Ground in PCB design, another app note about grounds from Renesas. Link here (PDF) Ground is supposed to be ideal. It should be a black hole for stray currents where the voltage is always zero. Unfortunately, those stray currents travel through some non-superconducting material, so small voltages arise. You may not notice small changes in […]
Tag Archives: pcb
App note: Grounding techniques
Renesas detailed app note about grounds. Link here (PDF) Ground is taken for granted. We stand on it, we dig into it, we make mud pies out of it. The ground isn’t supposed to move. We don’t have to think about it; it just is. When it comes to grounding a circuit, we assume that […]
Wavecatcher
Anfractuosity published a new build: “Acoustic cryptanalysis is a type of side channel attack that exploits sounds emitted by computers or other devices” Wavecatcher is a simple PCB that makes use of a MEMS ultrasound microphone, in order to capture audio to around 80kHz, with the goal of finding interesting ultrasound sources and playing with […]
DC/DC switcher for 5v TO 3v at 750mA in a TO-220 7805 footprint
An open source small DC/DC 3W switcher to drop 5V to 3V in a 7805 TO-220 pinout from Black Mesa Labs: This post is an open source hardware design from Black Mesa Labs for a simple DC/DC converter for dropping 5V to 3.3V ( or adjustable to lower voltages via resistor selections ). The design […]
Open source 22mm diameter PCB project
An open source 22mm diameter PCB project from Concretedog, that is available on github: So I posted a while back about how I had used these 22mm pcb’s I’d made in prototyping an ematch ignitor system for use in rocketry. Although I made these stackable boards so they would fit inside a popular size of […]
App note: Adding flexibility by using multiple footprints for I2C™ serial EEPROMs
Save PCB space by utilizing EEPROM SOIC-8 area, here’s an application note from Microchip. Link here (PDF) For many years, the 8-lead SOIC package has been the most popular package for serial EEPROMs, but now smaller packages are becoming more commonplace. This offers a number of benefits; the reductions in footprint size and component height […]
Overdrive guitar effects pedal
Eddie over at Bantam Tools shared detailed instructions of how to build this DIY overdrive effects pedal: This project shows you how to make your very own effects stompbox! We’ll go through the steps of downloading the .brd file, loading the file into our software, milling the board on the Bantam Tools Desktop PCB Milling […]
App note: PCB routing methodology for SuperSpeed USB 3.1 switch family from ON Semiconductor
Routing USB 3.1 traces app note from ON Semiconductor. Link here (PDF) The introduction of USB Type−C has provided a significant launch opportunity for USB3.1 data rates across an array of platforms from portable to desktop and beyond. This proliferation of Type−C will certainly create challenges due to the high speed nature of the interface. […]
Pimp your PCB businesscard full color
Here is a nice PCB businesscard @ smdprutser.nl As a good electronic hobbiest tradition I started to design a businesscard from PCB material. Downside of all the businesscards (and PCBs in general) is the limited number of colors you can use: FR4, soldermask (with or without copper behind it), silkscreen or bare copper. Since the […]
Magic Mote MSP430G2553 wireless sensor node with NRF24L01+ module
Tom from Magic Smoke writes: This is my first time designing a PCB for MSP430. I really like the NRF24L01+ booster pack but I would like something smaller to use for remote temperature sensors. With that in mind I’ve designed a 24.5 x 50 mm PCB (2 on a 5×5 cm prototype) featuring MSP430G2553 and […]
DIY programming adapters
Sjaak writes: Today came in a new batch of PCBs from DirtyPCB.com, of which one is a new revision of the BlackMagicProbe. This revision is almost the same except it has a polyfuse in its powersupply to the target, a dedicated voltage regulator instead of P-FET, its programming header on the 90 degree on the […]
Temperature controlled etching bath with magnetic stirrer
Michael writes, “Yet another temperature controlled etching bath for producing PCBs at home. But this one has a magnetic stirrer :) Check out the video after the break. Project info at acidbourbon’s blog. Via the contact form.
Printed Circuit Board V-Groove cutting machine
This is how V-Grooves are cut into PCBs. V-Grooves are half-cuts into the PCBs that allow them to be snapped apart easily. Minimum V-Groove cut length in generally 8cm due to machine cutting length. V-Grooves must be cut across the entire PCB length, it is not possible to make short internal cuts. This is from […]
Reaction tester
Reaction tester project from Vagrearg: The single gate-type NAND version was put onto a PCB and tested. It works like a charm. There were only 74AC00 chips available at the time, but they are just about the same as HC chips. You can get the design files, which are made with KiCad. The layout is […]
UCload: revisited
Sjaak has posted an update on his uC controlled dummy load project we covered previously: I finally found some time to check out the UCload project. A couple of weeks ago I quickly soldered the PCB and wrote a quick’n’dirty firmware for it. The basic functionality was working, but it wouldn’t do good for the […]
1″ 100W hot-plate for SMT reflow
kevinhub88 over at the Black Mesa Labs writes: Black Mesa Labs has been using a $20 hot plate for a year now for soldering QFN ICs to PCBs. Only issue so far has been the size ( 10″x10″x3″ ) and thermal mass of the thing as it consumes precious microscope work area and unfortunately stays quite hot […]
Bus Pirate v3.8 free PCB build
Hector built a free Bus Pirate v3.8 PCB. The Bus Pirate is an open source hacker multi-tool that talks to electronic stuff. If you build a free PCB we’ll send you another one! Blog about it, post a picture on Flicker, whatever – we’ll send you a coupon code for the free PCB drawer. Get your […]
Having cheap PCB’s made, part 2
Batches of PCBs from Ivo of Knutsel.org: The first batch was a new run of the LivingColors Arduino shield. The second batch was a breakout board for the NiceRF SX1276 LoRa module. Here I experimented a little with contour routing. The third batch was an adapter board to use no-name CC2500 modules in boards designed for […]
Things to avoid when sending PCBs to the fab house
Sjaak shared some tips when sending PCBs to the fab house: I usually collect a few PCB designs before sending them off to the PCB fabhouse. Recently, I embarked on a project centered around online casinos with instant withdrawals and no KYC, which necessitated specialized PCB layouts to ensure secure and efficient transaction processing. I […]
Crystal Ladder filter
Dan Watson writes: Here’s a little board for making a four pole crystal ladder filter. This type of filter has a very high Q and narrow bandwidth, allowing you to select a specific frequency from your signal. Because of the narrow bandwidth, selection of the capacitors and tuning of the filter is important to achieve […]