Park Life

I have now had a lesson in patience. My PCBs arrived from OSH Park yesterday. They are of top quality. However, I should have checked over my design a few times before submission.

The first version of my Universal Arduino Programming Board with errors.

The first version of my Universal Arduino Programming Board with errors.

The first version of my Universal Arduino Programming Board with errors.

The first version of my Universal Arduino Programming Board with errors.

On the face of it, they look fine and again, I draw your attention to the very high quality that OSHPark attain. But if you take a look at this close-up image, you may spot the problems.

Universal Arduino Programming Board Version 1 Close-up view

Universal Arduino Programming Board Version 1 Close-up view

I have indicated with a red circle part of the issue. For some reason, Eagle didn’t alert me to the overlapping contacts here. Perhaps it did and I didn’t see it for what it was. A problem! Also, at the time I designed this PCB, I hadn’t found the ZIF Socket in the libraries. I thought it would be OK to use any 40-pin DIP pattern. Of course, what I failed to take in to account is that ZIF Sockets are wider than your average 40 pin DIPĀ  device and I hadn’t given enough room for it.

I have tried to salvage something from this by making an adapter and trying to work out how to outboard the crystal oscillator but I think I’m going to chalk it up to experience and order my new version at some stage.

Universal Arduino Programming Board Version 2 rendered by OSHPark

Universal Arduino Programming Board Version 2 rendered by OSHPark

For this version, I took my time and found a ZIF Socket pattern. I’ve laid it out in a completely different configuration and spent some time to label things properly on the silk screen. Before I order any, I will check it again to make absolutely sure I have not made any mistakes.

A long time ago, when I was at school, an engineering teacher told me ‘Measure thrice, check twice, cut once only’. I should have put that into practice!

 

About admin

Twitter @Project_AVR
This entry was posted in Equipment and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.