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Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
Hi all,
I am currently working on a project where I am testing some embedded hardware. The on-board MCU is an MSP430 series, but there is also a UART and a shared EEPROM.
I need to read the EEPROM, and normally this wouldn't be a huge issue, but it is an 8 pin MSOP package. I do not have access to any hot air tools.
I tried to delicately solder some leads to the I2C pins, but while I could get them without shorts (after a lot of careful maneuvering), I could not get the wires' bond to be strong enough to work with practically.
I have some test clips for SOIC chips, but not any for MSOP. Do these exist?
Has anyone found a reliable way to debug something as small as an MSOP on board? At this point I am going to be shaving the lacquer off of some nearby traces and tapping into those, but I'm hoping I can learn of a better method for the long term. I intend to get some new reflow tools, but I am low on space for new instruments, and SMD gear of this size is not something I use that often myself.
Registered Member #72
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659
I could not get the wires' bond to be strong enough to work with practically.
What I normally do under those circumstances is to glue (hot melt is ideal) a scrap of PCB with a few solder lands or thru holes on it next to the IC under question, and solder the big wires onto the PCB lands. Then take some fine wires, I usually split some 7/0.1 hookup wire, and make links from the IC pins to the PCB lands.
I wouldn't solder to nearby traces, most are too small and will rip off easily.
Registered Member #65
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:43AM
Location:
Posts: 1155
For LF data lines, push-pins through hot-melt glue with micro jumper leads.
A low-end stereo microscope is a necessity in any SMD workshop. ...or you look for bus "test points", and hold the master mcu in clock reset until you are done.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
All great help!
We actually got some silicone molding supplies and are kinda using that similar to the hot glue you described, but a little more forgiving (in placement at least).
As or keeping the MCU in reset, I'm actually not even powering on the main MCU for the tie being. I'm just trying to access the EEPROM alone at the moment.
As for the microscope, I have some stereo eye loops that I use which work very well for SMD work (though not as nice as one of those scopes on my previous SMD workstation... how I miss the free lab access in school).
and as for the traces, some are fairly small but a lot of this device has some unusually large traces for the signal present. I think it's because it is meant to be an ultra-high availability/safe device with extremely strict interference and operational requirements. (Not something I expect to encounter often).
Registered Member #162
Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140
Ah, sorry. We use clips like that on a machine that we call PinPoint for testing ICs and pcbs, the smallest pitch that we use is 1.27mm (0.05") I'll try to check with our supplier if 0.65mm (and 0.5mm) pitch versions are available.
With such small pitch ICs it is common to see a test pad grid on the pcb for automatic machine probing (spring loaded pins)
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MSOP Reverse Engineering
