Workshop - Surface Mount Device Information

The following image shows the footprints of some common surface mount parts that might be used during your project. Note that the SM parts do not have holes drilled through the board, but rather, have pads on top of the board. (You can put them on the bottom as well.) I have also shown some conventional, through-hole parts so you can get an idea of the size differences.

Resistors and capacitors commonly use 1206, 0805 and 0603 footprints. We prefer you to use the 1206 package during your project. (see Note:) Transistors, and sometimes diodes, generally use a SOT-23 footprint. Note that both a 16 pin and an 8 pin surface mount IC occupy the same space as a conventional through-hole 16 pin device.

Note:
With surface mount devices (SMT) we prefer that the 1206 footprint (ie: capacitors and resistors ) be used in most surface mount design layouts here at La Trobe. This is because the 1206 footprint is easier for the workshop to manufacture your pcb with the current pcb manufacturing processes we have in place. Also the 1206 footprint allows for easier construction of your project, as the devices are much easier to solder too and allows easier access for testing purposes. But if your design requires the need to incorporate smaller SMT devices we only stock in our workhop stores the devices that have the following 0805 and 0603 footprints, contact workshop for more details.

The main advantage of using Surface Mount parts is their small size, which means less board real-estate, and their no-hole mounting ability. This means you can utilise both sides of the board, and effectively double the number of parts you can fit in a given area. It also means you no longer have to sit in front of a drill for hours!

Here are some useful links relating to Surface Mount;

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