One of our long-time members, Wayne Getchell, is a veteran of the local high technology industry in Ottawa, having worked in semiconductor design for Nortel. He knows a thing or two about soldering electronic components onto circuit boards from legacy thru-hole components to current day surface mount devices (SMD).
This workshop took place over seven sessions starting in November 2025. Participants first learned what they needed to purchase in terms of tools and supplies and then we took a break to allow everyone to acquire what they needed.
Then we started with basic hand-tool skills by cutting and stripping wire and connecting two or three wires together in a variety of configurations, and then soldering those joints to get comfortable with how much heat is required for a good joint and inspecting the joint to ensure that it was properly formed.
Then we moved on to soldering and de-soldering thru-hole components onto circuit boards. In subsequent sessions, we learned how to carefully solder and de-solder surface mount components onto circuit boards. And finally, we each selected a simple kit to build, which was a combination of surface mount and thru-hole component technology. Most attendees built the kit successfully and on the rare occasion where there was a problem Wayne helped us troubleshoot these circuits to be sure they were working properly.
Everyone had a good time. We sure learned a lot. And we’re looking forward to the next session in the spring of 2026, where we will also learn how to solder cables and connecters as a precursor to building homebrew antennas.
Last Updated on 2026-05-02 by Joannadanna