diode leads

[teleharmonic]

Hello,

I am having trouble stuffing the diodes that came with my kit into the holes in the pcb as the diode leads are quite a heavy gauge.

Any tips on getting these suckers stuffed in there (other than pull real hard)?.

cheers,
greg

[KevinL]

I think the PCB needs a little rework. The spacing is a little short and the holes need to be widened but I'm sure they have a pretty good stock of them to get through first.
Anyway, don't pull too hard or you'll break it. Diodes are pretty fragile. Just use a pair of needle nose plyers and work both leads in and pull slowly until you get the diode all the way down. Do a little of each leg and keep it pretty even along the way.

[teleharmonic]

thanks kevin.

i'm not really inclined to pull too hard on anything in the kit... which is why i was wondering what others were doing.

i considered lightly sanding the leads to narrow them down a bit... i assume that would have no affect on the circuit. just didn't know if there was a trick i was missing.

cheers,
greg

[tpryan]

You're doing something wrong. If you prep the leads with a bit of care, the diodes fit just fine. Don't bend the leads sharply at the body of the diode, allow them to make a gradual bend. Don't sand the leads, you'll remove the plating and make them next to impossible to solder.

[teleharmonic]

Tim,

I appreciate you replying. I have just spent the better part of an hour and have been able to stuff 4 diodes (it only took me about 20 minutes to stuff all the resistors and that included measuring the values). I am simply suggesting that the holes need to be larger... either that or i have an errant batch of diodes.

I am not sure how i am going to be able to get all of them in as a couple of the lead got completely stuck and i had to (carefully) pull them back out. Without reaming the holes a little larger i am not sure how i am going to get it done as the leads are so soft they don't give me much to push with.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

g.

[KevinL]

I still think the spacing is a little short and the holes a little small but not a big deal. It does make for a sharp bend at the body of the diode. At least on the pres that I built.
The diodes were the only components on the 6 pres that I built that didn't fit easily.


One thing you can do if you do it right is to cut the leads to length and get them to just stick into the holes as much as possible and then solder them. As long as they are soldered well through the hole the contact will be fine and it will be secure.

BTW I love all these preamps.

[teleharmonic]

Everything else is great... it's just the diode holes... i am not sure if my board or diodes are different from some reason and i will try your suggestion of cutting the leads back (on one at least, as an experiment).

Some of the holes have not given me too much of a problem but others are not even allowing me to get the lead IN.

I agree that it would be nice if the spacing was a little wider, the same as the resistors would work.

[tpryan]

I just tried several random diodes on three separate boards. Not only are the holes not too small, if the leads are bent correctly the diodes drop right in. Clearly, something is wrong somewhere. What revision are your PCBs?

[teleharmonic]

Rev 3.1

... i think. i am at work but can confirm later. pretty sure though. I know it is x.1 of some number.

i tried just putting the leads in straight in (meaning that i did not bend the leads at all... just to see if i could get them in.)... in a couple of instances they just wouldn't go in.

g.

[tpryan]

I just checked a number of rev 3.3 boards, and the holes are definitely smaller than they ought to be. Some things to try:

* Heat the pad with clean solder wick before installing the diode. This may suck up enough of the plating to make a difference

* Buff the diode leads with a plastic scouring pad. Don't use steel wool, and don't use anything impregnated with soap. Don't scour off the plating, just get the leads smooth and shiny.

* Drill the hole with a #60 drill (available from Mouser for about $1). If you resort to this, you'll have to solder the lead on the top and bottom of the board.

[bradb]

i just filed down the TIPS of the diode leads, got 'em in and then gently pulled them thru. once they clear the holes its not a problem and the filed down area is clipped off. no harm done!

[mozart]

Another tip; Cut the leads shorter, them you'll have less to fit in the holes. I just assembled two today, and they are definitely hard to fit, but cutting the leads and even one shorter one longer, helps.

[jwschaff]

I also found that by snipping an angle cut on the bottom of each lead, I was able to feed them through far enough to grab them gently with a needle nose and tug them through

[owen.curtin]

1. Sharpen tips to a point. (I used snips)
2. Test each lead in the correct hole.
3. Bend leads to fit.
4. Solder where the plating has not scraped off.

Peace,
O