Individual Assignment:
Group Assignment: click here
The group assignment for this week involved characterizing the design rules for the in-house PCB production process. We aimed to mill the traces on the PCB using both the Roland Modela MDX20 and the Trotec Speedy 400 flexx Fibre Laser Engraver. Here are the results:
In the fabrication laboratories (fab labs), our standard approach for PCB production involves the utilization of the milling machining technique. This method enables individuals to create PCB prototypes akin to printing on paper with a conventional printer. To facilitate PCB milling, our fab lab is equipped with a Roland MDX 20 3-axis milling machine. This machine serves as a versatile milling apparatus suitable for crafting PCBs alongside other milling applications.
The perfect combination of a versatile programmer and a beginner-friendly hello board, Quentorres, originated from the innovative mind of Quentin Bolsée and redesigned by Adrián Torres. Its inception occurred during the 2024 Instructors Bootcamp held in León.
Quentorres is equipped to program the latest AVR Series 1 and 2 devices, such as Adrianino, as well as ARMs like SAMDino. Featuring a button and an LED, it serves as an excellent tool for learning programming languages such as C, Rust, Go, Micropython, and more. Additionally, it offers breakout pins for seamless connectivity with external components.
For this week's assignment, the provided file was designated for milling purposes. To personalize my identity within that PCB, I simply appended "MJ" to it using the GIMP software.
For milling the PCB, only the PNG image is necessary. Thus, I exported the design as a PNG file directly. Subsequently, I utilized the Fabmods platform to upload the PNG file for milling. Following the milling process, I proceeded to upload the drilling file, and once completed, I uploaded the cutting file for execution
For tracing the traces, start by adding the mill PNG file to the modes. Then, set the DPI to 1000 and establish the appropriate origin. Afterward, select the bit you intend to use; for this task, I used a 1/64 bit. Once selected, click on "calculate" and send the file to the machine.
For drilling the holes, swap the bit PNG file with the drill file. Change the bit to 1/32 and then send the file.