SMD Soldering
ONLINE COURSE - Work at your own pace
Course Infomation




SMD Soldering
Learn to work with, recognize and solder the tiny components known as Surface Mount Devices (SMD)
Entry Level - No Prerequisite
$1100


NEW - "Work At Your Own Pace" program delivery In order to accommodate all students' schedules we're running the SMD Solder classes where students can log into the online website and go through the material on their own time. There will be no webex meetings however instructional staff is available for assistance. You'll still come to the facility to pick up your course kit so you will have time in person to go over all the course objectives and answer any questions.


NOTE - If you see specific class times and days in the registration system, these are just placeholders for scheduling and you are not required to meet at any specific time. You will have to finish the course in the allotted time though. Please email Damian if you have any questions.

SMD Soldering
Class Number 45809
March 3 - March 17


SMD Soldering
Class Number 40875
March 24 - April 7


SMD Soldering
Class Number 40876
April 14 - April 28


SMD Soldering
Class Number 40877
May 5 - May 19


SMD Soldering
Class Number 40878
May 26 - June 9


SMD Soldering
June 16 - 30









Course Overview
This is an introductory course on the modern, somewhat advanced soldering techniques. We wanted to deliver a course that would teach students to develop a proficiency that could help them get more out of our electronics and robotics course as well as providing a valuable career skill. Even though we get many technology oriented students in our classes, a great portion of them haven't spent much time developing a strong professional soldering technique. We're always happy to spent time in the various classes going over the basics, but we felt it would be best to carve out these elements and put them into their own dedicated course where we can take our time to solidly hone these skills. This will allow students to focus on the core concepts in the other courses and less time troubleshooting soldering mistakes.

The other important topic of class, as the name implies, is that we'll be working almost exclusively with surface mount components as opposed to "through hole" devices. These newer devices have the same function as the through hole type yet much smaller. This reduction of size is imperative for most of the electronics industry as it allows us to create products like smartphones that don't require a suitcase to transport.

Now not to dissuade anyone from registering for class, but if you look at any circuit board made in the past twenty years you'll see a lot of really tiny rectangles throughout the board and this is what we'll be learning to solder. However daunting this may seem, after spending some time learning the techniques most find it easier than the larger through hole components.

If you're looking at getting further into any electronics related industry having a strong, confident soldering ability is a necessity. When a typical mechatronic system can include motors, actuators, sensors, and microcontrollers (and the code you program into it) along with the PCB you've designed and components procured, you don't want to spend hours troubleshooting only to find out it was a bad solder joint.


Work at Your Own Pace - Online Course Information
This course has been needed by many people in order to get the skills and materials required to move on to any of our other electronic and robotic courses. Unfortunately though, many of these classes spread over different times of day haven't had enough students to run the class. So rather than try and schedule many classes throughout the day, we're setting one start and end date and students can do the work whenever they have time.

This won't quite be a traditional online "hands-off" program though. The instructor is still available for help and you can come by the training center whenever schedules align. You will also have to come by and pick up the class materials so there will be more time to talk in person about the program.

Class work will be on an online training site that will have written instructions, pictures and videos on how to complete the tasks. You will be expected to pass all online quizes and show your finished lab by the class end date in order to complete the course.

We hope this reasonable and it gets people what they need.




Class SMD Project Board


Topics:
  • Learn how soldering stations work
  • How to choose good equipment
  • What makes a good electronics lab
  • Types of soldering iron tips
  • Types of solder
  • What is flux and what is it for
  • Care and maintenance of your equipment
  • Cleaning a PCB
  • Testing the circuit
  • Identifying dangerous situations
  • Building safe habits
  • Identifying component types and markings
  • Learning to use a multimeter for basic troubleshooting
  • Handling of surface mount components
  • Where to buy components
  • How are PCBs designed and manufactured
  • Wiring PCBs
  • Introduction to microcontrollers and C++ programming






Mailing List Signup - Click to get notified of upcoming classes!



Class Dates and Times:


SMD Soldering
March 3 - March 17


SMD Soldering
March 24 - April 7


SMD Soldering
April 14 - April 28


SMD Soldering
May 5 - May 19


SMD Soldering
May 26 - June 9


SMD Soldering
June 16 - 30




Registration

You can register by phone between 9am and 4pm PDT
425-640-1840

Important - You will need a CTCLink ID number in order for us to help you over the phone or in person. You can follow the steps below to get one.

Fill out an application to Edmonds College:
Online Admissions Application

A few notes for your application:
Enroll as: "First Year"
Program: "Professional Technical"
Term: "_____" (Season plus year, such as: Spring 2023)
Degree or Certificate: "Undecided - Professional Technical"

Once you have received your CTC Link ID number please let us know and we can get you registered for your class.


Registering Online

Washington State colleges are now using CTCLink for all student services.
  • Follow the link below - login in or create an account
  • Go to "Student Homepage"
  • Choose "Manage Classes"
  • "Class Search and Enroll"
  • Choose Edmonds College and the quater (Control + F to search page)
  • Search for class name or number (Class Number will get you to where you want faster)
Online Registration Login Page - CTCLInk

NOTE - All our classes fall under "Special Topics: Manufacturing".



Contact Damian Cianci at dcianci@edmonds.edu if you have any questions.