Share tips you have come across

[LarryD]

PCB Eyelets Used as Wire Ferrules

PCB eyelets crimped on stranded wires keeps those strands under control.

This process makes wire connections easier and less likely to result in fabrication problems.

The Following images show the technique:

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EDIT
When stripping insulation from wires, highly recommend using an insulation displacement type wire stripper:

[LarryD]

Hand Soldering Castellated Components

It can be difficult to solder castellated components as the area to the left and right of the cove is, usually, glass epoxy.

If you follow the images below, you should achieve good results when hand soldering these devices.

[LarryD]

Flattening Solder Ahead of Time

Further to post #1015.

Share tips you have come across

Solder Flattening with Parallel Pliers. Further to post #1010. Also see post : You can flatten solder to aid in hand soldering of small SMD components. Use cleaned parallel pliers to flatten a length of .5 mm solder. With the flattened solder, you have an easier job in limiting the amount of solder applied to your PCB pads. [A] [B] [C] [D] [E]

It can be difficult to source thin solder for SMD work.

Very thin solder seems to not have an appropriate amount of flux.

.5mm is a bit too large for soldering SMDs and usually results in using too much.

Parallel Pliers work well for flattening solder as you go; the main problem is it cuts into your soldering productivity and your soldering rhythm.

If you have a hard plastic or metal roller you can flatten solder quite fast and do it ahead of time.

Prepare few meters so it is ready to go when needed.

See the following images for this technique.

[TomGeorge]

Hi,
Nice, but your bench is TOO clean....

I don't get a chance to do a proper clean of my bench at work, that's why we have the equivalent of an intern.
When clean it still shows battle scars.

Tom...

[LarryD]

Making a Reasonable looking Test Jig

The following images show how to build a test jig.

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• Design your front panel layout.
• Print a 1:1 paper copy and add double stick tape.
• Laminate.

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Enlarge the holes for your LEDs switches etc.

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See this post for soldering the proto board components:

Share tips you have come across

Soft Hold Down Attachment for Component Soldering Further to Post #813 The old sharp tipped Hold Down tool, works well for most SMD components like 1206s etc. When it comes to bare wire busbars or MELF diodes, it can be quite challenging to solder them properly on your prototype PCBs. The following images describe how to fabricate a new attachment that makes your soldering jobs easy and faster. [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K]

[LarryD]

Bucket For Easy Access to Soldering Tools

New to Soldering ?

Stay organized by placing your soldering tools for easy access in a tool bucket.

Have several tool buckets for repeating jobs

[LarryD]

Faster Soldering Iron Tip Recovery ?

Small soldering iron tips can have a long recovery time after you solder a connection.

The modification shown is done on a FX-888D soldering iron.

It seems to make the recovery time shorter.

Make the filler tube size so the tip can still easily fit over the assembly.

If you make the modification, please let us know what you discover.

[westfw]

This silicon putty:

E/FUSING 900 Moldable Silicone Putty - Black: Amazon.com: Industrial &...

withstands soldering temperatures, and can be used to hold components in place when you're doing evil things like expecting the solder to provide mechanical integrity (say, soldering header pins flat agains a board.)

(It's a pretty substantial-size package, especially since it's mostly re-usable. Unfortunately, smaller batches of silicone putties that I tried (ie "Silly Putty" are NOT capable of sustaining the same heat.)

[wilykat]

@TomGeorge

Hi,
Nice, but your bench is TOO clean....

I don't get a chance to do a proper clean of my bench at work, that's why we have the equivalent of an intern.
When clean it still shows battle scars.

Tom...

He's too busy coming up with useful inventions for us to actually do something that would make a mess of his workbench

[TomGeorge]

When you run out of bench space, you improvise..

Tom...

[LarryD]

Arduino links of interest.

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How to use this forum:

How to get the best out of this forum

Welcome to the Arduino forum! A guide explaining how to get the best out of this forum is available at the link below. Please read it:

Example sketches:
https://docs.arduino.cc/built-in-examples/

Getting started:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide

Basics of C++ on an Arduino

The Basics of C++ on an Arduino, Part 1: Variables

Arduino Programming Course
Programming course

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Listing of downloadable 'Arduino PDFs' :

Either Google >>>- - - - > arduino filetype: pdf
Or click the link immediately below:
100s of PDFs for Arduino

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Arduino MASTERCLASS | What can Arduino do? PART 1

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Get Started in C++ Programming

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Listing of downloadable 'C++ PDFs' :

Either Google >>>- - - - > C++ filetype: pdf
Or
100s of C++ PDFs

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Arduino cheat sheet:

Arduino_Cheat_Sheet-11-12-13.pdf

Watch these:

Arduino programming syntax:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CbJHL_P5RJ8

Arduino arithmetic operators:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UUx0_s-ElSs

Arduino control flow:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QpPGGuaGbCA

Arduino data types:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xmZXWMEltEc

Understanding Destructive LC Voltage Spikes:

