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Sentinel Supergun - Prototype

Mitsurugi-w said:
I vastly prefer SMD when assembling. I also use solder paste and hot air though I did build a reflow oven that can do the job. When Apocalypse sends the multi gerbers to me I ask him to change all resistors and caps to SMD. I can assemble ten pcbs in the time it takes to assemble one with only through-hole.
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To use a heatgun or an oven to melt the solder paste I'm guessing the temps need to be at around 180°C

Presumably this is ok for the boards to take this heat for a period of time without warping? Is there any issues to look out for when blasting a hot air gun at a solder point to melt the solder?
 
The Spaniard said:
Is there any issues to look out for when blasting a hot air gun at a solder point to melt the solder?
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One thing I learned the hard way was to watch out that you don't blow away small resistors and such in the close proximity of where you are working on due to those heating up as well...
Luckily it was just some test/donor PCB from a GameCube, but I'm sure it doesn't work at all anymore :P
 
PascalP said:
One thing I learned the hard way was to watch out that you don't blow away small resistors and such in the close proximity of where you are working on due to those heating up as well...Luckily it was just some test/donor PCB from a GameCube, but I'm sure it doesn't work at all anymore :P
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Haha that's pretty funny. Was the fan speed set on hurricane? ;)
 
Yeah for small SMD stuff you need to turn the speed down to not blow the piece off the pcb. There is very little chance of the pcb warping if the room is temperature controlled. IE not trying to use a heat gun on a frozen pcb. If you are using an oven for new assembly there's no chance of warping as the oven heats evenly. Anyways modern pcbs are meant to be assembled using lots of heat and a pcb this small will not warp regardless.
 
Mitsurugi-w said:
When Apocalypse sends the multi gerbers to me I ask him to change all resistors and caps to SMD. I can assemble ten pcbs in the time it takes to assemble one with only through-hole.
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I'm the complete opposite, much faster with through hole than SMD! Tell me your secret! :)
 
xodaraP said:
@Mitsurugi-w should I have you as self assemble as well (you're already on the list)
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If it's a bit cheaper then that's fine. I'm in no hurry so assembled is ok too.
Frank_fjs said:
I'm the complete opposite, much faster with through hole than SMD! Tell me your secret!
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Batches. I lay out 10 or so pcbs. I then take my solder paste dispenser (air-powered by a compressor I keep under my bench) and place a dab or solder paste on each pad I'm going to populate on all pcbs. Then I do the components one value at a time. So for example on the System 24 rom pcb it has six 100nf caps. So I need 60 total for all 10 pcbs so I make a pile of the caps on a white piece of paper (visual aid-they stand out against the white) and I place all of the caps on all pcbs. Then I move to the next component and place all of that one on all pcbs. Once all components are set I get the reflow gun heated up and heat each component until it forms a nice joint. Doing it this way you can also auto correct any errors that may occur.

For example while the solder paste is heating up it gets agitated which can cause one side of smaller components to not grab the pad and it tends to stand up on end. You can fix this with tweezers as you go. This happens often with components right next to each other also where they may attach to each other instead of the pads. If you use an oven you are fixing all errors after the pcbs have cooled down by reheating the affected area and fixing it with tweezers. Just an extra step you can avoid.

If you are only doing like one pcb then the time difference is not as much, though SMD assembly is much cleaner looking. And none of that damn lead clipping. ;)
 
Apologies @Frank_fjs and @xodaraP - please take me off the Sentinel Supergun preorder list for now. I just barely acquired a used HAS that'll have my needs covered for the time being.

I'm still excited to see the Sentinel release though - more options are always welcome!
 
The HAS is the only supergun I know of that's doing things right, so glad that's what you ended up with.
 
Frank_fjs said:
The HAS is the only supergun I know of that's doing things right, so glad that's what you ended up with.
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It indeed is the best supergun on the market right now, and not to take anything away from HAS and RGB, quite expensive.
I guess partly due to parts cost and what not but I also feel like € to $ AUD is crap.
 
The AUD to everything is generally pretty bad.

We're an export nation so it's preferred it stays that way.
 
arcadeprojectsrocks said:
plasia said:
arcadeprojectsrocks said:
plasia said:
arcadeprojectsrocks said:
Is there a better option between the Sentinel and an LCD monitor than the OSSC? I don't mind spending more if it's better. I'm playing many different types of arcade PCBs so compatibility is a concern.
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There is no better option than the OSSC. It'll look awesome when paired with the RGB out from the Sentinel :)
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Compatibility is my main concern here. Somebody was saying the OSSC is pretty picky and I know arcade PCBs get pretty weird.
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OSSC is not picky, it's TVs/monitors that are picky and don't like weird refresh rates.
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The result is the same. I get that the OSSC's hands-off approach in this regard means ~0 lag but that doesn't do much good if you can't get a display.
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What game is giving you problems? IFM had many different boards come in and none were an issue with the OSSC. CGA, EGA, VGA.... It doesn't matter we got it to work.
 
My OSSC fried so another is on the way. I'll be testing everything I have with it once I get it so will be able to report back then.
 
I love Jochen, Mak-Strike creator, and have one of his superguns but must be honest and say that it fails in the three most important areas:

- Power
- Video
- Audio

It's totally not safe and I refuse to use mine. I can't even sell it as I wouldn't want to contribute to the damage of another person's gear.
 
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