Bob,
Do you have any S&H Greenstamps laying around?

James,
I use a standard Hakko 900 series soldering iron, but I use a variety of different tips with it, depending on the job that I'm doing. I can't speak to the cataract surgery, but I find that using the microscope gives me the best 3D ability, instead of using a flat screen. I just can't work that way, I've tried. It's near impossible...for me....to figure out where the tip of the iron is.

By the way, I only use the iron to put stuff on with, I use hot air to remove it. You have to be careful with that, too, or you'll burn right through the PCB. Where I used to work, we had a fancy Pace rework station, with all sorts of tips for all sorts of different kinds of chip packages, and the computer and stuff like that, and it was great for getting stuff off, but not so great for putting fine pitch DSPs back on. Had to do that by hand with an iron.

Gary

I'm blessed watching God do what He does best. I've had a few rough years, and I'm still not back to where I want to be, but I'm on the way and things are looking far better now than what they were!