Lyle Johnson wrote:
All,
The Zephyrtronics BGA/CSP placement tools arrived here today. A couple of minor shortages were found and the supplier has promised to send the missing parts tomorrow.
We are now in a position to be able to place these packages in small qty for prototype and flight.
As someone who makes his living selling circuit boards, I don't understand this purchase. I mean, I'm all for the "let's do it all ourselves thing", but BGA placement equipment seems a bit over the top. Many of the chips this will be used to place will cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Isn't it wise to pay someone else to do the placement, someone who does it all day long and knows how to do it?
Besides, I wouldn't send out a single BGA-containing board to my TERRESTRIAL customers without having it X-Ray scanned first to check the connections. I certainly wouldn't send one into space without a scan. Are you planning on purchasing an XRay machine as well?
Matt