Through-Hole and SMD Components
Through-hole parts go through drilled holes; surface-mount parts sit on pads — sizes and soldering.
Through-hole (THT): easy to hand-solder and prototype, strong mechanical joints for connectors.
Surface-mount (SMD/SMT): smaller, cheaper to assemble by machine, better high-frequency performance. Passive sizes (imperial codes): 1206, 0805, 0603, 0402, 0201. Hand-soldering is comfortable down to 0805 / 0603 and SOIC; QFN and BGA need hot air or reflow.
Soldering basics: clean tip, heat the pad and lead together, feed solder to the joint (not the iron), use flux, and aim for a shiny concave fillet. Lead-free solder needs a higher temperature (~350 °C tip) than 63/37 tin-lead.
Spotted a mistake or want to add detail? Suggest an improvement — Content Contributors' edits are reviewed by editors before they go live.
Discussion (0)
Sign in or join free to ask questions and discuss this topic.