A shout-out for a great service:

If you need full-custom electronics in your new tool, you know how hard
it is to find the ICs you need in DIP packages. Everything now comes in
"Small Outline" packages -- or smaller! I was getting pretty frustrated
trying to solder 0.8mm-pitch ICs, and don't have the setup to glue down
really small stuff (and don't even _talk_ about the .5mm TSOPs!). Not
even the toaster oven method is safe on all chips like hall-effect
sensors... fwiw.

Back in January, I found an outfit that makes "breakout boards" for every
conceivable "small outline" and "surface mount" packaged IC you can name,
adapting them to standard DIP outlines for prototyping. They have
hundreds of styles in stock, fitting tens of thousands of ICs. And
they're inexpensive


They not only sell the boards, but for a little more, they'll order your
parts from DigiKey, solder them on the boards, put pins on the board so
you can plug it into your protoboard, and ship it via any method you
want.

I ordered some boards populated with teensy little analog multiplexor
chips with leads so close they looked like hair, back in January... about
4pm on that day. The next morning, they shipped! They had gotten the
parts from DigiKey, installed them, and shipped the goods in about 14
hours!

It's a great way to work with those little chips that eventually will go
on your finished pcb without having to track down DIP versions (which
might not even exist!).

They are, www.proto-advantage.com -- they're Canadian, and I think they
ship pretty much everywhere.

In order to get your stuff installed, you first must locate your part
from DigiKey, and identify what "package outline" it uses. Then you go
on proto-advantage's site, and look up the breakout board for that
package and pin count. When you go to order the breakout board, you'll
get a chance to enter your DigiKey part number, and have THEM order and
install it for you. If you have any questions, they are quick and
helpful with email replies.

I was getting to the point where I could no longer solder those fine-
pitch ICs (Heck! I couldn't even SEE 'em anymore). Now I 'can'. G

Lloyd