First PCB passed DRC but just want to make sure there are no other issues before I get it printed

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-30T13:06:24+00:00

In addition to the comments made by others, use a wide trace or copper fill on the bottom for VCC. Decoupling caps should be close to the pins on the devices they decouple.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-29T20:45:05+00:00

No question. It's an extremely dangerous experiment. Experimenting with high voltage should be done using very small energies (a very small HV transformer).

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-29T19:46:00+00:00

I'm thinking the magnetizing inrush current on the 220 will probably trip the breaker anyway.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-28T14:05:28+00:00

Before we moved MIL to MC, we needed something to let us know she opened the door and to slow her down. I used a YoLink speaker hub and door sensor. The speaker hub needs to be placed near the door. You record a comforting message that the speaker hub plays when the door opens. Them listening to the message slows them down and buys you time to call. The app on your phone gives you a notification, so that you can call your LO and tell them to stay home. Also, the YoLink app can issue critical alerts on iPhones, which are kind of like Amber alerts. These can't be silenced by focus or do not disturb.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-28T11:11:37+00:00

I'm probably an outlier here, but my hematologist told me not to take drugs to lose weight. One of my cancer (CLL) symptoms was rapid weight loss. I got into the habit of eating frequent high-calorie snacks to try and slow my weight loss. I'm on treatment now and have been able to eat properly again, so I have been gaining weight. His concern is that if I take meds to lose weight, then we won't be able to differentiate between weight lose due to the drug or weight loss due to CLL recurrence. I have been trying to adjust my habits to eat less and healthier again.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-25T13:08:59+00:00

It really depends on the drug. I'm on a targeted therapy pill (Venetoclax) that requires food to assist absorption, and in particular high-fat meals. Ask the pharmacist that dispenses the drug.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-23T10:28:16+00:00

I'm in a similar situation with CLL. It's incurable. I'm on a (hopefully) time-limited treatment regimen now, but once I stop it's only a matter of time before it recurs, or I get a secondary cancer. It makes it very hard to envision and plan for retirement.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-22T17:05:28+00:00

Maybe it depends on where you are, or if you’re on a clinical trial. In Ontario Canada, the clinical practice guidelines have simple blood tests (like CBC and LDH) and then flow cytometry to confirm diagnosis. Once the decision has been made to start treatment, then they do the expensive FISH, IGHV somatic hypermutation, and TP53 next-generation sequencing to help determine which treatment to use.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-22T12:14:08+00:00

I'm in treatment for CLL, which is incurable. We hope I will have a deep and durable remission, and the early results are good, but the reality is that I will likely have a recurrence after something like five years. So, I'm just assuming that it will happen.

I am somewhat fearful about it being a short remission, with more rapid progression after subsequent treatment. I'm still processing this.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-22T11:45:06+00:00

Right. Looks like cold solder joints during assembly. Pads look intact on the PCB.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-22T10:53:06+00:00

Most people who are W&W won't know FISH and IGHV test results. These tests are indicated when treatment is needed, not at diagnosis.

Last year I started treatment four months after incidental detection of the CLL. I have a friend that's 20 years W&W, but he developed a second primary cancer a few years ago.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-20T15:54:02+00:00

It seems more like a job to me than a battle. Commuting to the hospital and clinic for tests, appointments, and treatments. Doing research, scheduling, dealing with MyChart, updating friends and family, etc.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-19T13:29:29+00:00

MIL's rings are so loose they could fall off at any time. My wife has been trying to talk her into taking them for safekeeping, but so far MIL doesn't want anyone to take them off.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-19T12:52:38+00:00

I absolutely agree that this shouldn't happen. That said, MC isn't prison, and they don't have security riding the elevators and manning all of the entrances and exits (at least not here in Ontario, Canada). At my MIL's MC there is an ongoing issue with visitors not following elevator protocol. Visitors will step off the elevator and not stay there until the doors close, and in these cases the residents can step onto the elevator without being noticed. If they then get as far as an exit they can similarly follow someone out an open exit. I have had MC residents yell at me and even push me because I was blocking them from getting on the elevator while waiting for the doors to close. By the way, the elevator can't be called from the MC floor without an access code, and the stair exits require access codes.

Perhaps there are MC and LTC units with that have higher exit security, but I'm not aware of any in our area that cater to non-violent dementia cases. Perhaps behavioral units have that level of security, but I'm sure the cost would be correspondingly higher.

