[sdiy] favorite Youtube genre - "old guys repairing electronics"

Mon Nov 2 01:45:26 CET 2020

I really must learn how to do this. 
What software is used to create these “layers”?
I have never used a simulator, but from what I read here, it’s an essential time-saver, and for an absent-minded fellow like me, probably saves a lot of money on dud pcbs.

> On Nov 1, 2020, at 12:02 PM, David G Dixon <dixon at mail.ubc.ca> wrote:
> 
> Seeing this discussion, I feel compelled to share my process for making PCBs.  I'll use a fairly simple one (a dual voltage-controlled crossfader) as an example.
>  
> First, the schematic, drawn in Multisim (for one of two identical channels):
>  
> <Dual XFader Schematic Pic.png>
>  
> Next, the Layout -- Red is +15V, Black is -15V, Green is GND, Yellow is +5V, Orange is -5V, and (mostly) pink is everything else, although I do use other colours for clarity on occasion.  All resistors and diodes are 0.4" unless it absolutely cannot be avoided.  The thick dark blue lines are wire jumpers:
>  
> <Dual XFader Layout Pic.png>
>  
> For this circuit, this layout took me probaby about half an hour to do.  Of course, I'm starting from an existing layout, so all the parts are already made and it's just a matter of moving things around (on a "Snap-to-Grid" basis), and possibly opening up another layout file to get a part that I needed that wasn't on the one I started with.  Actually organizing the circuit from the schematic for a circuit like this is very fast for me, because I always use the same layout scheme for analog circuits (a 2.1" wide PCB, chips down the middle, then one row on either side for stability caps and other connections, then the resistors and diodes with up to 3 traces running underneath for signal flow, then the connector row, then ground).
>  
> Next, I copy this and erase all the traces, just leaving the Parts.  From this, I can copy all the parts over to the BOM and line them up for quick and easy retrieval from the parts bins:
>  
> <Dual XFader Parts Pic.png>
>  
> Next, I copy the Layout again and remove all the parts, then build up the Traces using a scheme involving up to 5 different layers.  For this part, the erasing of the parts takes the most time.  Building up the trace layers for a board this size takes me less than two minutes.  Note how the power traces are thicker than the signal traces.  Also note the rounded corners on all the traces.
>  
> <Dual XFader Traces Pic.png>
>  
> Next, I build up the Pads by superimposing special circular images over all the connections on the Parts picture.  Again, I'm always starting from another layout.  This part generally takes less than two minutes.  Mounting holes, power headers, MTA connectors, and parts all have their own pad sizes:
>  
> <Dual XFader Pads Pic.png>
>  
> The rest will be shown in a subsequent message (cuz otherwise it'll be too long for Synth-DIY).
>  
> From: Synth-diy [mailto:synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org <mailto:synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org>] On Behalf Of sleepy_dog at gmx.de <mailto:sleepy_dog at gmx.de>
> Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2020 4:57 AM
> To: synth-diy at synth-diy.org <mailto:synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] favorite Youtube genre - "old guys repairing electronics"
> 
> [CAUTION: Non-UBC Email]
> 
> Heh. If I need something quickly, cant wait for PCB, but also it does have certain physical dimension requirements,
> then I do get really "boring" and do "plan" perfboard - "what is the fun in that" someone asked - indeed, what is the fun in that sort of tedious, repetitive work alltogether?
> Better make it as short as, and least error prone possible. It's so much easier to reason about misbehavior of a circuit if it actually matches what you have drawn - at least from the obvious (not parasitic) components and their supposed connections.
> While it's perhaps reasonabnly unlikely to make mistakes if you have all the space in the world and basically solder together the circuit as-is-drawn on some big ass perfboard, also leaving lots of room for adding more stuff to experiment,
> as things get more crowded and less intuitively placed, I found the following to be helpful:
> 
> First of all, esp. for single-sided perfboard, I like to combine THT ICs with SMT 0805 passives, as you can often put them comfortably between legs and under the IC (on the bottom side of the board), that already saves a lot of space - and wiring effort.
> There are also these, often green, plated-through double-sided perfboards - may reduce the insulated connections you have to make (which take longer due to the need for burning away the insulation / tinning), e.g. all GND with silver wire on the bottom, +V on the top side, or so, other nets with insulated wire, where unconnected crossings would be at least.
> 
> Also, in the type of scenario where I would, if I could, prefer a small PCB, but don't want to wait,
> I might already have a captured schematic in my chosen EDA software anyway - or if it's small, I'll just do it quickly.
> Then convert to PCB, and usually don't route anything, or at best a few special traces to mark special preferences.
> 
> I put that on my small-ish tablet with stylus support, that actually fits on my crowded soldering bench.
> that also runs the EDA software. Then I:
> 
> foreach non-GND-net:
>     highlight net in PCB software
>     connect all net points in circuit with insulated "coil wire", point-to-point
>     hide net's ratlines (or color existing traces) to make visible what's still TODO - this shrinks more and more, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel
> 
> This, for me anyway, proved much less error prone than staring on a paper printout and comparing it with the current physical as-is schematic all the time (even when pencil checking traces ;) ).
> Can basically do that half-asleep without making a mistake. (just make sure to display the bottom side mirrored appropriately :D)
> 
> Then for the GND net I do the above, except I user silver coated copper wire, a bit sturdier, and wherever possible, do not cut, but bend around corners, using one long piece of wire across many connections, saving some work steps. The silver wire will be over all those coil wires, holding them in place a bit better, esp. longer ones, and make it less likely that you will rip off any connection by accidentally grabbing too hard anywhere.
> 
> 
> - Steve
> 
> 
> Am 31.10.2020 um 11:23 schrieb ShedSynth:
>> Hi all.
>> I use perfboard, but I don’t try to make it into a PCB.
>> I wire point-to-point with single core Kynar wire, normally used for wire-wrapping.
>> I use blue, black, red and yellow on the back for -12V, GND, +5V and +12V.
>> I use green for all signals, always on the component side.
>> I lay out the big things like pots, DIL sockets and capacitors on the board itself, and always try to leave rows of 4 holes to place resistors flat.
>> Then I follow the schematic, which might take several days – this isn’t a mass-production process.
>> I separate each functional block with a pair of pins + a jumper so I can test on the scope as I go and also so I can bodge blocks of completed circuits into something else.
>> Hope this might help somebody,
>> Al
>> If the picture comes through, it’s most of a Thomas Henry MAXIMUS 3340 VCO.
>> The front is just as ugly.
>> <ATT00028.png>
>> From: Synth-diy <synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org> <mailto:synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org> On Behalf Of Timothy Burns
>> Sent: 30 October 2020 15:17
>> Cc: SYNTH DIY <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> <mailto:synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
>> Subject: Re: [sdiy] favorite Youtube genre - "old guys repairing electronics"
>> <ATT00031.jpg>
>> Good lord, I wish I watched this yesterday. