Here’s a new, improved SMD Pitch-o-meter for all your SMD measurement needs.  (Also may be useful as a general microscopy scale.)

This version has a more readable distance scale marked in increments of 0.01 inches (10 mil) and 0.1 millimeters (100 microns), plus size outlines for 1206, 0805, 0603, 0402, and 0201 SMD packages.

Print it out at 600 pixels/inch (glossy photo paper recommended) and keep it handy near your binocular microscope.

Be sure to click on the image and download the full-sized version.

SMD Pitch-o-meter

If you’re working with SMD stuff, it’s really helpful to have a 10 to 20 power stereo microscope (stereo, not “binocular” – it’s not the same thing) to see what you’re doing.

(The most common type is called a “dissection microscope” – try eBay; they can be had for < US$100.)

Here's something I made to help measure and identify SMD parts under the microscope - the SMD Pitch-o-meter:

Print it out at 600 DPI (most any Canon or HP printer – I don’t know what will happen with an Epson printer – they do 720 DPI. It might scale it OK, might not.).

It has a scale of inches (to 1/250″) and millimeters (to 0.2mm) for measuring parts.

To measure SMD lead pitch (usually called parameter ‘e’ on datasheets) measure 4 (four) pins on the part from the line marked “zero”. Then read up for the pitch.