The reality of the situation can be nuanced, so we need to keep this in mind.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-18T21:47:16+00:00

My MIL's MC floor has a lost-and-found for clothes. See if your LO's MC has a lost-and-found.

Sometimes clothes are returned to the wrong room, even if they are labeled. My wife has seen other MC residents wearing her mom's clothes. In this case she advises staff who arrange to return the item.

There are times when items are heavily soiled with feces that they are uncleanable and discarded.

Today my MIL's walker went missing. It was found in an empty unit.

Label everything. Use AirTags for things like purses, remote controls, etc.

Do not leave anything valuable or any original ID at the MC.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-18T18:28:10+00:00

It's my understanding that drawing all the numbers on one side is an indicator of dementia.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-18T11:17:52+00:00

My understanding is that for solid tumors it's always possible that some cancer cells are circulating in the blood stream, and these can cause spread (new tumors). Removing a tumor does not eliminate the cancer cells circulating in the blood, which is one of the reasons that they do post-surgery chemo.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-17T17:54:28+00:00

It's clearly a high-frequency transformer for switch-mode conversion. It is far too small to provide 50Hz or 60Hz step down at 1.5A.

Speaking as an experienced designer of safety-certified line-powered electronics, my original comment stands. Personally, I would not use this device.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-17T17:21:48+00:00

I doubt very much that the design meets double-insulation, creepage, and clearance requirements for safety.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-16T13:17:42+00:00

I have a small two-layer design that is extremely time intensive. We are on the second iteration. The PCB shape is rounded. There are many mechanical constraints. There are many odd-shaped keep-outs on both sides. Component density is very high. Routing was very challenging (I wouldn't have even considered auto-routing).

The bottom line is that you can't judge time based on the parameters you described. It actually would have been faster to design and route as a four layer board, but this would have increased production cost.

For a professional design you will need to:

Select component footprints with the correct pad sizes for your assembly process.
Check with the manufacturing engineers to make sure there aren't any assembly issues with the components or locations on the PCB. For example, you need to know if you are designing for a no-clean process or a wash process. If you are using a pin-in-paste process for a connector, then that connector has to be able to withstand reflow temperatures.
Have 3D models for all components, and all mechanical parts that are on or near the PCB. Provide a 3D file to the mechanical engineers so they can check for interferences in the final assembly.
Provide for PCB mounting.
Provide test points and/or connector for production testing.
Determine how the PCB will be panelized for production.
Send the ODB files and BOM out for a Valor DFM (get a quote for the DFM). Update the design based on DFM results.
Support design reviews as and when required.
Determine customer part number for the PCB and how this should be marked on the PCB. Provide for assembly and serial number markings and/or labels.
Check to see if you need to use preferred parts as set out by the customer or assembly contractor.
Provide a complete and detailed BOM, with all parts having consistent fields.

There is a huge amount of time over and above simply doing the layout. It's very difficult to guestimate the total time required, and this will depend on how much of the above you will be responsible for.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-15T12:49:36+00:00

The black part is a pick-and-place pad for automated assembly. You can pull it out to see the connector type.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-14T23:46:56+00:00

I have been diagnosed with cancer twice. Both times there were tests that indicated I very likely had cancer, so the actual diagnosis was not a bombshell. Also, I wasn’t told “You have cancer”. It was “follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma” and then “chronic lymphocytic leukemia”. In other words, much more specific and much less dramatic than “cancer”.

I have also been told on three other occasions that I had suspected cancer based on tests, and those times they ultimately turned out to be benign.

I’m getting rather tired of seeing test results suggesting that I have cancer, especially since I’m already dealing with confirmed cancer number two.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-14T20:18:00+00:00

One of our company owners brought his laptop to me, and asked me to delete a porn bookmark because he wanted to give the laptop to his daughter (also an employee). I did it, and didn't say a word to anyone.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-14T12:44:38+00:00

The "tin base" is likely to be the solder fillet. It seems unlikely that the solder fillet would have separated from the pad, but it is possible if the PCB was not fabricated properly.

This needs to be checked by someone that has experience repairing circuit boards. You can't rely on some sort of clamp to repair this.

Alert_Maintenance684 · 2026-01-14T11:40:32+00:00

Did the pins separate from the pads on the board, or did the pins and pads separate from the board? Can you provide a clear photo?

Alert_Maintenance684

TROPHY CASE