I started off by using the micro-mill to create the circuit board. For me this was a time consuming process. One of the early mistakes was not having the bit deep enough into the board such that it made the etches I wanted.
I started off by using the micro-mill to create the circuit board. For me this was a time consuming process. One of the early mistakes was not having the bit deep enough into the board such that it made the etches I wanted.
My initial cut was too shallow, as evidenced by the fineness of copper dust being scraped off. I realized that I had to tug the bit closer to the board, and after a few tries, I got to the depth I wanted.
Fresh off the press!
Once I got the circuit board cut out, I gathered the pieces I would need to solder. Laying them out onto an index card was really helpful in staying organized.
I practiced soldering on existing practice boards before actually soldering onto my own. The technique was not that difficult, it just required patience. I had the wrong orientation wrong on one of the pieces so I had to use the hot air gun to remove the piece and re-solder.
To make sure that I had all the pieces soldered on correctly, I tested it with the connector and the PBC lit up!