Category Archives: PCBs

Box of new PCBs

A box of PCBs just arrived from Seeed Studio’s Fusion PCB service. This batch includes: PIC TQFP-100 breakout board V2 Bus Pirate Demo Board v5 (final) Programmable dummy load (concept test) Soldering Iron Driver v1.5 PIC TQFP-100 BB v2, Bus Pirate Demo Board, Programmable dummy load, and Soldering Iron Driver v1.5 are available now in […]

Box of new PCBs

A box of PCBs just arrived from Seeed Studio’s Fusion PCB service. This batch includes: PC fan controller module PIC18F2550, PIC24 and PIC32 SOIC28 breakout EzPSoC3 XC95144XL breakout board PC fan controller module, PIC18F2550, PIC24 and PIC32 SOIC28 breakout, EzPSoC3 and XC95144XL breakout board are available now in the free PCB drawer.

Design Spark free schematic layout software

In examining the design files for the Maker Shed pulse sensor we noted that they weren’t produced using Eagle. Instead, the files were generated using Design Spark’s free Schematic Layout Software. This is a free (activation required at no charge) PCB design alternative and is available from the Design Spark website. These are the sample […]

How long does it take to get your PCBs?

We’re writing a new tutorial on PCB manufacturing, and we’d like to include a table of approximate turn-around times for popular 2-layer PCB services. If you’ve ordered PCBs in the past we could use your help. Who made the PCB? How long did it take to process? How long did it take to ship to […]

ITead mystery PCBs: Arduino Nano v3.0 and LED driver

Tayken used ITead’s openPCB service, and got 2 extra boards along with the 8 he ordered. He was successful in identifying one as the Arduino Nano v3.0 (left). Unfortunately the other was only labeled as a LED driver board (center) without any other info. The board on the right is the one he ordered, it’s […]

DIY double sided PCB with soldermask

Retromaster has honed his PCB making skills to get professional quality boards at home. He’s successfully made double sided PCBs with 8 mil trace width, with 6 mil clearance. In his guide he describes how to etch the PCB with toner transfer, how to use mechanical vias, and hot to apply soldermask paint.

ITead mystery PCB: High-power RGB LED driver

Schazamp received a few mystery PCBs from Itead’s open PCB service. He contacted the designer of the PCB and got more info about this board, as well as the schematic. It’s a controller for driving two 3 watt RGB leds in series, you need 6 pin RGB leds for this, you can also use it […]

ITead mystery PCB: Current consumption monitor

Schazamp received a few mystery PCBs from Itead’s open PCB service. He contacted the designer who was kind enough to leave contact information on his PCB. The board is a current consumption monitor: It’s basically a current monitor based off an AtMEGA328, which I am programming using the Arduino bootloader. Really quite simple stuff :) […]

43oh winner PCB: camera intervalometer

43oh, a forum dedicated to the MSP430 microcontroller, hosts a design contest. Last month we gave free PCB coupons to the winners. The winners also let us host their boards in the free PCB drawer. This PCB is an MSP430-based camera intervalometer for taking time lapse photos. It triggers cameras with an infrared control, and […]

Gerber preview software and usage summary

We asked what things you check before sending gerbers to the board house, and what your favorite gerber viewer is. Here is a compilation of your responses: Problems with the footprint, the solder pad is sometimes buried by mask. Drills outside board or flipped. CAM didn’t export expected silkscreen layers. Evaluating not only whether a […]

Seeed Studio’s new packing boxes

New packing boxes from Seeed Studio: We used to stock almost all products in static-free plastic bags. Fair enough, it’s convenient and also easy for people to handling. However, the plastic causes many problems like environmental pollution, weak protection and bad product image I’d like to say. So, we started to prepare a new packing […]