Electronic – Can you put a through-hole part behind an SMT part

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I'm wondering if it's possible to place a through-hole connection on the opposite side of an SMT microcontroller.

I have a small connector with a solder pin (for the shield) on one side of the board, and I'm hoping to place a microcontroller on the other side of the board. The hole for the connector would be near the center of the MCU package, away from the pins.

The board is extremely space constrained and this might be the only way to get the MCU on the board without going to a tiny-pitch WLCSP type package. The position of the connector cannot move.

Has anyone done this? What are the challenges and things to keep in mind?

Best Answer

The hole for the connector would be near the center of the MCU package, away from the pins.

This is a very bad idea.

Usually the pins from through-hole parts stick through the board by at least a millimeter, more than enough to interfere with the ability to place a chip where it would cover the pin.

You could conceivably cut the pin short enough that it doesn't stick through the board, but that's going to be a special operation and add cost. You wouldn't be able to inspect the solder joint with the through-hole pin because it would be all hidden in the hole.

It will also mean the chip has to be hand soldered because it has to be attached after the wave solder step is done to solder the through hole part.

If you had to rework the through-hole part, you'd have to remove the chip, rework the through-hole, and then re-attach the chip.