I'm building a PCB for Renesas' RX23E-B microcontroller. In this post: the LCD pins. I'm also using a KiCAD bus for the first time since V4. It changed a lot.
The crossed-out resistors are "do not populate". These LCD signals use the same pin a...
I'm building a PCB for Renesas' RX23E-B microcontroller. In this post: the UART / serial communications design
I've taken over the design of the Renesas Solution Starter Kit for RX23E-B, without the FTDI serial-to-USB.
I'm not sure...
I'm building a PCB for Renesas' RX23E-B microcontroller. In this post, I experiment with breaking the microcontroller schematic symbol into functional units. And I created some custom symbols and footprints.
Schematics
I'm interested to hear what yo...
Rohm's US6M2 is an IC with 2 complementary MOSFETs on a single chip. With gate-source protection diodes. I'm using them in a design, but KiCAD doesn't have a symbol for this IC. It has a number of complementary MOSFET ...
Hi all,
I have been struggling hard to find reasonable and comprehensible information on how to solder aluminum or zinc wire to a PCB. There are many texts online but all of the just say something in line with "make sure to use a flux that is su...
Thermal grease, also known as thermal paste or thermal compound, is a substance used to improve the thermal conductivity between two surfaces, typically between a microprocessor and a heat sink. The purpose of thermal grease is to fill in the microsc...
The consumer demand for compact, miniaturized, and smart electronic devices is making electronics manufacturers use the smallest available packaging footprints. As a result, Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) have become denser and more sophist...
No-clean flux is a type of soldering flux used in electronics assembly that leaves behind minimal-to-no residue after the soldering process. Flux is a material applied to surfaces before soldering to facilitate the formation of strong and reliable so...
In the electronic industry, the manufacture of printed circuit-board assemblies (PCBAs) has been greatly simplified by the adoption of “no-clean” fluxes during the soldering process. This “no-clean” solder paste intends to e...
Disclaimer: This post is rated VS (very sad); continue reading at your own risk.
Extreme temperature testing is nothing a hobbyist is normally even thinking about. The 94V-0 flammability rating that is printed on most production PCBs basically states...
Do you work with Printed Circuit Boards? Do you often use Soldering tools for a rework on the PCB with SMD components? Are you wondering why the faulty part replacement, after a rework, did not work for you even after correct troubleshooting of failure? Then head on to this blog post to understand what went wrong when you did your part of rework.
Previously, dougw shared a bench power supply video where he used an adapter he made. It had 4mm banana plugs and a USB port on it. The idea was that he could connect USB devices to a bench power supply.
I loved the idea and he did a g...
I've picked up Valve Software's Steam Deck. This (Arch) Linux based, hand-held personal computer is set at a reasonable price, can act as though it's a portable games console (often compared with the Nintendo Switch) and yet also behave like a desk...
As owner of some DC test equipment and as a big fan of automated tests, I've needed more than once to be able to route the instrument channels to multiple paths. Doing this by hand is of course not convenient, so I looked for better ways to do it. On...
Part 2b of the exercise to create a custom footprint for the Amphenol / SV Microwave SF2921-61506-1S SMA coaxial connector. In the previous post created the initial footprint boundaries. Now: the rest.
C...
Part 2 of the exercise to create a custom footprint for the Amphenol / SV Microwave SF2921-61506-1S SMA coaxial connector. The previous post checked the possible layout. In this one, I'm drawing it in the footprin...
I'm going to draw my first footprint in the KiCad 7 Footprint editor.
I have experience with previous versions. To try out version 7, I'm going to make one for the Amphenol / SV Microwave SF2921-61506-1S SMA...
LibraryLoader is a utility from Supplyframe/Samacsys, that allows you to find component footprints online and convert them to the EDA you use. I installed it today and used it to load an Amphenol / SV Microwave SF2921-61506-...
The new technique is known as MIMIC and allows engineers to print circuits on everything from latex gloves to contact lenses. (Image credit: NC State)
Engineers at NC State have developed a novel technique to print flexible circuits on curved and co...
This blog is to make available the USB to Banana Plug adapter design in case anyone else wants to build one.
This adapter converts a standard 2 pin banana jack to a USB connector and a 0.1" pitch header. This allows bench power supplies to&...
For the 2022 Holiday Season, I'm designing an Ornament-Style PCB. (Last year I did a PCB Gift Box with LEDs.)
In short, it is a 1.8" TFT LCD connected to a Pi Pico (W). The idea is to display GIFs downloaded on the LCD. I've started on the initial PC...
I have been looking for (and not been successful) in sourcing a through-hole PCB boards with 3.5mm hole pitch. Everything I see off-the-shelf is 2.54mm hole pitch. Even the solderless breadboards don't have 3.5mm.
I need to mount/solder on the PC...
I’m looking for some recommendation on KiCAD netclass board setup. What do you use for clearance, via size and track width?
I realize the most appropriate response to this questions depends on a number of factors. I’m hoping for a genera...
I am moving from generating PCB layouts using Fritzing to KiCAD. It has been something I have been considering for a while. I have been investing some resources (time, money and energy) in learning KiCAD 6. I have just completed the module on constru...
In a recent blog, I made a pcb for a piezo sensor circuit. image: the schematic in KiCadI used general common sense when doing the layout. I put the components and traces in such a way that they fitted and didn't have trace crossings. B...
