Proto-Board Demonstration

I've since gone to a two button interface for all control and settings (no more potentiometers or small screw drivers for setting). User settings are stored in EEPROM instead of using a voltage comparator and potentiometers to adjust. Also, this is filmed with a .5" 14 segment 4 digit display, I'll be going with something half the size for production that's 7 segment and 3 digit (units will be determined by common sense). Working on developing the code for the new LED driver now.

Right now, it's looking like this will be two modules. Display/button module for one, that's connected to the controller/power supply for the other. All connected with the same miniature waterproof JST connectors used in trailtech products for commonality.

Custom 15 inch Family Stainless and Black Clock

This is a neat idea I had this past Holiday Season for a gift idea. It turned out so much better than I expected I've decided to start offering them for sale. Check out the Etsy listing! Buy direct or through etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/226335869/15-family-member-custom-clock?ref=listings_manager_grid

Almost working SMD prototype

So I whipped up an etched board of my lastest revision of the thermal protection idea I'm working on, and it turned out pretty nice and ALMOST worked. Almost, because I'm an idiot and shifted the top row of pins on the TQFP package and the clock and data lines for the screen were going to button inputs instead of data lines for the screen.

It wasn't a total failure though. It's a tiny tiny double sided board and is the first home etched board I've ever assembled. All my traces lined up for the bottom to top connections, and I successfully soldered the SMD 32 TQFP package to the board and was able to communicate with it through the ISP headers I integrated to the board design - all of whose pins changed sides on the board. (#winning). I didn't bother to finish populating the connectors and last components when I found out the screen wasn't going to work.

Technically it works, just not fully.

Below is a comparison. The protoboard is about 3.2 x 2 inches and the home etched board I designed is 1.7 x 1". I've finally got the etching process down to get great etches most of the time.

Maybe tomorrow I'll have the gumption to etch a board that has the pins shifted to the proper positions :P

I also received this nifty little POGO flashing tool today from Hobby King that works on 32TQFP. It's pretty killer and is gonna allow me to get rid of the ISP pins on my board and use that room for a fun feature idea I have ;)

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__27195__Atmel_Atmega_Socket_Firmware_Flashing_Tool.html

PCB Prototype Drill Bits

I could have gotten SO MUCH done this weekend if they'd arrived last Tuesday like they said they were going to. Pretty tiny! 0.2-0.6mm with 1/8" shanks. I'm mostly going to be using the 0.6mm and 0.3mm, but I'm worried about breaking the 0.3mm bit. These will get chucked up in my dremel since they're 1/8" shank. Also, MADE IN JAPAN!!!! Cool!

0.2mm

0.6mm

Minarelli Fan Mold Making + Preliminary Casting

Here's the top mold... Stay tuned for the bottom mold and preliminary cast. Released the model GREAT. Super stoked.

Printed mold enclosure + integrated mold registration keys. These were printed in two parts in ABS plastic.

This is the negative that will be cast. The division line is on the top flat surface of the fan. Interesting thing about 3D printing, is instead of having to embed the part in clay, you can just print each negative, resulting in a much easier process, and less clean up.

The ring of clay on the bottom will seal the fan negative to the glass.

Mold of top of fan.

Casting the bottom half of the mold.

First fan cast. Takes 10 minutes instead of 3.5 hours + assembly. Mild flashing to clean up and heat treat afterwards, but definitely an improvement!!!

Puch/Sachs/Batavus Encapsulated Hall Sensor for Under Flywheel + Home Etched Boards

This is a rough mockup of what I'm thinking I'll do for a hall mounting solution for a CEV stator/flywheel. The design utilizes the mounting point for the mechanical points which are no longer needed.


The working part will be cast out of urethane with an encapsulated hall sensor within several millimeters of the magnets in the flywheel.

Top view of encapsulation showing footprint of 3D printed dummy/mold negative.

Sensor lead will protrude through the nub and out the stator through an existing hole. (3D printed dummy/mold negative)

Casting is perfectly sized to lock an M3 nut through old points threaded hole. Uses pivot point of the points to fix orientation.

Hall sensor -> 3.5mm audio 3 pole used for the trinket ignition from this post: http://deadped.blogspot.com/2014/03/trinket-arduino-dynamic-timing-video.html

Casting was a success!

The main thing I've been working on though is perfecting a process to etch my own double sided boards at home. I've had pretty good results and been able to use .12" traces, get them to effectively transfer and be continuous once etched. Right now I'm waiting on PCB drills so I can connect traces when they change sides. The bits I had didn't last very long, so I've got a set of carbide PCB bits on the way. Home etching for 32TQFP packages is doable! Biggest thing I had to do was increase the pad sizes for through hole transfers. Because of that, I'm likely going to have to eliminate the ISP header traces from the production boards.

Minarelli Fan Stuffffff