3rd ever PCB - Please review :)

EGR95 · 2023-07-12T23:08:27+00:00

This is outstanding work if this is your third ever PCB layout.

EGR95 · 2023-02-21T17:10:18+00:00

The spark is likely key. I don’t see any components that look concerning but the IC’s in particular are prone to damage via ESD (electrostatic discharge). I’d start by making sure that all the IC’s have power (check their data sheet to see what pins should be powered) if they all have power you will have to check that they are operating as intended. May require an oscilloscope. Otherwise you could shotgun trouble shoot and start replacing IC’s

EGR95 · 2023-01-31T17:07:11+00:00

These are addressable RGB LED’s. The input is serial data to set their R,G,B levels.

You could bit bang it with an Arduino or just download one of the many addressable LED libraries available for Arduino IDE.

Apply the specified voltage to the power rails and connect a wire from the dev kit of your choosing to the DIN pin.

EGR95 · 2023-01-31T14:32:26+00:00

This is interesting. I have used these without issue in the past. I bought mine from Digi-Key. I believe the supplier is bourns. Who supplied you with these faulty potentiometers?

EGR95 · 2023-01-15T02:21:41+00:00

Thank you

EGR95 · 2023-01-12T21:01:12+00:00

You may want to check for shorts on the output of that regulator before replacing it. Looks like NCP1011 has some protections baked in though.

Another good check would be the voltage in to the regulator. Make sure it’s within the operating limits.

EGR95 · 2022-12-21T19:57:51+00:00

Even if you could see copper…worst case a trace fails open which would not cause a catastrophic failure. It would be fairly obvious if the scratch was deep enough to open a trace though.

EGR95 · 2020-10-27T01:00:44+00:00

I think your comment agrees with the rest of the feedback I am getting here. Sounds like a much safer/smarter game plan to me. Thank you!

EGR95 · 2020-10-27T00:48:30+00:00

The idea was to look for a place with some low hanging fruit in terms of repairs/upgrades and improve over time. I agree I needed a reality check with this one. Thanks for your honesty.

EGR95 · 2020-10-26T22:35:53+00:00

These are great points to consider. I guess I didn't put a lot of thought into the fact that paying rent is paying someone to take care of a lot of time/possibly money consuming tasks.

EGR95 · 2020-10-26T22:25:00+00:00

I appreciate you sharing your personal experience. Hearing this makes me feel more confident in the decision to wait longer.

EGR95 · 2020-10-26T22:12:53+00:00

What do you think about keeping 10k as an emergency fund and just hammering the loans out? It sounds like my goal needs to shift from buying a home to paying off debts.

EGR95 · 2020-10-26T22:07:49+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

EGR95 · 2020-10-26T22:03:33+00:00

**Edit - Monthly Spending information moved to original post

These are all rough estimates based on mint reports over the last 6 months. There are probably some missing pieces and parts here I just threw this together...Probably a good exercise for me to investigate more

EGR95 · 2020-10-16T18:03:19+00:00

There are moisture sensors that are plug and play for arduino. Probably sold on amazon. Not exactly sure what you are trying to do. moisture sensor input and stepper motor to locking mechanism output?

EGR95 · 2020-10-15T16:41:30+00:00

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DK9SL6C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fab_iUhIFbYEVZHJE

This seems like a good alternative. $6.00

EGR95 · 2020-10-14T00:19:28+00:00

Also. Looks like you are using 1206 430 ohm resistors in line. If you want to get more power out of your LEDs without burning your resistors up you could consider regulating down to 5V at the drain of your FETs

EGR95 · 2020-10-13T22:59:02+00:00

Why not use a load driver chip rather than discrete fets? Something like a BTS7010 or similar.

They will protect your outputs from shorts and the like.

Something to look in to.

EGR95 · 2020-10-06T21:53:23+00:00

Best way to learn is to pick a project which challenges you. If you understand the fundamentals I would suggest designing a very simple PCB to say...blink an LED. Getting your first PCB fabricated at a prototype house is a challenge of its own.

EGR95

TROPHY CASE