Hi,
It looks like I'm about to finish the breadboard phase. Not today, but the closure is visible already.
How do one get a proper device out of these bunch of jumper cables?
It does not make sense, to use an Arduino plate with headers for jumpers in the final device.
On the other hands site, I'm pretty sure, I do not want to design an Arduino PCB on my own.
Considering the offers I have seen, nearly all focuses on breadboard.
How do you plan set up your final device?
Thanks,
Martin
I often use Perfboard - Wikipedia.
After initial testing on breadboard, I usually make a working prototype on stripboard. I've got a couple of Arduino Nano's that are nice and small for this sort of thing, and still have the USB interface to keep programming simple. I personally prefer stripboard over the stuff that just has the individual solder pads, but I think I'm in the minority. I find it makes for a neater board myself.
It takes a bit of planning to get everything routed nicely, but you end up with a nice robust board that allows for some decent testing. In some cases, it can even be used as the finished item.
Ian.
if you plan on getting a PCB, the intial attempts are often using a CAD program and printing with a LASER printer to use the plastic ink that a LASER only printer uses.
We have a solid ink xerox at work... might work
but you print your layout in mirror image
then with household clothes iron, you heat the paper and PCB until the paper starts to turn brown.
then let it cool. a good percentage of the plastic from the laser only type inks will adhere to the copper.
you use a sharpie and blot or dot the traces to add ink to fill in the gaps. drawing lines removes ink. blotting deposits.
then etch your own board.
then drill all the holes
the, with your laser, you print the text (in reverse) and then iron that on the board as a letters. and shapes and such.
if you have time, learn a PCB layout program and have boards made.
for 5cm x 5 cm board, you get 10 for $10 I use itread
they actually looked at my file, send me a note that I had missed a trace and if I really wanted it that way.
it takes WEEKS to get boards, fast shipping is extra. but the boards are wonderful. professional.
I would talk to someone like me, who can layout a design for a PCB in a couple hours that you can then send off to iteadstudio or similar to have professional looking boards made.
Examples:
http://www.crossroadsfencing.com/BobuinoRev17/
The "proto shields" are often the next step up from breadboards. See SparkFun ProtoShield Kit - DEV-13820 - SparkFun Electronics for one example. There are lots of them out there. I've published a couple of shields on OSH Park for Arduino Micros: Basic Micro Shield and Micro Shield with SMD pads
The basic idea is the holes aren't connected to anything. You can put all your components on top and ratsnest the wires underneath.
Since I've become proficient with Eagle, I don't use proto shields much at all. I tend to go straight to the custom PCB, because I can get them from OSH Park faster than I can troubleshoot a ratsnest.
I've used a lot of strip board too but I don't like it. The strips constrain where I can put things. Some boards are set up more for putting one big IC in the middle, with small strips coming off each pin. They are useful for some projects.
It's not for everyone, but I go straight to a custom PCB, and make it myself.
I laser print the PCB layout onto matt transparency film, then use pre-coated PCB material with a positive-acting photo-resist, a UV lamp to expose it then sodium hydroxide at 10g/litre to develop it, followed by ferric chloride to etch the PCB.
Next, I drill the holes, asemble the PCB and finally coat the bottom with PCB lacquer to protect it.
Not worth the trouble/cost if you only intend to do it once, but if you're going to need different boards on a regular basis it's the best way to go IMHO, and gives a great sense of accomplishment at the end.
Assuming that goes well and everything works as expected, if I want to go into production I send the already-tested PCB layout file to a manufacturer to have larger numbers of the board made. For up to a dozen or so boards, I just make them all here.
I'll wirewrap the occasional board, but for $10 to $20 for 5x5cm and 10x10cm boards, all double sided, soldermasked, and stencilled, I go to PCB almost all the time now. Have to create a schematic no matter what so design-time wise that's the same, have to work out a placement either way, and I really like having the components labelled.
I also like OSH Park but they're kind of expensive compared to some of the other fab houses. I think Itead Studio and Dirty PCB both make decent boards. They're not as nice as OSH Park's boards but they work fine and they cost a lot less. If I'm making a small PCB, I use OSH Park.
