I found an inexpensive Hakko depaneling tool on Amazon. Let’s give it a try and see how it works. Hakko 2.4mm Depaneling Tool (Amazon*): https://amzn.to/2MKoJr9 Knipex Pliers Wrench 3-Piece Set (Amazon*): https://amzn.to/2ruzS8m High Temperature ESD Safe Mat (Amazon*): https://amzn.to/2Xz0n6D *These … Continued

It’s Christmas again, and today we’re going to open up some presents for the shop and take a look at a couple of projects that we have coming up in the near future. Links for some of the items in … Continued

The panels we made last time are back from the fab. Let’s take a look at how they turned out, depanel them and do some testing. Electronic Leadscrew PC Boards are available here: https://ebay.to/2WuLa7m Heavy Duty Foot Switch (Amazon*): https://amzn.to/34R0ejh … Continued

Today we’re preparing a PC board panel for SMT assembly at JLCPCB. We’ll use the ThisIsNotRocketScience Gerber Tools to panelize the actual PC board, but panelizing the BOM and pick-and-place files is more complicated. I couldn’t find any free software … Continued

Wow! The 100 PC boards I ordered sold out in 2.5 hours. I’ve ordered more, and I’ll let you know when they arrive. In the mean time, let’s look at the documentation. GitHub project: https://github.com/clough42/electronic-leadscrew

PC boards are now available for sale on my web site (USA shipping only): https://clough42.com/product/electronic-leadscrew-interface-pc-board/ And on eBay (global shipping available): https://ebay.to/2WuLa7m Today I show how I test the PC boards, count our the connectors for the kids and package … Continued

In preparation for selling PC boards for the electronic leadscrew, I’m putting together a bed-of-nails (POGO pin) test fixture so I can test the boards without soldering on connectors. I show how I aligned the pins and got them all … Continued

Last week’s video generated more than a few comments suggesting alternative explanations for why my parts were coming out undersize and pointing out other features of Fusion 360 and Simplify 3D that might be useful. Today, I’ll respond to a … Continued

I ran into a problem this week with a 3D-printed part that came out slightly too small and didn’t fit. This is a common problem with 3D printers. Today we’ll take a look at the problem, talk about what causes … Continued

Today, an experiment to see if we can solder through-hole components on a PC board using a reflow oven and solder paste. We’ll also try out some new water-soluble solder flux and try cleaning it with an ultrasonic cleaner. Tools … Continued