My first PCB design

[Bushwicktrini]

Originally posted by: zinfamous


sometimes I have no idea why I'm a member here.....


:beer:

Agreed

Every time I forget this is a tech board something like this pops up

 

[Chaotic42]

I think that I wish I had time to go to school and understand that PCB and how it works.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I think that I wish I had time to go to school and understand that PCB and how it works.

Honestly, my classes didn't allow me to do this. Most of the knowledge I used here was not taught in class.

Its mostly self-learning and tinkering.

 

[BrownTown]

Here is the one I made for the programmable thermostat I made for my senior design project.

It isn't something they teach classes on (at least ay my school), all you have to do is literally connect the dots. The one I did there I did in one night having never used the program in question before. We had design the schematic showing how everything would be connected logically and all I did was draw lines from point A to point B. You only need to worry about the fancy stuff if you want something to run REALLY fast like a graphics card, not for something simple.

In the real world its done automatically and not by hand anyways, so why would they teach it in school, its like teaching people to draft by hand when everyone in real life uses CAD.

Development:

Conceptual Design
Schematic (Lost )
Component Layout
Routing of traces
Recieved PCBs
recieved components
Writing Program for microcontroller (1500 lines of assembly )
Programming microcontroller (the board ends up in that box on the right)

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
Here is the one I made for the programmable thermostat I made for my senior design project.

It isn't something they teach classes on (at least ay my school), all you have to do is literally connect the dots. The one I did there I did in one night having never used the program in question before. We had design the schematic showing how everything would be connected logically and all I did was draw lines from point A to point B. You only need to worry about the fancy stuff if you want something to run REALLY fast like a graphics card, not for something simple.

In the real world its done automatically and not by hand anyways, so why would they teach it in school, its like teaching people to draft by hand when everyone in real life uses CAD.

I've seen some crazy schematics where they have traces running in spirals and all sorts of crazy arrangements to reduce RF and ensure traces are of the same length.

 

[BrownTown]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: BrownTown
Here is the one I made for the programmable thermostat I made for my senior design project.

It isn't something they teach classes on (at least ay my school), all you have to do is literally connect the dots. The one I did there I did in one night having never used the program in question before. We had design the schematic showing how everything would be connected logically and all I did was draw lines from point A to point B. You only need to worry about the fancy stuff if you want something to run REALLY fast like a graphics card, not for something simple.

In the real world its done automatically and not by hand anyways, so why would they teach it in school, its like teaching people to draft by hand when everyone in real life uses CAD.

I've seen some crazy schematics where they have traces running in spirals and all sorts of crazy arrangements to reduce RF and ensure traces are of the same length.

just look at your motherboard .

 

[Red Squirrel]

Nice, electronics is something that's always fascinated me, I just never had the will power or time to actually learn it. It's not really a field I'd want to go to but something I'd like to learn as hobby, eventually. I would love to know how to design something and actually communicate with it via a computer (ex: a usb device) or have it so I can drop in a card with a program and make the program do stuff on the device, like a robot.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Shadow Conception
What's it do?

My thought when designing it was to make a digital Etch-A-Sketch.

Its got a graphical LCD screen, two rotary encoders, and an accelerometer so you can erase it by shaking it.

A screen and two knobs seems like it would lend itself to pong and maybe a few other games too.

Ah yes, I remember the thread about encoders.

The place I work at has an old welding robot that could probably go for salvage. Maybe I could get the encoders off of the motors. How'd 500 counts per turn suit you?
(Ok, not really - they probably don't work, and they're over 20 years old.)

Originally posted by: So

"good english"

Keep it classy, San Diego.

Also, punctuation has meaning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma_(punctuation)

I spoke to the boys, Sam and Tom.
I spoke to the boys, Sam, and Tom.

Dropping the comma makes it into two completely different sentences. Not to say that I'm not an abuser of commas, but I don't claim that I'm perfect.

I prefer this example:

I helped my Uncle, Jack, off a horse.
I helped my uncle jack off a horse.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Ah yes, I remember the thread about encoders.

The place I work at has an old welding robot that could probably go for salvage. Maybe I could get the encoders off of the motors. How'd 500 counts per turn suit you?
(Ok, not really - they probably don't work, and they're over 20 years old.)

Well, I ordered a couple of rotary encoders that are 15 clicks per turn with no detents. I'm hoping that they turn continuously. If they don't I'm in trouble. An etch a sketch with a knob that only has 15 clicks on it is useless.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: ganesh1

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: ganesh1

Originally posted by: JMapleton
I'm glad I didn't major in computer science or electrical engineering like I wanted to.

iam just abt to enter engg
iam planning on taking electricals or computers or mechanical what do you guys think
which branch is the best iam cool with all branches except bio chemistry

Don't forget to include a couple of English clases.

WHATS WITH THE FUCKIN ENGLISH CLASSES
i speak good english , i just dont punctuate properly
blah soo what
iam a non native english speaker and a typer for peace sake

OH SMACK he said "for peace sake"

lol

 

[Andrew1990]

It looks very nice. I plan on going to school for electric engineering once I graduate this year. For circuit boards such as this, what class would you recommend?

Also, if I am correct, this is just the PCB Board and you will then solder on the capacitors and what not, correct?

 

[BrownTown]

Originally posted by: Andrew1990
It looks very nice. I plan on going to school for electric engineering once I graduate this year. For circuit boards such as this, what class would you recommend?

Also, if I am correct, this is just the PCB Board and you will then solder on the capacitors and what not, correct?

I'm not sure about other colleges, but PCB design wasn't something taught at my school. PCB design is more of a PRACTICE type of thing as opposed to THEORY. Usually in college you take more theory stuff, understanding basic circuits and digital logic would help I guess. If you got a job doing PCB design then they would probably teach you the tools they use.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Andrew1990
It looks very nice. I plan on going to school for electric engineering once I graduate this year. For circuit boards such as this, what class would you recommend?

Also, if I am correct, this is just the PCB Board and you will then solder on the capacitors and what not, correct?

This stuff isn't taught in classes. This is the kind of stuff they expect you to pick up on your own. In fact, most of the useful things you learn for engineering you will not learn in class, you will learn them on your own. The classes teach theory and provide some guidance for projects.

For this PCB, I used software I had never used before. I had to figure it out on my own. I used a bunch of chips I had never used before. I had to figure out how those worked on my own. Our professor gave us a few hints for hooking up the memory, but I mostly just read the data sheets to figure it out.

And yeah, this is just the PCB board. Fiberglass with metal traces and holes in it. They come in a number of layers. Mine is two layers, traces on both sides. You'll sometimes see many layered boards with traces on the inside layers too.