gwdeveloper 275 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Any of you guys have one of these? http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-fet430u40a If so, what do you think of it? Experimenting with the Fraunchpad has me leaning towards getting one for better access to i/o and losing the accelerometer and thermistor. If only the FR5739 had internal opamps like the F2274, I don't think I'd really need another mcu. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bluehash 1,581 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I know somebody at my workplace who has worked with the MSP-FET430UIF? Is there something specific you need to know? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gwdeveloper 275 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 The Fet is going to soon be a required item for me. I'm more interested in the MSP-TS430RHA40A board. The kit I linked to includes the FR5739 but will the zif socket program other 40 pin devices? Also, TI's note: Higher temperature exposure to FRAM may impact the first initial memory read. Therefore during board soldering it is recommended to follow the current JEDEC J-STD-020 specification with peak reflow temperatures not higher than classified on the device label on the shipping boxes or reels. Programming of devices with user application code should only be performed post reflow soldering. Factory programmed information such as calibration values are designed to withstand the temperatures normally reached in the current JEDEC J-STD-020 specification. In general, hand soldering is not recommended. However, if hand soldering is required for application prototyping, peak temperature must not exceed 250 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeke 693 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 No, not specifically, but why should it be any different than soldering any other QFP device? This is what I do: 1. Plop the chip onto the footprint 2. Apply flux to footprint and chip pins 3. Align chip on footprint 4. Put a little solder on iron tip 5. Solder one corner pin 6. Solder opposing corner pin 7. Put a little more solder on iron tip 8. Apply more flux to chip if required 9. Solder one side of chip in a sweeping fashion (should take no more than half a second per pin). Don't worry about solder shorts right now. Don't apply heat for more than 2 seconds to any pin. 10. Solder opposite side of chip 11. Clean soldering iron tip of excess solder 12. Look for solder shorts 13. Reflow solder shorts by reheating and sweeping along the pins. Excess solder will distribute to iron and other pins if they want it. 14. Clean flux residue off with IPA or FluxOff 15. Done. The whole procedure will never apply heat for more than 2 or 3 seconds to any one pin. How does that sound? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gwdeveloper 275 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Sounds like I need to practice my soldering a bit more -injuries have left tendons and nerves in my wrists a little twitchy. I was considering building up a simple DIY reflow oven. Basically, once completed, my first few greenhouse controllers are going to be produced in my garage with only outsourcing the PCB manufacturing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeke 693 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 If you look like Popeye then you might want to massage your forearms a bit before you do any soldering. Get them all limber then they won't twitch on you. Normally. I always rest the side of my hand on the table top when I'm making critical part placements and when I'm soldering. It eliminates most of the muscle twitching. I also use a microscope since my eyes are going bad. Stupid old age crap. I like the idea of a toaster oven reflow unit. We could start a whole 'nother thread on that topic - PID temperature control, timer, oven temperature profiles, ventilation, solder paste masks, de-panelization, tools, etc. An SMT placement unit would also be wicked awesome but that's megabux and a learning curve. It never ends. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeke 693 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Any of you guys have one of these? http://www.ti.com/tool/msp-fet430u40a If so, what do you think of it? Experimenting with the Fraunchpad has me leaning towards getting one for better access to i/o and losing the accelerometer and thermistor. If only the FR5739 had internal opamps like the F2274, I don't think I'd really need another mcu. If you're deep into making your own pcb's then why not spin your own version of this board? I doubt very much that you reeeeealy need the ZIF socket on there and that's the only exotic thing on it. Besides, if you love this MCU so much then you know you're going to want more boards to experiment with. You could make a pile of boards with $149. I would be inclined to go that route myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gwdeveloper 275 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Now, that makes the most sense. You're right, I don't really need the zif socket. TI gives out the schematic and board files for it. I could just make a few minor changes to exclude the zif and a few of the nonessential jumpers then send it off for production. And yes, I'm a bit hooked on the FR5739 and F5529 mcus. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeke 693 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 The only problem now is getting your hands on some of those FR5739's! ETA from Arrow Electronics is December at the earliest. Where would you get them from? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gwdeveloper 275 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 That would be the earliest I could get this going anyhow. I've been searching all over for a few weeks but no distributor has had them. Seems there's a shortage on a lot of the Fx5xxx chips. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
salty9 0 Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I also use a microscope since my eyes are going bad. Stupid old age crap. Be thankful. Getting old is almost always better than the alternative. :roll: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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