Pololu - Understanding Destructive LC Voltage Spikes

OR

destructive_LC_voltage_spikes.pdf

Flyback diodes and why you need them

Any component that relies on an electromagnet or coil of wire for its operation will be inductive, that is the nature of coils of wire. Common examples are relays, solenoid and most types of motor. It is standard practice to put a 'flyback' diode across any inductive load in order to catch the back emf from the inductor when the current is interrupted. This requirement is usually taken at face value without being backed up by any kind of test results or evidence. This tutorial provides the evid…

# Seven Habits of Successful 2-Layer Board

Seven Habits of Successful 2-Layer Board Designers

Why decoupling capacitors:

"You must Unlearn what You have Learned"

Some things to read

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LCD information:

Character LCDs

OR

character-lcds.pdf

Reading a schematic:

How to Read a Schematic - SparkFun Learn

Language Reference:
https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/

Foundations:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Foundations

How and Why to avoid delay():

Arduino Playground - HomePage

Demonstration code for several things at the same time.
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=223286.0

How to power a project:

How to Power a Project - SparkFun Learn

Ladyada's Learn Arduino - Lesson #0:

Ladyada's Learn Arduino - Lesson #0

Multitasking:
Part 1:

Multi-tasking the Arduino - Part 1

Part 2:

Multi-tasking the Arduino - Part 2

Part 3:

Multi-tasking the Arduino - Part 3

Sparkfun Tutorials:

Tutorials - SparkFun Learn

Micro Controllers:

Digital Circuits 7: MCUs... how do they work?

Useful links:
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=384198.0

Arduino programming traps, tips and style guide:

Gammon Forum : Electronics : Microprocessors : Arduino programming traps,...

Arduino programming course:

Arduino Programming Course Contents

Jeremy Blume:

Arduino products:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/hardware

Motors/MOSFETs

Gammon Forum : Electronics : Microprocessors : Driving motors, lights, etc....

MOSFETs

Making a library
https://docs.arduino.cc/learn/contributions/arduino-creating-library-guide

Switches:

Gammon Forum : Electronics : Microprocessors : Switches tutorial

Arduino Cookbook: Recipes to Begin, Expand, and Enhance Your Projects: Margolis,...

Soldering FYI

PACE Inc. Soldering SMD fine pitch component (8a) Hot Air Mini Wave Soldering

Professional Hand Soldering: Surface Mount QFP 208 Fine-Pitch

Master Soldering: Surface Mount Fine-Pitch - Highly Recommended

Professional SMT Soldering: Hand Soldering Techniques - Surface Mount

Master Soldering: IPC J-STD-001 Chip & MELF soldering

Professional Solder Training - How to: Surface Mount DPAK

Professional Soldering: Hand Soldering Techniques - Lead Free

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Servos

Servos Explained - SparkFun Electronics

Hobby Servo Tutorial - SparkFun Learn

Tips and Traps

Gammon Forum : Electronics : Microprocessors : Arduino programming traps,...

Share tips you have come across, 900+ posts:
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.0

Debug discussion:
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=215334.msg1575801#msg1575801

Frequently Asked Questions:
https://support.arduino.cc/hc/en-us

SMD soldering:

soldering smd - Bing

Serial Communications

Serial Input Basics - updated

Updated Version Please note that this is a revised version of the advice in this earlier Thread which has become very long. As far as possible I have kept the code examples identical or simplifed them slightly. It should not be necessary to refer to the older Thread, but feel free to do so. Contents The following sections are in this Tutorial Introduction Serial data is slow by Arduino standards Example 1 - Receiving single characters Why code is organized into functions Exampl…

nRF24L01

Simple nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz transceiver demo

Introduction The nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz transceiver modules are cheap and very effective but I have come across a few Threads in which people were having trouble with them so I thought it might be useful to gather together in one place a basic step-by-step sequence for getting them to work. EDIT 03 Feb 2021 - For this Tutorial install Version 1.1.7 of the RF24 library (available with the Arduino Library Manager). More information in Reply #30. Edit 29 Aug 2016. I have today downloaded and successfu…

How to make and post a schematic:

How to make a schematic you can post.

When you submit a question on the forum you will usually need to add a schematic (circuit diagram). The tutorial that follows will explain some ways to create a useful image; however lets start by explaining how to add the image to your post. Its easy. Having created the image all you need to do is : Save the image somewhere convenient - maybe your desktop Start your post, and place the cursor (insertion point) where you want the image to be shown; [upload image to forum] 3: click th…

LEDs

How LED works ⚡ What is a LED (Light Emitting Diode)

Relays

Arduinos with relays

Number 'type's.

