02-05-2025
Raspberry Pi Gets a Production Quality Upgrade
Raspberry Pi made a surprising announcement this week: Thanks to an updated soldering process, customer returns of the Raspberry Pi 5 are down by 50%. Sony, which helps Pi manufacture its tiny computers, worked with Pi to change how it solders through-hole connectors. The updated manufacturing process not only improves quality but also reduces production time by 15%.
Until version 5 of the Raspberry Pi, any parts that required a hole completely through the PCB required a solder bath. Pi tried to avoid through-hole components as much as possible but used them for connectors. Just placing those parts can be a pain. Pi workers originally did some by hand, but eventually had machines do the work. Still, the solder bath was a pain point. The solution is a process known as intrusive reflow.
'Thanks to our work with Sony, we have eliminated all of the through-hole specific actions from our manufacturing processes,' wrote Raspberry Pi Principal Hardware Engineer Roger Thorton in a post. 'With intrusive reflow, we can now place through-hole connectors using the same pick and place machines we already use on surface-mount parts; this means there is no longer any need for bespoke robotics, or for an additional soldering stage.'
Credit: Raspberry Pi
Reflow soldering typically involves a soldering paste flowing under intense heat instead of relying on a solder bath. Raspberry Pi is now working on applying the new process to older generations of the Pi.
The move to intrusive reflow also meant Pi could remove the selective solder bath machinery, reducing its CO2 output. Pi says its CO2 output is down by 43 tonnes (roughly 47.39) per year. The change also means that there is no longer a break in the production process. Overall, it looks like a huge win for the little Pi.
The Raspberry Pi is a tiny computer that fits a range of uses, including business and entertainment. The computer's inexpensive price tag and accessible documentation also make it ideal for teaching (and self-learning) coding, robotics, and even AI. The Raspberry Pi 5 starts at $50.
If you have any interest in seeing just how much the Raspberry Pi can do (and learning about robotics, engineering, and coding along the way, you might want to shell out some extra cash to pick up the PiDog programmable robot kit. It's one of the most interesting robotics kits we've seen.
