Matseng made a contest in the forum. If you guess what the PCB is, he’ll send one over. This PCB is exactly the same size as a credit card and have the XMega, a Lipo battery and charger, a MicroUSB for comms and charging, a buttload of tactle switches and a bunch of 7-segment displays […]
Tag Archives: pcb
Soldering Iron Driver v1.5 built with a DIY PCB
Download the source files from our SVN, mask the copper layer with toner-transfer, or UV exposure method, and etch the board with some acid. Once complete you’ll have your very own home-built Soldering Iron Driver v1.5. This is what Alex has done, and so far he seems happy with it. Ok, here is a pic […]
PCB review Tuesday technical difficulties
Due to a problem encoding the screen capture the debut of PCB review Tuesday will have to wait. Thanks to everyone who submitted a PCB for comments, we’ll get them up ASAP. If you’d like someone to give your PCB a second look before you send it to the fab, or just want advise on […]
PCB review Tuesday videos coming
Starting next week we’re going to try a new weekly feature called PCB review Tuesday. In a five minute video we’ll look at a PCB and talk about what we would change before producing the board. PCB routing is an art. There’s lots of styles, and ours isn’t the right one or the best. Our […]
3D printed circuitry
Rhys Jones has been working on 3D printing circuits using a RepRap printer. He has recently made enough progress to have a working circuit. One of the main problems I previously had was solubility. Running molten metals were acting as solvents for my heated nozzle – resulting in the nozzle slowly dissolving during a print. […]
Manually V-score PCBs to break apart multiple designs
Ever use the extra area of a PCB to squeeze in multiple copies of a board? We do, but it’s always a pain to separate them. Doug shows how to how to cut apart multiple PCBs using a utility knife. Via the contact form.
How (not) to sell PCBs: PCB drawer first year sales breakdown
A while back we started selling Bus Pirate v3.5a-SOIC “DIY Edition” PCBs from the free PCB drawer for $3.95. Our informal survey and found that $5, including shipping, is a sweet spot for one board. So we hacked Zen Cart to accept PayPal for only one item, and started taking orders. With shipping, two boards […]
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.
PCB ecthing at home using photo transfer method
Blondihacks wrote an in-depth tutorial on how to make PCBs made at home using pre-sensatived photo-PCBs. We especially liked the board design optimization for home etching tips. Wide traces, big vias, and using a ground plane are all strategies we use to get good DIY photo-transfer PCBs too. DIY etching is the fastest way to […]
512K SRAM memory module with 13 pin interface
An open source 512K SRAM memory module for adding extra ram to your project: I have designed a very simple PCB module that allows access to 512KBytes of Static RAM. It is compatible with any microcontroller with at least 13 free digital IO pins and the ability to run from a 3.3v or 5v supply. […]
HOW-TO: Get your PCBs manufactured
The latest version of this tutorial is available on the documentation wiki. In the last few years many inexpensive PCB services have popped up. It used to be that buying PCBs in hobby quantities was expensive and filled with gotchas. Now, places like Seeed Studio can send your PCBs to the inexpensive prototyping factory in […]
Box of new PCBs
A box of PCBs just arrived from Seeed Studio’s Fusion PCB service. The XT-IDE adapter V2 board is now available in our Free PCB drawer. The board was designed to allow XT type vintage computers to use newer IDE type hard drives. XT-IDE Adapter v2 is available now in the free PCB drawer.
Dangerous Prototypes best practices for PCB and schematic design
For future projects we recently updated our best practices for designing schematics and PCBs. We compiled them to a wiki page, as well as some tips for using Cadsoft Eagle. Check them out below. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.
Electrochemically plated vias for homemade PCBs
By electrochemically plating vias, Bearmos takes home-etched PCBs to the next level. His constant current source, with we covered earlier, is used in the process. I just finished writing up some of the details on DIY plated through holes. This is what the simple constant current source was designed for. This process was slightly adapted […]
App note: Guidelines for soldering QFN lead-less packages
This app note from Texas Instruments covers the basic guidelines on how to solder QFN and SON lead-less package. It includes some PCB design, solder paste screen printing, assembly, and reflow guidelines. Quad flatpack no leads (QFNs) and small-outline no leads (SONs) are leadless packages with electrical connections made via lands on the bottom side […]
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.
RFID breakout board for the Bus Pirate built
Here’s the completed Near Field Communication (NFC) board designed by titanmkd. It uses the TRF7970A IC to read RFIDs from the Bus Pirate and other devices, we wrote about it earlier. All the systems check out OK so far. The next step is to communicate with an RFID card. Via the forum.
DIY PIC16F883 breakout board
Phil made a DIY breakout board for the PIC16F883 microcontroller. The board uses a surface-mount single-layer design, and the parts are nicely spaced. It’s an easy board to make at home using the DIY toner-transfer method of PCB etching. You can download the source files and other design data from his site. Via Jumperone.
Soldering iron driver v2 build
Fcobcn received some soldering iron driver V2 PCBs from Arhi. He used replacement parts for those components he couldn’t find locally. The version 2 unfortunately only supports thermocouple type soldering pencils. Our recommendation is to use the V2 driver with ether the cheaper Solomon SR-976 pencil, or the more expensive Weller PES51. Support for PTC […]
ITEAD PCB prototyping service upgraded again
ITEAD has some upgrades on their PCB prototyping services: All PCBs are now 100% e-tested free of charge There is a new standard dimension, 5cmX10cm The thickness of the Color PCB boards can now be selected from 0.8mm to 1.6mm If you chose the lead free HASL option, and have large quantities made, you can […]