Outfitting a Classroom for IPC-7711/7721 Training and Certification

Putting together everything that is required for an effective training course can sometimes be a daunting task. This is especially true when the course is a practical or hands-on training like IPC’s IPC-7711/7721 training course. IPC has published a list of items necessary for the class.

For purposes of the lecture, it will be necessary to have a large screen or other projection devices. The IPC training program for the 7711/21 has many PowerPoint slides and videos for use in the training process.

The classroom will also need seating for the students and tables on which they can have their 7711/21 document along with any implements for taking notes.

For live demonstrations of the procedures, it is best to have a trinocular scope. The stereo eyepieces are used for the instructor to see the items being worked while the third point has a camera attached. The image is then projected to the screen for the students to view. Without some form of projection, it will be impossible for the students to see what is happening under the scope. Verbal communication describing the process is necessary, but by itself, the spoken directions are not enough for the student to really understand the processes.

The root of hand soldering procedures is the solder station or Soldering Iron. Any brand of soldering station may be used as long as it has the necessary features. A soldering system for the 7711/21 class must have a temperature control feature. Temperature control can be achieved through the use of preset temperatures that allow an operator to switch between two or more settings that have been determined useful for the process. Temperature control can also be done with a variable setting. A well-trained operator should be able to evaluate the situation and decide if the soldering iron temperature will need to deviate from the basic setting of about 650 degrees F. Some models of solder stations use an analog device or knob to adjust the temperature setting. Others make use of buttons to increase or decrease the temperature setting. Still, others make use of cartridges that reach a set temperature and maintain that setting through the use of sensors in the tip. To change the temperature, the operator need only swap out, for example, a 600-degree tip for the same size and shape tip that will reach 700 degrees.

A word of caution. It is not recommended to use a simple soldering iron that just plugs directly into the wall. These inexpensive irons do not have temperature control and simply heat to the iron’s maximum temperature. Assemblies can be easily damaged with an out of control temperature.

When the soldering station has been selected, a variety of soldering iron tip shapes and sizes will be needed. Proper tip selection is done by comparing the size of the tip and the thermal capacity of the tip to that of the object(s) being soldered. Tip shapes for component installation may include conical-shaped tips, bent conical, small, medium, and large chisel-shaped tips, single-sided chisel tips (sometimes referred to as hoof or mini-wave tips), blade tips, and more.

For component removal, you will need tips that are designed to a specific size and shape for particular components. These may include bifurcated tips, square/box-shaped tips, larger wide-blade single-sided chisel tips, and others. For through-hole desoldering, it will be necessary to have a vacuum-driven tip which fits over the through-hole component lead and applies a vacuum to the connection after the solder has reflowed all the way through the board. The vacuum source could be either a vacuum pump within the solder station or a venturi system which is attached to a compressed air source.

The use of spring-loaded, "solder suckers" was common and generally accepted until the advent of the vacuum-driven solder removal tips. The spring-loaded devices are more difficult to control and will not always remove the full volume of solder from the connection. Incomplete removal of solder can lead to damage of the lead or through-hole barrel where the solder remains connected.

A hot air or hot gas system will also be needed. These systems use heated air or other gas-directed over the solder joints to reflow all solder connections at the same time. Then tweezers, pliers, or suction pen devices can be used to remove the surface mount components. Hot gas systems can also be used in conjunction with solder paste to install a component onto the cleaned circuit board lands.

For easy removal of chip components or IC surface mount components, a heated tweeze system can be used. These systems consist of a temperature-controlled handpiece into which a variety of sizes and shapes of heated tips can be installed. Tips change in size from micro-tips for the removal of 01005 chip components all the way us to square-shaped tips which, when used together, form the full square for removing large QFP devices.

When installing axial through-hole components it will likely be necessary to form the leads to their final configuration before the component is inserted into the board. Lead forming can be achieved using smooth-jaw, needle-nose pliers or with a lead forming tool (sometimes called a "Christmas tree"). In any case, the tool used to form the leads should not damage the lead in the process of forming the lead.

Another critical item is lighting. The recommended lighting level at the work surface is 1000 lux. But whatever the illumination value it is best to select a lighting source that will surround the item being worked so there will be no shadows on the piece. Ring lights that incorporate a magnification lens can be particularly helpful. When the components get smaller, the magnification needs to increase. For the small, chip components a microscope with an attached ring light is best. The magnification level necessary is based on the size of the device being worked or inspected. Take a look at J-STD-001 for the magnification levels to be used in the assembly process and the IPC-A-610 for the levels to use while inspecting the assemblies.

