m0xpd writes: Today I finally got round to building a nice little RF probe kit from Rex, w1rex, the Tuna King over at QRPme. I took the well-executed PCB which – unusually for Rex – had through hole mounting for the components rather than the ‘Limerick’ construction that recently I’ve come to associate with him… Following […]
Category Archives: PCBs
Atmega16u2 virtual serial example using LUFA Library
Shane of Wattnotions has published a new build, an Atmega16u2 virtual serial LUFA board: What I wanted the LUFA library to do was pretty specific – the atmega16u2 should show up as a virtual serial port so that the computer can connect and read data from it like any other serial port. All of the other […]
Making PCB vias with conductive ink
Here’s an alternative method for making PCB vias using conductive ink from Diyouware: We developed an alternative method for making PCB vias through-hole using our robot. As you probably know the traditional DIY method consists in threading a wire through the holes and then soldering it and then cutting it off. For example, if we have 100 vias in […]
Making a PCB business card
Ilia Baranov has designed a reference business card: Back of card includes: Ruler in both 1/10″ and mm. AWG Hole size gauge (not super accurate due to plating, but that is unavoidable) Resistor/capacitor/inductor/diode sizes Common surface mount component sizes Common electrical symbols and shortcuts/equations Common conversions Trace size comparison Quote from Dune! Project info at Mr.Robot […]
PCB stencil jig
Gonazar’s PCB stencil jig: My solution to making a PCB stencil jig. I need this to do a run of ~30 small boards I got from DirtyPCB who also provided me with the stencil. However, I know that I’m going to be making more later with a new revision so I wanted a jig that I […]
Photon headerless – SMD mounted
Carsten4207 writes: Just wanted to share what a Photon soldered directly onto a PCB looks like As far as what this is, this will replace my Honeywell Zoning Panel (HZ311) and will give me the ability to add variable dampers. This will also hookup to my HVAC’s motor (Evergreen IM) so I can adjust the […]
Homemade x-ray inspector reveals PCB secrets
John McMaster has written an article detailing his homemade x-ray scanner: In some previous posts I talked about getting an x-ray head working, reverse engineering an x-ray sensor, and working with LinuxCNC. In this post I put them all together so that I can take a bunch of x-ray snapshots across an entire PCB. This […]
Simple and small temperature fan control
Xristost published a new build, a simple and small temperature fan control: I published this schematic long ago in this article: Adjustable power supply and since then I made some improvements in PCB to make the board as small as possible. The idea is to be easy to attach the whole board to the heat […]
Building a CC2500 to BLE adaptor
Don has been working on a CC2500 to BLE adaptor project, that is available on Github: Posting some details in response to questions about the current module. Everything for the CC2500 is on Github. Fish around here and you’ll also find some iOS and Pebble code. Sorry, nothing Android based. The RFDuino is programmed like […]
Pro mini shield
Albert blogged about his mini pro shield project: Just finished my little mini pro shield which makes it a little easier to use the mini pro with projects and it now also makes the mini pro easier to use with test and trial projects. The shield has a 3.3V and 5v power supply on board […]
SoHa SMART first logo PCB design & manufacture
@josephpcrabtree tweeted, “New learn-to-solder badges for @SoHaSMARTMaker. PCBs from @dangerousproto DirtyPCBs” This is a big day for any maker space when you learn to design and manufacture your own PCB. We are very proud of our circuit design and end result. We will use these in all of our Learn To Solder Classes going […]
Great results milling PCBs from Eagle with the Nomad
Liyanage over at Carbide 3D Community site writes: Milling PCBs was one of my main reasons for getting a Nomad. I finally found some time to learn how to use Eagle and the related tools and mill my first boards. While diving into the intricacies of these tools, I came across a forum discussing non […]
Mikey’s first DirtyPCB experience
Mikey shares his first impressions with DirtyPCBs: Yes, exclamation mark and lots of yelling! The PCB’s has arrived, lets have a look at them. At first glance they look very good, silk screen is fine, both on top and bottom. The outline of the board feels smooth with a sharp edge, just as it should […]
DirtyPCB’s based project: TDR pulse generator for testing coax
Marcus Jenkins blogged about his TDR pulse generator build: I saw an excellent YouTube video from Alan W2AEW and thought I’d have a go at making a prettier version of the tool myself. After all, checking 50 Ohm coax cables is a pretty common need for an amateur radio enthusiast. Alan’s video says it all, but here’s […]
FRDM-KL25Z Arduino headers with Altium
Erich of MCUonEclipse writes, “In case you are using Altium to design your boards, then this one might be useful for you. I have have posted the Altium .SchLib and .PcbLib files on GitHub here” Details at MCU on Eclipse.
Systematic PCB verification approach
From the comments on our previous PCB Checklist post, George Hadley shared this helpful checklist for submitting a PCB to a fab house: Systematic PCB Verification Approach (PDF!): 1. Parts completion check: 1. All major components included? Microcontroller/FPGA/SoC/Microprocessor/CPLD? Power supply/regulation? Sensors? User interface elements? (LCDs, buttons, switches, etc.) Actuator drivers and control? (Motor control? LED constant current drivers? […]
USB Infrared Toy free PCB build
@psmay tweeted picture of his free USB IR Toy PCB build. With the USB IR Toy you can use a remote control with your computer, view infrared signals on a logic analyzer, capture and replay remote control buttons. If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another one! Blog about it, post a picture on Flicker, […]
DipTrace export settings for Dirty PCB
As a follow up to the PCB layout design with DipTrace post, KF5OBS blogged about on how to set-up DipTrace to export a PCB layout correctly for Dirty PCB: Dirty PCB offers – as the name implies – dirt cheap PCB manufacturing. The trick is a very low profile and a straight-forward system that needs minimum […]
PCB layout design with DipTrace – An overview
KF5OBS writes: DipTrace is a sophisticated schematic and PCB layout software. I had it installed on my computer for over a year but have never really used it. Since I needed a super simple PCB for some 78XX / 79XX type linear regulators, I decided to use this opportunity for my first steps with DipTrace. […]
PCB Checklist – What to check before you submit
Baldengineer’s checklist for submitting a PCB to a fab house: Recently I’ve been expanding my retro game collection to include game cartridges imported from Japan. The problem is that I don’t have Japanese game systems (yet). So I’m creating an open source adapter to convert Famicom carts to the NES. Before I submit the PCB to […]