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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Cooking chips....

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vasi

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Joined: 23/03/2007
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Posted: 01:18pm 25 Mar 2014
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The Bake levels.

MSL levels

JEDEC indicators for Microchip microcontrollers.

You just need a good owen, with constant, controlled temperature. We had an electric one in our laboratory (in petroleum area of activity) where we prepared our probes, but also warming our food . It had a thermostat with mercury. Very old. An old colleague used it to bake some electronic components for a better stability.

A colleague forgot the food inside the owen and the entire building was filled with a delicious smell of Chicken steak fries and everyone got hungry instantly - half the day was ruined.Edited by vasi 2014-03-26
Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton
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WhiteWizzard
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Posted: 01:32pm 25 Mar 2014
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Thanks vasi for the links - an interesting read & very useful information.

I have certainly learnt something new today. However, after all that I have decided to continue using FTDIs for now until I experience the so called 'Popcorn Cracking'

Thanks all for your responses




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Grogster

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Posted: 01:42pm 25 Mar 2014
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Very interesting thread for me too.

  WW said  So am I right in my understanding that baking chips only dries out the plastic in preparation for high temps as used in reflow? Or put another way, baking does NOT seal the plastic package once and for all?


Yes, that is my understanding. The theory(as I see it), is that reflow oven soldering can vaporise the water particles in the plastic because of the sudden heat, which then pressurize the IC package internally, and crack it. I am pretty sure that another member here wrote essentially that - would need to look back on the posts.

Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops!
 
vasi

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Posted: 01:43pm 25 Mar 2014
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BTW, just saw that PIC18F14K50 which is MCP2200, is marked JEDEC e3 which is the same as MSL 3.
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WhiteWizzard
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Posted: 01:49pm 25 Mar 2014
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TZAdvantage better get baking his MCP2200's then


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vasi

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Posted: 02:27pm 25 Mar 2014
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If baking is required, then the product become expensive because of the electric bill. Hobbyists are using sockets for dip packages and I guess this minimise the accidents at minimum in areas with high humidity. But I guess the accidents are extremely rare even for TQFP packages.
Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton
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paceman
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Joined: 07/10/2011
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Posted: 04:51pm 25 Mar 2014
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  vasi said   The Bake levels.

MSL levels

JEDEC indicators for Microchip microcontrollers.

You just need a good owen, with constant, controlled temperature. We had an electric one in our laboratory (in petroleum area of activity) where we prepared our probes, but also warming our food . It had a thermostat with mercury. Very old. An old colleague used it to bake some electronic components for a better stability.

A colleague forgot the food inside the owen and the entire building was filled with a delicious smell of Chicken steak fries and everyone got hungry instantly - half the day was ruined.

Wow, those soak times are pretty long Vasi.

The other approach that people could use is to put the components into a standard lab/hospital dessicator bowl as soon as a sealed package is opened. If they've already been exposed (and they're the sensitive type ) they'll probably need the 'oven soak'. Buy a kilo or so of indicating silica-gel (dead cheap - dry when blue, starts to go pink when it needs re-charging). Put 500g or so of it in a glass or metal tray in the bottom of the dessicator - it comes in granules about 4-5mm size. You're good then for at least a month if the lid's not left off for hours. Opening it up, even several times a day wouldn't make a lot of difference as long as the lid is put straight back on - otherwise you're trying to dry the whole room!

For those who haven't seen them, desiccators are heavy round glass bowls with a wide ground-glass seal between the lid and body - it's all glass. They're typically about 300mm dia. x 350mm high, but come in all sizes. The seal is made with a smear of silicone grease on the ground part and the seal is so good that the lid needs some force to be slid off. You can stack trays inside it. I haven't bought them for a long time but they're pretty cheap.

The silica gel needs re-charging before using it in the desiccator and that's done by heating it a bit above 100oC overnight in an oven - labs have their ovens set at 105oC but as long as it's over 100oC it's not critical. The idea is to keep the silica-gel you're not using in an air-tight container, then put it into the oven overnight before you change the charge in your desiccator once a month or so. The used stuff should also be dried after taking it out before re-bottling it because if you don't, it severely cuts back the number of re-charges it'll take.

Typically silica-gel should last a couple of years. You'll know when it's no longer any good because it'll start to go yellow/clear-ish and not return to blue.

Greg


Edited by paceman 2014-03-27
 
MicroBlocks

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Posted: 06:58pm 25 Mar 2014
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  vasi said   BTW, just saw that PIC18F14K50 which is MCP2200, is marked JEDEC e3 which is the same as MSL 3.


This is incorrect.

The e3 indicator is used to indicated which materials are used. It is a "Lead free" indicator not a Moisture Sensitivity Level.

e1 - SnAgCu
e2 - Other Sn alloyes - no Bi or Zn
e3 - Sn
e4 - Pre-plated (i.e. Ag, Au, NiPd, NiPdAu)
e5 - SnZn, SnZnX (no Bi)
e6 - Contains Bi
e0,e7,e8,e9 are still unassigned

These are the Moisture Sensitivity Levels (MSL).
Microchip does not have a 'list' as far as i know.

[code]
1 Unlimited ≤30°C/85%RH
2a 4 weeks ≤30°C/60%RH
3 168 hours ≤30°C/60%RH
4 72 hours ≤30°C/60%RH
5 48 hours ≤30°C/60%RH
5a 24 hours ≤30°C/60%RH
6 Time on Label (TOL) ≤30°C/60%RH
[/code]

As you can see when having stock you need to go through great lengths especially in Thailand where temperatures are often above 30 and humidity above 85% (about 1-2 months per year Thailand is below those figures). Even the MSL 1's can be susceptible to it.
Storing components is a challenge. Moisture removal, temperature etc.
Sensitive components go into a "fridge" and stay in the manufacturers packaging as long as possible also the solder paste which does not like warmth and moisture either.
Baking is not too difficult when you have a reasonable temperature control.

I have talked to Microchip directly about these levels for specific chips and they insured me that the chips with MSL-1 do not have to be baked (Thailand conditions). Even after a few years. If that is true or not that is hard to make sure. Experience tells me it is true.


Edited by TZAdvantage 2014-03-27
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vasi

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Posted: 12:14am 26 Mar 2014
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Yes, my bad, that was incorrect.
Hobbit name: Togo Toadfoot of Frogmorton
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