| Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff |
| Using jumpers to quickly swap components |
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| HendriXML:
--- Quote from: Fire Doger on February 21, 2019, 01:27:09 am --- --- Quote from: HendriXML on February 21, 2019, 12:52:26 am --- --- Quote from: KL27x on February 21, 2019, 12:37:50 am ---I spent a couple years making "useful stuff" like this. I think it's just a phase some of us go through. :) Prediction. In 2 years, you will be using mostly smd parts and swapping them out with a hot air station. --- End quote --- Just curious, but how does one prototype with smd parts without using designed pcb’s? --- End quote --- They don't, they design PCBs *(Unless you mean prototyping something basic that can be calculated on the back of an envelope) The question is what kind of pcbs For simple layouts They break it into small schematics according to functionality and build them individually for faster workflow, debugging etc... If its simple (no tiny tracks, BGA etc) then probably you can do it on a diy pcb. If you got a set up for home pcds it will be very fast. It takes me 1h to print it while doing something else at the same time. For complex layouts (BGA - Multylayer) You rely on datasheet, examples, appnotes, etc. Good EDA helps too. Many times "calculating" may be much more expensive than building it. Everyone at the end have to build it as final product. PCB is part of the circuit and interacts with it. (you can see it clearly when speed-voltage-current-temperature goes up) Ending with many prototype pcbs is not unusual... The key is to minimise the number/cost of them. --- End quote --- Thanks. Making my own PCB’s is not on my list yet, and to have them manufactured takes a while. So in the mean time I’ll be having fun with THT and perfboards. For me it is a hobby, where I find the part of soldering fun as well. Desoldering not so much, hence the topic. |
| james_s:
I've been prototyping lately on blank copperclad, sort of like the old "deadbug" technique. I could never get past the ugly mess it looks like previously but I've managed to develop a fairly tidy technique and it sure performs well for high frequency stuff. Things like SMPS ICs and mosfet drivers that I previously had a lot of trouble getting to work correctly are no problem this way. Big continuous ground plane works even better than a regular PCB in many cases. |
| Audioguru:
--- Quote from: james_s on February 20, 2019, 09:58:51 pm ---I mean did you come here to help, or just to show off how smart you are? --- End quote --- My help is for you to read the spec's in the datasheets then calculate what is needed to meet them. Also to buy quality components. A model was mentioned, for a simulation? Most simulations simply use "typical" active parts, ignoring minimum and maximum spec's so some of the assembled circuits will not work. You can either throw away the ones that don't work or fiddle with them if all the spec's were ignored. |
| Siwastaja:
--- Quote from: HendriXML on February 21, 2019, 12:52:26 am ---Just curious, but how does one prototype with smd parts without using designed pcb’s? --- End quote --- Easily. - 0402, 0603 and 0805 passives fit between two pads on standard through-hole breadboards, if you want to use those. SOT-23 and similar also fit just fine, - For many circuits, use bare copper clad FR4 as a full ground plane. Dead-bug ICs (turn them around), bend the ground pins and solder them down. For power decoupling, you can solder another end of a 0603 cap to the ground copper, another end to the pin directly. For the rest, solder in air wires. Fairly easy to solder a 0603 resistor directly to a pin, leave another end hanging in air, later solder a wire to this pin. Not much slower than working with through hole parts. |
| HendriXML:
--- Quote from: Siwastaja on February 21, 2019, 09:25:50 am --- --- Quote from: HendriXML on February 21, 2019, 12:52:26 am ---Just curious, but how does one prototype with smd parts without using designed pcb’s? --- End quote --- Easily. - 0402, 0603 and 0805 passives fit between two pads on standard through-hole breadboards, if you want to use those. SOT-23 and similar also fit just fine, - For many circuits, use bare copper clad FR4 as a full ground plane. Dead-bug ICs (turn them around), bend the ground pins and solder them down. For power decoupling, you can solder another end of a 0603 cap to the ground copper, another end to the pin directly. For the rest, solder in air wires. Fairly easy to solder a 0603 resistor directly to a pin, leave another end hanging in air, later solder a wire to this pin. Not much slower than working with through hole parts. --- End quote --- With KiCad (which I use) it is possible to flip the board, thus it should stil be possible to have some visual guidance. I’m using that already to create “traces”. Using a perfboard it should also be possible to mix THT and the dead bugs. Dead bugs are then soldered on the bottom side. The “step up” to SMD for me will probably go slowly, so I like this possibility! I know that there’re also adapter boards for SMD, but those aren’t that cheap and you need to have them at stock. |
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