Share tips you have come across

Links to previous threads:

Test Lead Stuff

Small Wire Segments

Heat Shrink Ideas

Making up DuPont connectors

IDC Cables

2016-03-27_19-15-05.png

Managing Your Wiring

1 Like

LarryD:
Test Lead Stuff

I was meaning to post the dupont multimeter probes I made like that to this thread. Mine are dedicated leads instead of having the connectors like yours. I find those super useful and like how easy they are to use when breadboarding a circuit, rather than having some large probe handles with thick wires getting in the way.

pert:
I was meaning to post the dupont multimeter probes I made like that to this thread. Mine are dedicated leads instead of having the connectors like yours. I find those super useful and like how easy they are to use when breadboarding a circuit, rather than having some large probe handles with thick wires getting in the way.

In some situations, I use connectors made by the JST people.
Doing this helps keep the number of dedicated cables down to a minimum.

Using the male header end, it's great to plug your cable into the test equipment then straight into a breadboard.
Not having to hold test leads or use alligator clips on breadboards is very convenient.

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=444118.msg3062937#msg3062937

Hi Larry,

PDF discussing making holes for mounting components in panels.

Where did this come from? Any sources for those tools?

I just bought a step drill to make 7/8" holes for large pilot lights. A greenlee chassis punch is now up to $50 or so :frowning:

I'll grab some of the rest of this!

terryking228:
Hi Larry, Where did this come from? Any sources for those tools?

I just bought a step drill to make 7/8" holes for large pilot lights. A greenlee chassis punch is now up to $50 or so :frowning:

I'll grab some of the rest of this!

These are tools I use for chassis work.
I put the PDFs together to present the topics.

I got the Body Reamer from Banggood. Must have tool. I think this one.

Hole punch from Pliers, hole punch, steel and plastic, blue and black, 8-1/2 x 4 inch with 7 changeable die and 7 changeable punches, 9 x 5-3/4 inch storage case. Sold per set. - Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
Brad bits from Leevalley.
Unibit and Diamond Needle Files from eBay, not sure which seller.
Other tools at local Bolts Supply houses.

Greenlee. ???

Reminds me of the old tube days and making metal chassis for circuitry. :wink:

.

We all do it now and then.
If you have a few extra plugs and a spare hour, make up a Voltage/Current test cable.
This speeds up testing and gets rid of those ugly alligator clips.

.

PCB vice.
You may have to tweek the clamps with a file to adjust the fit.

These are obviously for low profile SMD component boards before headers are soldered. :wink:

These are handy to hold your PCBs while you solder components on the board.
At $7.00 they are reasonably priced.
The two holes in the base are for securing the fixture to a heavier sub-surface.

PCB vice.

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LarryD:
PCB vice.
You may have to tweek the clamps with a file to adjust the fit.

These are handy to hold your PCBs while you solder components on the board.
At $7.00 they are reasonably priced.
The two holes in the base are for securing the fixture to a heavier sub-surface.

PCB vice.

.

Getting ready to make one of these. Just need to get in the garage and do it.

What do you have for putting solder paste on small pads?

tinman13kup:
Getting ready to make one of these. Just need to get in the garage and do it.

What do you have for putting solder paste on small pads?

I was going to make a solder paste dispenser but found this one, bought two.
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=429915.0

The designer said he was coming out with a new version in 2017.

Retired but new one coming.

The problem I have is the needle is 4x bigger than the pad I'm trying to paste. I've resorted to using a toothpick and pluck some out of the end of the needle and dab it where I want it. I've been playing with a lot of 0402 smds and am trying some 0201s on my next board. They don't need much paste. Many of the ic's (LQFP) I'm using really don't want much solder.

:o 0201s :o
Don't sneeze!

Nothing wrong with a tooth pick if it works.
I used a dental pick for a while.

I assume you have a Microscope.

008004 That's just not right :slightly_smiling_face:

Lots here use stencils, I have not gotten into these yet but I suppose it would be easy enough to cut them out on the CAM tool.
.

