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SSOP-16 to DIP Adapter Hookup Guide
Introduction
The SparkFun 16-Pin SSOP to DIP Adapter is a small PCB that lets you
adapt 14 and 16-pin SSOP packages to a DIP footprint. These are useful
for modding and upgrading devices that use 16-pin DIP ICs, when the
upgraded IC is only available in a SSOP footprint. You can also use it for
prototyping, to make SSOP packages compatible with solderless
breadboards.
SparkFun SSOP to DIP Adapter - 16-Pin
BOB - 13994
The updated version of this adapter comes as a dual array of PCBs – if
you’re adapting one chip, you’re likely to adapt more than one. The PCBs
easily snap apart, resulting in two individual boards.
The SSOP-16 land pattern on the board has also been improved from its
predecessor. First, the SSOP and DIP pin numbering matches – both
packages count counterclockwise from their respective pin 1. The board
also fits in a standard 0.3" wide DIP footprint. The pads are very long, to
accomodate 3.9mm, 4.4mm and 5.3mm package widths. They are on
0.635mm centers, but, with careful installation, an IC with 0.65mm leads will
also fit. The board is contained entirely within the DIP outline, for situations
with no extra clearance around the IC. Finally, if you leave two pads
disconnected, SSOP-14 packages also fit.
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Old Vs New
Suggested Reading
Check out any of the links below, if you are unfamiliar with a given topic.
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PCB Basics
Integrated Circuits (ICs)
SMD Footprint Creation Tutorial
How To Use A Breadboard
SMD Soldering
Assembly
Assembling the adapter is fairly straightforward, but there are a couple of
tricks that make it easier.
Materials
To build up an adapter, you’ll need the following pieces.
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An SSOP-16 integrated circuit to adapt.
The 16-pin SSOP to DIP adapter board.
Some break away male headers or flip pins.
Some solder, either leaded or lead-free.
Solder flux, either liquid, or in a pen-type applicator.
Solder wick, to help clean up excess solder.
Tools
The following tools are also recommended.
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A soldering iron with a fine-point tip.
A magnifying glass or loupe.
Cross-lock tweezers.
A solderless breadboard, to use as an assembly jig.
Building An Adapter
Snap Boards Apart
The array of boards was scored when it was manufactured. If you bend
along the scores, the boards snap apart easily.
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Snap Apart
Prepare To Solder
It’s easiest to solder the IC in place before you mount the headers, so you
don’t have to work around the protruding pins.
If this is your first time soldering surface mount ICs, patience and a steady
hand are the key to good solder joints.
• Neatness Counts – you want to put on enough solder to join the legs
to the pads, but not so much that adjacent legs are accidentally
bridged.
• Work Quickly – if you leave the hot soldering iron on the board too
long, you risk burning the traces and pads off the board. You want
the iron at a temperature where the solder flows almost immediately
when you apply it to the iron. Somewhat counter-intuitively, a hotter
iron can be less damaging than a cooler one – having the iron at a
hotter temperature allows you to work more quickly, reducing the
potential for damage.
Solder IC In Place
To install the IC, we’ll be using a technique known as “drag soldering.” In
drag soldering, we drag a blob of solder across the IC pins, depositing
some on each as it goes by. If there’s too much solder after dragging, we’ll
remove it with wick.
Before we show you how to drag solder, we want to emphasize the
need for flux before starting, and the likelihood that you'll need some
solder wick to clean up excess solder.
First, apply flux to the PCB. Flux cleans off the thin layer of oxidation the
forms on the pads and allows molten solder to flow onto them.
Applying Flux.
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Pin 1 of the IC is usually marked with a small dimple or notch in the IC
body. Line these marks up with the corresponding marks in the PCB
silkscreen. The silkscreen actually has three marks: a notch at one end of
the IC, a dot within the IC outline, and a dot just outside the IC (which
remains visible once the IC is soldered down).
To get started, flow a tiny bit of solder onto pads on opposite corners of the
SSOP footprint.
Solder on opposing corners.
Grab the IC with the tweezers, and orient it over the footprint. Reheat one
of the solder blobs from the previous step so the IC lead adheres to it. The
solder should flow onto the IC legs, tacking the part in place. Press the IC
down flat before the solder cools.
Then repeat this on the opposite leg, to hold the IC in place for the rest of
the soldering operation.
Corners tacked in place.
When it’s in place, doublecheck that the rest of the pins are reasonably
aligned with their pads. If the placement needs adjustment, reheat one
corner, and move the IC.
If you’re careful and have a dainty soldering iron, you can proceed around
the chip, soldering down each lead individually.
Of course, we’re not especially dainty. The tip of our iron is gigantic
compared to the lead pitch of an SSOP, so we’re going to use a different
technique, known as
drag soldering.
To start drag soldering, heat a pin with the iron, then flow a blob of solder
onto it. Once the solder flows, use the iron to drag the blob across the
remaining leads.
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Drag Soldering.
As you drag the blob, it will adhere each pin to the corresponding pad.
When you reach the end of the line of pins, there might be some blob
remaining, and there will probably be some excess solder bridging adjacent
pins.
Excess between leads.
Use the solder wick to clean these up.
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Repeat the process down the other side of the IC.
When you’re done, take a moment to inspect your work. Check that each
lead has a solder fillet to the pad underneath and that leads aren’t shorted
to their neighbors. It gets harder to touch things up once the pins have been
soldered on.
Solder In Header Pins
With the IC in place, now you can solder on the pins. We’ll demonstrate
using both plain break-sway headers and flip pins. Flip-pins are special pins
that are the size and shape of regular DIP-IC legs. They fit in breadboards
and IC sockets better than plain square-pin headers.
Regular Headers
Soldering in regular headers is easier if you have a jig that can hold the
pins while you solder. It turns out that a solderless breadboard has a bunch
of holes with the proper alignment!
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