Introducing the Freerunner Navigation Board

[Werner Almesberger]

Christoph Mair wrote:
> Soldering experience is definitively required. The QFN chips (gyros and 
> compass) are somewhat difficult to handle, but you can "reflow"-solder
> them in a pizza oven.

An approach I found quite efficient for occasional DIY of QFN parts
on home-made PCBs is to apply a generous amount of flux to the PCB's
pads, coat them all with a thin layer of solder, clean up with
alcohol, add flux again, place the component, then solder the
component's pads one by one while tipping a tiny amount of solder on
the traces leading to them. The solder under the pad will liquify
and help to make contact.

It's not perfect, so you still get all the joy of testing. But it
doesn't require anything but the most basic SMT-capable setup, i.e.,
a soldering iron with a fine tip, solder, flux, and a good
desoldering braid.

- Werner