11/13/19

Connectors and Traces and Layouts... oh my!

Colin and I (finally) submitted our PCB to JLCPCB! We’ll be waiting a week for the boards to come in, but it’s a monster that has finally been tamed. Throughout the process, I’ve learned a lot about how to create my own custom PCBs and how to use KiCad, the PCB software we used. You can check out our PCB on GitHub if you’re interested!

What exactly is on our PCB, though? We’ve got MOSFETs for every solenoid (and we have a lot of them!), there is room for the stepper drivers, the 12V 30A power supply, and the many sensors/motors we have connected. We also have voltage regulators to supply 5V to our microcontrollers.

Now, we wait! Once the board comes in, I’ll be populating it (hopefully the Pick and Place is working in the EE Proto Room).