EWWW!!
Yeah, that’s what I, too, thought a few years ago. But I thought, am I going to treat SMDs as an insurmountable obstacle the next time I want to repair a board? So I saw some SMD practice boards on eBay, and bought a few. I watched a few videos on YouTube to get some helpful hints.
I bought an 8 dollar soldering iron that plugs into the USB port. I bought a small roll of 0.6 mm 0.025 inch good quality solder and a bottle of flux. And I practiced and I overcame my anxieties and fears.
I’m nearsighted so I don’t really need a magnifier / LED light on a head strap, but I bought one anyway. The cheap ones are not worth the few bucks they cost. I bought a few more and they were nearly useless.
I found that I could get the higher power reading glasses at the dollar store for a few dollars, and use two of them together, along with a good LED light.
Practice helps. Also some small tools like a tweezers.