If the assembly will involve wires, wire strippers will be necessary. Once again, the style and brand of wire stripper used is a company or personal choice. Common wire strippers are those that are pliers with sharpened indentations along the blade. These indentations are sized to match the wire gauge. Another style has a compound mechanism that grips the wire on one jaw which the opposite jaw has the sized and sharpened indentations to separate the insulation. It’s also acceptable to use thermal wire strippers of several styles. Whether the selection is made of a tweezer-style device or a, "V" shamed heated blade is a personal choice.

For trimming leads or cutting wires, a wire cutter or diagonal cutter will be needed. The proper selection of the tool is also based on the sizes of items that will be cut.

To aid in lead formation or component manipulation a wooden or plastic stick known as a "spudger" should be made available. The spudger can also be used when applying epoxy to a circuit board repair.

Other tools for circuit board repair use include a knife set with a precision blade and dental picks should be available. The knife is used for scraping away damaged board material or severing circuit paths where necessary. The dental picks aid in precision removal of debris from a repair site and can be used in the application of epoxy for the repair of the circuit board.

The recommended epoxy is a two-part epoxy with a working life sufficient to allow the repair to be completed before the epoxy sets. If the epoxy requires, a UV light source or small curing oven will be needed.

Most of the items mentioned will be needed in a quantity of one per operator except for the curing oven or UV light source.

Other shared assets necessary are Pin gauges (to determine the diameter of a hole and the selection of the proper eyelet for a through-hole repair), eyelet setting tools, solder paste dispensers, mini- or micro-drills, calipers, and solder paste dispensers for use when installing components with solder paste.

Many consumables will be used during the 7711/21 class. Blades for the knife, various size ball mills for the mini-drill, eyelets of varying sizes, brushes for cleaning, and of course, solder (in the form of solder wire and paste) will be needed.

What follows is the full list of items as published by IPC. This list is included in the training materials for all those individuals that successfully complete the IPC Certification exam and practical test for the IPC-7711/7721 program.

Individual assets:

Soldering system with the following handpieces (maybe one system or

individual):

Soldering Iron, Desoldering, Vacuum, Hot Air, and Tweezer

Light duty Lamp

Hi-Intensity Quartz Halogen Lamps (single illuminator)

Lead bending/forming tool(s)Christmas tree, 1/8w, 1/4w & 1/2w)

Circuit cardholder/vise

Mechanical wire strippers

Straight Tweezers (4")

45-degree tweezers (4")

Diagonal cutters (4")

Round nose cutters (4")

Chain nose pliers (4", smooth jaw)

Spudger (soldering aid, flat-sided)

Knife set for cutting traces and scraping

Epoxy Mixing Pallet

Microscope

Dental picks

Shared assets (two or more students share these assets):

Pin Gauges

Eyelet Setting Tool/Jewelers Anvil

Paste dispensers

Mini-Solder pot

Mini-Drill/Micro-Drill

Caliper

Oven

Consumables

1/16" Chisel tip

1/32" Chisel tip

1206 Chip removal tip for iron

Tweezer tip for 0805 chip

Hot air pencil tip small single jet

Desoldering tips for desoldering using continuous and individual methods

SOT removal tip for iron

SOT dual jet tip for hot air pencil

Hot air pencil flat end tip

SOIC14 removal tip for iron

Large and small cup-shaped surface mount installation tip for iron

.4" and.5’ blade tips for tweezer handpiece

LQFP 44 tip for iron

TQFP 100 removal tip for vacuum handpiece

TQFP 100 removal tip for tweezer handpiece

PLCC28 removal tips for tweezer handpiece

Knife blade tip for iron 1/64" straight or bent conical tip for iron

Heat Shrink

Wicking material (small, medium, large)

Epoxy

Various Ball mills

Eyelets

Adhesive for tacking jumper wires

Jumper wire

Dry film adhesive conductor repair kits

Tape

Coloring agent

Wood sticks

Sandpaper 400 & 600 grit

Acid brushes

Paste dispensing needles, pink.023, Purple.020, Blue.016

Flux

Flux pens

Solder.010,.020, and large gauge for tinning and bridge filling

Solder Paste

Cleaner

Wipes

Various filters, tip cleaners, for maintaining handpieces and stations

Vacuum cups

Conformal coating

Hey, I am Betty Hunt working as course counselor and trainer at Best Inc. You can find more about IPC Certification and its benefits here. If you want experts help, feel free to call us at 847.797.9250 or send an e-mail to info@solder.net.