Week 6: Electronics Production

From design to fabrication: bringing circuits to life

Mission Objective

This week focuses on the practical fabrication of custom PCBs and electronics manufacturing. We translate schematics into physical boards through milling, soldering, and assembly techniques.

Learning Outcomes

Documentation & Media

Electronics production documentation and assembly photos

Components in the arch fab lab. Lot of cool stuff here, including tons of breakouts and I2C capable devices.
Components in the arch fab lab. Lot of cool stuff here, including tons of breakouts and I2C capable devices.
I want to create a survival beacon and this is a powerful versatile RGB LED that would do well as a status indicator and flashlight.
I want to create a survival beacon and this is a powerful versatile RGB LED that would do well as a status indicator and flashlight.
Physically laying out my components on the one sided copper PCB board to design sizing and distance. In addition to design rules (track width, distance, etc) Gert told me it is important to consider aspects of functionality such as if my ports are accessible, my wires are relieved of tensions, and so on.
Physically laying out my components on the one sided copper PCB board to design sizing and distance. In addition to design rules (track width, distance, etc) Gert told me it is important to consider aspects of functionality such as if my ports are accessible, my wires are relieved of tensions, and so on.
Width test.
Width test.
Here is the 2004a LCD input. An I2C bus has been soldered on for a simpler connector.
Here is the 2004a LCD input. An I2C bus has been soldered on for a simpler connector.
The device board fully laid out, before milling and soldering.
The device board fully laid out, before milling and soldering.
Soldering the board.
Soldering the board.
Testing connections against the design.
Testing connections against the design.
Finished board being programmed!
Finished board being programmed!
Finished milled board
Finished milled board
Board soldering process
Board soldering process
Testing electrical connections against design specifications
Testing electrical connections against design specifications
Finished board being programmed and tested
Finished board being programmed and tested
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