Make sure and take a look at this thread about PCB design software.
CrossRoads:
and I really like having the components labelled.
That's the weak point in my home-made boards. (Poor labelling)
I use a fine 'Sharpie' pen to label, when there's room, but often there isn't, so I need to keep a paper print of the component overlay handy to refer to. That's OK if they're just for me, and they usually are, but not so good if I'm making a board for someone else to connect up.
I think Itead Studio a...'re not as nice as OSH Park's boards
I'd have to disagree with you. I've purchased & sold hundreds of itead boards as kits and CCAs (assembled boards) and they are very nice. Very.
Ten 5cm x 5cm boards for $9.90 is very inexpensive.
CrossRoads:
I'll wirewrap the occasional board, but for $10 to $20 for 5x5cm and 10x10cm boards, all double sided, soldermasked, and stencilled, I go to PCB almost all the time now. Have to create a schematic no matter what so design-time wise that's the same, have to work out a placement either way, and I really like having the components labelled.
+1
I have started to add fields of stuff. like 3 reistors in a row with each end close to ground or neutral and then an extra pad where they connect. I have come to the dance a few times and needed an extra LED or voltage divider.
and with 9 extra boards, you can build in some general functionality. add an I2C pinout, even if you don't use it.
add an LCD (serial and parallel) if you have the room.
I do not want to design an Arduino PCB on my own.
You can greatly simplify your project by plopping a cheap Nano onto/into another board which you can use to connect other components/devices to the Nano.
CrossRoads:
I'd have to disagree with you. I've purchased & sold hundreds of itead boards as kits and CCAs (assembled boards) and they are very nice. Very.
Ten 5cm x 5cm boards for $9.90 is very inexpensive.
I'm glad you mentioned this. I pulled out some of my Itead boards and you're right, they are nice.
I just got done writing my reasons for thinking OSH Park boards were still better than the Itead boards but then I found some photos of my OSH Park boards which made me question my opinion of OSH Park.
Here's one of these photos. (I got some solder on the right PCB's "DOUT" pad. The "DOUT" ring didn't look that bad when the PCB arrived.)
The rings and the holes aren't perfectly aligned. Of course a small amount of alignment error occurs in pretty much all PCB manufacturing but I had thought OSH Park's alignment was superior to Itead Studio's alignment. I no longer think this. After spending a bit of time comparing the various PCBs I have, I'm inclined to think my Itead boards have the best alignment of the three fab houses I've tried.
One thing that makes OSH Park's boards look nice is the gold plating. OSH Park does the EGIN by default, other PCB houses charge extra for gold plating.
If I had the boards below made from OSH Park, they would cost much more than what I paid to have them made at Itead Studios.
I found a few more photos of my OSH Park boards . Here's a small magnetic encoder board meant to be small enough to replace a pot.
I like to use OSH Park for small PBCs. OSH Park has a very small minimum board size and since you pay by the square inch, you can have a set of three small PCBs made for a few dollars.
Here is a PCB to hold optical encoders for use inside a servo.
I'm not convinced this is a practical idea.
I also mentioned Dirty PCB.
If you have surface mount parts, it's really nice to have stencils for the solder paste. Dirty PCB makes it easy to order stencils at the same time as ordering the boards.
I thought the Dirty PCBs looked good but I'm not sure the alignment is as good as some other fab houses. Here's a close up of one of the boards pictured above.
Some of the rings around the holes aren't completely symmetrical and the ring sizes don't look completely consistent.
Another thing I like about Dirty PCBs (it's not their name) is they offer more colors than many of the other inexpensive fab houses.
In case it's not obvious, I think this stuff is intensely fun. Being able to have a PCB made allows all sorts of possibilities. For example, I like Adafruit's NeoPixel rings (and I think the price is good) but I thought the 16 pixel ring was a little too big for a specific application. I drew up a board in DipTrace and had it made at OSH Park.
Adafruits board is at the top of the photo and my smaller boards are at the bottom of the photo.
I wish I had thought to add a small PCB design to the center since it wouldn't have cost any more than the ring by itself.
