Looking for assistance with simple pcb design

vistaVision · Oct 30, 2013

I'm looking for someone to help me out with designing a very simple pcb for a prop project. I need a quantity (30 or 40) small boards made up. Each board is small, about 1/2 inch square, and carries 3 resistors and a few solder pads for some wires. A switch, 9V battery and 3 LEDs are wired off-board. I want the pcb to just help tidy everything up. I've made several of these from perfboard, soldering little wire jumpers, but that gets old fast... I would like to explore using one of the custom pcb shops; it is possible that might be reasonably cost effective. If not, if I had the artwork properly prepared, I'd make them myself.

I am only barely electronic literate, and don't have the time or desire right now to learn a pcb CAD system. This would be a very simple project for any of you guys that actually know what you're doing. Anybody interested in lending a hand? Thanks for any guidance, advice and/or assistance!

Marcus

Jon Kelley · Oct 31, 2013

vistaVision said:
I'm looking for someone to help me out with designing a very simple pcb for a prop project. I need a quantity (30 or 40) small boards made up. Each board is small, about 1/2 inch square, and carries 3 resistors and a few solder pads for some wires. A switch, 9V battery and 3 LEDs are wired off-board. I want the pcb to just help tidy everything up. I've made several of these from perfboard, soldering little wire jumpers, but that gets old fast... I would like to explore using one of the custom pcb shops; it is possible that might be reasonably cost effective. If not, if I had the artwork properly prepared, I'd make them myself.

I am only barely electronic literate, and don't have the time or desire right now to learn a pcb CAD system. This would be a very simple project for any of you guys that actually know what you're doing. Anybody interested in lending a hand? Thanks for any guidance, advice and/or assistance!

Marcus

Do you have more specifics? And, will you be etching these yourself? (If you don't want to etch, perfboard will work out better for you.)

If you'd like to see about a design, and don't mind etching, I'll take a shufty at it. I've done a few small boards - mostly for scanner radio mods and other special projects (like a lighting controller for a fully-lit NCC1701A model,) so maybe I can help.

I don't check here very often, so you may want to email me directly: dragonland2001 AT yahoo DOT com, please put "PCB Project from RPF" as the subject, in case Yahoo! throws you into the SPAM bin and I have to fish you out (I don't understand their filtering system, I probably catch 3-4 messages a day that are NOT SPAM into the SPAM bin...)

JDK

TheDarkPope · Nov 1, 2013

Instead of thinking "30 -1/2 inch boards", you can use 1 6x8 inch board that has the same design printed 70 or so times. Then using a Dremel, or a sheet metal cutter, cut out the individual pieces. Nice and cost effective.

All that being said, it doesn't sound all that difficult. I'd be willing to help, but of course would like to know more also. Can you post some pics of the perboard ones that you made?

If you do get a wild hair and decide to do it yourself anyway, there are lots of videos on Youtube on simple circuit board design and etching that don't involve complicated design software. I made one of them myself.

Darth Lars · Nov 1, 2013

TheDarkPope said:
Instead of thinking "30 -1/2 inch boards", you can use 1 6x8 inch board that has the same design printed 70 or so times. Then using a Dremel, or a sheet metal cutter, cut out the individual pieces. Nice and cost effective.

If you use a PCB shop, then maybe you could design it as one PCB with routed channels so that the individual PCBs are easy to cut off or, or maybe even break off.

OldSkoolEffects · Nov 1, 2013

A lot of PCB manufacturers will charge extra for more than one board per unit made. It's easier and cheaper usually just to let them panelize it and get them as individual parts.

vistaVision · Nov 3, 2013

Thanks for the advice and offers of assistance. John Kelley has offered to help out with some artwork for this little project, and I've decided to etch the boards myself. This is a small (but important) part of a larger project, I'll be posting some progress on the entire thing soon. Again, thanks!

Looking for assistance with simple pcb design

vistaVision

Sr Member

Jon Kelley

Active Member

TheDarkPope

Well-Known Member

Darth Lars

Master Member

OldSkoolEffects

Well-Known Member

vistaVision

Sr Member

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