Some notes about construction

Of course I am sure I am forgetting obvious things, so any response welcome. But here it is: a quick guide to some Best Practices in Arduino project construction.

arduino-construction-notes.pdf (6.3 MB)

EDIT: I uploaded the most recent version in the comments, below.

3 Likes

Thank you Michael.

:+1:


For labeling your panels, this might be of some interest:

2 Likes

Many thanks for this excellent description of a project.

You are welcome. Here's an example of the project documentation I mentioned.
CO2meter-box.pdf (7.8 MB)

Hello

You can 3D print the labeling as well.

1 Like

Perhaps you could include a section about determining, sizing and choosing a power supply. for the project.

Voltages, 12V 5V 3V3 USB , and current loads.
Ohms Law deserves a mention - Power !

1 Like

Good thinking. I do mention power, as you will have seen, as in the need to make sure your supply can handle the load - but not in any great detail. I can add more!

Is the standoff glued ?


FYI

Mine are glued exactly the same way! Oh wait, that IS my circuit.
Yes, sunk screws are also an option.

1 Like

UPDATED VERSION:

arduino-construction-notes.pdf (7.0 MB)

2 Likes

Very nice work !


If you have never used silicone insulated wire, you might want to give it a try.

It is especially flexible for inside cassis wiring.

image

$37.00 for 26AWG (30 strand :heart_eyes:), 500 feet.

1 Like

Yes, I use nothing but silicone wire (and for others: yes, the manual does recommend it).

If these notes are useful, I would be happy if they were more widely shared. I hear from others that this kind of instruction is missing fore new constructors.

You can wet our appetite by putting some images out front for us to see.

:wink:


BTW, clear heat shrink about 1/4” long and maybe 3 to 4 per wire bundle gets rid of the tie wraps, but you do need to think ahead to get them on. :nerd_face:

1 Like

You mean like this? :slight_smile:





1 Like

You are right about the heat shrink, that's definitely an option. Since I have no hairdryer I tend to use the iron (not touching!) near the contacts, and tie-wraps for the rest. And this gives me more flexibility: first I cut to length, and then connect, the wires, then I tie them together.

In a distant past they taught me to use waxed wire to tie cables. I was a telecoms engineer and commissioned huge phone switches worldwide. Today, I am not even sure where to get this waxed wire...

Same here :shushing_face:


I have one of these inexpensive hot air units, great for heat shrink too !

1 Like

As a manufacturing engineer, it is important that your design be modular - that is, each panel and the chassis needs to be separable to allow clean assembly and then each panel can be built, wired, and stocked.
Sure hard point to point wirings works and is easy to fab -- if you're only building one. But if you hope to sell your design, you need to design for manufacturability. Much of what is shown here is "hobbist level" -- Good, solid fab, but without an eye to making more than ONE
Making each wire individually takes time and therefore costs $$$. Using premade wires is ultimately more reliable and cheaper than hand rolling your own. In the real world, for low volume production, it is almost always better, cheaper, faster, to buy rather than build.
Was the cost of the wire $37 per roll for each color? If so, the full 10 resistor colors (most of which you seem to have used) run you 10x that, or $370! You can buy a lot of premade duponts for that!
All of the issues of wire type, crimping, crimp tools, labor, time, part inventory, etc., all vanish if you buy rather than build.
If one wants to learn STEM, they need to learn how to make a product, not just a project.

Indeed: of course this is not for production: the limiting factor is things like connectors. These are expensive, need special tools, and preclude things like the strip board used here. All this drives up the cost and production time.

If you have any product suggestions for these, though, they are welcome.

Production level needs a custom circuit board, not stripboard. I rather think of this as prototype level -- but most people here are indeed hobbyists, and I don't think that's a bad thing.

And yes, as an engineer I know something about STEM!

Using connectors similar to ST and Dupont types are reasonable in projects.

These are easily made by a hobbyist.

However, since this is a hobbyist forum, permanent connections are very appropriate and the OP shows it is quite doable.

Wiring harnesses have been used a very long time and can be more desirable.

My preference is to use connectors where possible.

These are: inexpensive, make good connections, ready made.

100MM Micro Male Female Plug Connector Wire Cables JST PH 2.0 2P 3P 4P 5P 6PIN

1 Like

Actually, $22, but that only gets me six colours. Amazon.