| Electronics > Beginners |
| Recreating mod chip designed for the Playstation 1. |
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| Katcher:
Okay so here's what I'm considering as the final board design. I'm happy with how it is but I'd still like some suggestions on some quick tweaks I could make that aren't to do with the decoupling capacitor before I generate the Gerber files. I plan on making an alternate design of this board utilising vias but I'd need to know the basics of properly using those first. |
| KL27x:
I admit that decoupling is ugly. But the guys saying "it must" "it has to" are technically completely wrong. Either the chip browns out and faults, or it doesn't. And I guarantee this would work without a decoupling cap, so long as the spot you're tapping power and ground isn't measured in feet/meters. You're not driving any inductive loads or switching large transistors, and the PS board probably has 3x as many decoupling caps sprinkled around as it really needs and rock stable voltage levels. 100% A-ok. As a learning point, you might want to check DRC settings and run a DRC check to make sure you have all the proper clearances between traces/pads. Typical fabs can do about 6-8 thousandths of an inch between traces without any additional cost. (Usually the trace width and space between traces is roughly the same for small signal traces; but it's totally fine to have fatter traces and thinner gaps as long as you keep them far enough apart, as stated). |
| Katcher:
--- Quote from: KL27x on November 06, 2018, 12:59:48 am ---I admit that decoupling is ugly. But the guys saying "it must" "it has to" are technically completely wrong. Either the chip browns out and faults, or it doesn't. And I guarantee this would work without a decoupling cap, so long as the spot you're tapping power and ground isn't measured in feet/meters. You're not driving any inductive loads or switching large transistors, and the PS board probably has 3x as many decoupling caps sprinkled around as it really needs and rock stable voltage levels. 100% A-ok. As a learning point, you might want to check DRC settings and run a DRC check to make sure you have all the proper clearances between traces/pads. Typical fabs can do about 6-8 thousandths of an inch between traces without any additional cost. (Usually the trace width and space between traces is roughly the same for small signal traces; but it's totally fine to have fatter traces and thinner gaps as long as you keep them far enough apart, as stated). --- End quote --- How do I use this DRC check? On EasyEDA I'm assuming it's Design Rule under tools? Also can I use holes in place of vias? EasyEDA keeps giving me bloody errors when I try to make vias smaller than default and it's annoying the shit out of me. |
| amyk:
--- Quote from: Katcher on November 05, 2018, 06:35:51 pm ---Space. It's going to be attached to the underside of the PU-18 motherboard around where the EJECT button of the console is when looking it it from above. The smaller the better. The initial square design is much easier to compact if needed where as a more rectangular shape resulting from the pins facing the left and right wouldn't be if I want to make the pads as easy to solder to as possible. --- End quote --- Let's step back for a second. The problem you want to solve is how to attach a modchip to your PS1. The reason they're sold with a PCB instead of as just a bare chip is solely so those who have no soldering experience can install them. Does that apply to you? If not, just glue the IC in place and dead-bug it along with its decoupling cap. Problem solved. |
| KL27x:
Well, check where you are going to make your boards... minimum via size is another "luxury add-on," when you go smaller than the minimum. Same number, here, the minimum hole size is going to be around 6-8 thousandths of an inch to not incur special costs. edit, sorry, probably about double that, around 15 mils minimum. Yes, Design Rules is what I was referring to. I'm not familiar with that software, but "holes" are usually not thru-plated, so they are not what you want. If Amyk and Co had bothered to read any of this thread, they would know that OP is embarking on an educational voyage to produce something for his own singular amusement. >:D OP, don't worry, this is just how this forum operates on a regular basis. :-DD |
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