Edit:
I was going to suggest that you make one of these:

Use breadboard helper boards to quickly test your circuit designs and sketch code.
When you come up with a design you often use, make a PCB to plug and play. :wink:

I/O one place

!cid_3DF7328DD90648338977DA50A65BE9B4@.jpg
Bobweeney from CrossRoads Atmega1284:
!cid_12ABFAB28E0B4A2A99537DF538C5F6F0@.jpg


LED helper:



ATtinyX5 Breadboard Helper

Ardweeny

Power Supply for breadboard

Dont be afraid to add stuff you need directly on a board ^^

This is a programming board for the ESP8266-01 that I modified with a button and two wires.
In standard operating mode the esp8266 will run its loaded firmware / arduino code when plugged in,
however holding the button when connecting your device pulls gpio0 to ground allowing you to program the device.

The button is hotglued to the female header. Could do 1 more on the opposite side for device reset..

Wow Larry.. Just WOW..

LarryD:
:o 0201s :o
Don't sneeze!

I assume you have a Microscope.

Funny you say that. I seem to have picked up a nasty cold. As for the microscope, not a desktop unit yet. I'm using 25x loupe glasses. The focal length is a bit tight with a rework gun. I'm looking for a nice microscope like you have.

LarryD:
I was going to suggest that you make one of these:

I have one. I think it would just suck them up. I bought plenty of spares. I think 100 were only $1.

fettkeewl:
Dont be afraid to add stuff you need directly on a board ^^

This is a programming board for the ESP8266-01 that I modified with a button and two wires.
In standard operating mode the esp8266 will run its loaded firmware / arduino code when plugged in,
however holding the button when connecting your device pulls gpio0 to ground allowing you to program the device.

The button is hot glued to the female header. Could do 1 more on the opposite side for device reset..

Yes, we all add things sooner or later to existing circuits.

You can use small pieces of PCB material, glue them to an existing PCB then add components to these pieces.

Here is a discussion on the process.

Edit:
Try a small drop of 'Super Glue' on motherboard and small smear of 'Super Glue Accelerator' on the bottom of the cutout pad.

Add components to a PCB.

Board segments

Came across this technique while back, I do like it for adding things to PCBs.

Thank you LarryD!
It is so inspiring!

Any thoughts on this model microscope? /s-l1600.jpg]twin boom[/url]

It has a working distance of 4in. There is a cheaper model with single arm with a working distance of 6in.

I need something, but it has to work. The second one is half the cost of the first ($170/$370)

This is the one I settled on and got. 65 pounds weight!
It has simul-focus so the third eye piece is independent of the two front ones.

I definitely recommend it.

Jiggy-Ninja:
If you've got some thing you need to use frequently that requires a complicated wiring arrangement, make a jig on some protoboard so you will know it works every time and not have to fiddle around with troubleshooting it every time you wire it up.

I made jigs for reprogramming chips outside of an Arduino board.

Above are two examples of programming jigs I made. One is a ZIF socket soldered onto a protoshield that lets me use the ArduinoISP sketch on an Uno to program a chip (in this case, an ATtiny4313).

The other is some male headers soldered onto a 6-wide protoboard. The 2x3 header on top lets me plug in the standard programmer ribbon cable, and the headers on bottom are spaced just wide enough to be able to plug this over a DIP package in a breadboard. You just need to grab the right jig and plug it over the chip to reprogram it in circuit. The one pictured is made for an ATtiny85.

I have one of each jig made for ATtiny85, ATtiny84, ATtiny4313, and ATmega328P.

Which reminds me, I need to whip some up for the ATtiny10 and various PICs I bought.

Further to this, here is how I make up a shield like yours.
After coming up with the schematic, I import an image of the front and back of the 'Shield' into a program like Snagit.
I get images of the components to be mounted and size them to 1:1
After placing the components at the best locations for my application I layout how the wires are to be run.
I then print out a 2:1 paper copy.
I solder things up as shown in the images below.

I use wire warp wire or magnet wire to make interconnections.
Wire Wrap Wire 30AWG

38AWG Roadrunner/Vero wire

Vero Wire

Soldering temperature: 400°C to 480°C

WARNING the PCB linked in POST # 14 has a circuit error. >:(
**You MUST corrected this error before you plug it onto an Arduino. **
See Post #14 for the corrected image.
.