Making a PCB

Milling:

I milled my copper-coated board on the Modella mini milling machine. I used a 1/64" bit to cut out the traces, and a 1/16" bit to cut out the board itself. At first, I attempted to use the CAMIT tool, but it gave me a bad RML file. I am realizing more and more why some people prefer the directness and simplicity of the comand line over GUIs.

Stuffing:

I have had quite a bit of practice soldering before, but never with surface mount components (SMDs). I did not do my first couple connections perfectly, but I eventually learned how to solder the SMDs quickly and securely. The really nice soldering irons with tiny tips that are actually hot helped enormously.

Testing:

My board was successfully programmed on the first go and also was able to program an Arduino microcontroller.