• boolean (8 bit) - simple logical true/false, Arduino does not use single bits for bool
• byte (8 bit) - unsigned number from 0 to 255
• char (8 bit) - signed number from -128 to 127. The compiler will attempt to interpret this data type as a character in some circumstances, which may yield unexpected results
• unsigned char (8 bit) - same as 'byte'; if this is what you're after, you should use 'byte' instead, for reasons of clarity
• word (16 bit) - unsigned number from 0 to 65535
• unsigned int (16 bit)- the same as 'word'. Use 'word' instead for clarity and brevity
• int (16 bit) - signed number from -32768 to 32767. This is most commonly what you see used for general purpose variables in Arduino example code provided with the IDE
• unsigned long (32 bit) - unsigned number from 0 to 4,294,967,295. The most common usage of this is to store the result of the millis() function, which returns the number of milliseconds the current code has been running
• long (32 bit) - signed number from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
• float (32 bit) - signed number from -3.4028235E38 to 3.4028235E38. Floating point on the Arduino is not native; the compiler has to jump through hoops to make it work. If you can avoid it, you should. We'll touch on this later. Sparkfun.
• You select the 'type' best suited for your variables.

ex:

• your variable does not change and it defines a pin on the Arduino. const byte limitSwitchPin = 34;
• since an analog variable can be 0 to 1023, a byte will not do, you can select 'int'. int temperature;
• if your variable needs to be within -64 to +64 a 'char' will do nicely. char joystick;
• if your variable is used for ASCII then you need type 'char', char myText[ ] = "Raspberry Pie Smells";
• if your variable enables some code then boolean can be used. boolean enableFlag = false;
• millis() returns the time in ms since rebooting, unsigned long currentTime = millis();
  etc.

Variables

Arduino IDE: Variables

Arduino Math

https://www.baldengineer.com/arduino-math-fixes.html

EEPROM

https://www.baldengineer.com/arduino-eeprom-stores-any-datatype.html

Decoupling

Decoupling capacitors

Oh, and have fun too !

[LarryD]

44 button IR remote for your projects

This was posted a while back.

Some here might be interested in doing something similar.

FYI: 44 button IR remote for your projects

I thought this might be of some interest to those who need a simple method to send keyboard data to their Arduino projects. IR keypad used: See the sketch below for implementation. Attached is a modified Library to handle code IR reception. Enjoy. // //44 button IR remote //NEC - IR code //LarryD // //This task demonstrates interfacing to a 44 button IR remote //which is commonly available on EBay for $3 - $5 USD. //These remotes usually come with a controller which includes a //all in on…

[anon44338819]

Use a switch connecting the RESET pin to the GND pin. Now, if you want to turn the Arduino off without unplugging in or cutting power to components, flip the switch!

[GigaNerdTheReckoning]

If you happen to order a terminal shield which is the wrong width for your ESP32 board, because everyone's favorite Asian Ecommerce site never provides an adequate description, then you can get a heavy-duty razor blade (cheap box cutters probs won’t work), score the board down the middle a few dozen times, then snap it apart with your hands. I used a narrow piece of flat bar to line up the first few scores. Finish it off with a file and sandpaper when done. Also drill additional mounting holes if you like. I Then cleaned all the dust away with some IPA and a brush. soapy water might be fine too.

wear a respirator during the entire process.

I then experimented with applying a thin coat of 2-part epoxy adhesive to all the edges, using both my gloved fingers and a cotton swab. This worked great in sealing up all the nasty fiber's which may have been left in my machining process, and gave the added benefit of a silky-smooth corner finish, which is actually way nicer to handle than any other pcb component I've purchased

[TomGeorge]

Hi,
I have had a similar situation when making a test jig for a product, my boss simply got the angle grinder out with a cutting disk and did the same thing.
Yes PPE was worn, and we used a couple of layers of conformal spray to fix the cut edges.

Tom....

[GigaNerdTheReckoning]

Luckily the particular PCB composite used for the shield cut very easily. I've had some trouble hand cutting and drilling some other boards. Thanks for alerting me about that conformal spray.

thanks

[camsysca]

If you want the result to be a board, not two, then just epoxy a stiff material across the gap. Maybe a piece of PCB, or a piece of other sheet goods. Result is a card that may not be as rigid as the original, but can still be mounted on the corner standoffs quite acceptably.
C

[LarryD]

Two Quick Hints

1. Over sized flat component leads can be difficult to plug into solderless breadboards.
   These oversized leads can even damage the springs in the breadboard conductors.
   It takes only a few seconds to modify these component leads so they can be accommodated better.
   Flat leads are bent at 90 degrees, so their orientation lines up with the breadboard spring mechanism.

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2. Use the plastic standoffs from male headers on other components to stabilize them and lift the component off the PCB surface.
   Pull the male header pins out of the standoffs, insert the new component leads in the plastic standoff holes.

[fattatron3000]

I've found neodymium magnets attached to walls or your work bench or wherever you make your projects at is extremely convenient, I almost exclusively use it, it's great for any tool with at least a small section of metal, which is almost every tool. If your magnet is neodymium, the tools (I'm assuming nobody here would try to put anything other than small - medium hand tools on it ), and it's very easy to just pull it off with minimal force and reattach it hanging, which uses space that would be hard to utilize otherwise and frankly is kinda cool.

[JohnRob]

I have a pair with super sharp tips. For the most part they hang on the wire/test rack. I only need them for some SMD measurements. The day to day probes are pretty dull.