweezers only slightly larger than the tape width itself, then use tweezers to extract the tape. This way when you put it back the tape won’t fall out.

 

If it’s a huge tape (e.g. 50+ capacitors) cut off empty portions every so often.

 

Buy a good set of tweezers (non-magnetic!).

 

If this doesn’t make sense can make a quick video…

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[Ralph Doncaster]

Thanks.  I'll try your suggestion of cutting a length from the end of the tape with just the components I'm going to use.  For full or partial reels (yes, I've bought a full reel of 5000 smd resistors even though I'll never use them all), I prefer to keep the tape leader, and tape it back up after use so it doesn't unroll in my parts box.

Guess I'll have to get some soft plastic tweezers too.  Chip capacitors slip too easily on standard metal tweezers - I squeeze and pick one up and ping! it slips out and goes flying off somewhere in the room.

[Colin O'Flynn]

BTW for storage: I’ve been using small envelopes which fit almost perfectly in a 4x6 index card holder such as http://www.staples.ca/en/Staples-Card-File-4-inch-x-6-inch-Black/product_24625_2-CA_1_20001 . I don’t know the size of the envelopes but they are like half the size of a regular envelope…

 

But you can mark the top portion with whatever you want & quickly sort through them. See www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRz0OsoM0dg&t=4m09s though it only last a few seconds they are on the bottom on the screen.

 

This way you can easily have something like an envelope of just 0.1uF if you have lots, but then have another envelope that contains 1pF-1nF if you’ve just got a few random sizes in that range.

[Ralph Doncaster]

Until I watched your video I always cut off the end of my solder wick as I used it.  For some reason I never thought to just keep moving up the length...

[Colin O'Flynn]

Haha I end up with several feet worth of stiff solder wick that I eventually cut off… laziness really ;-)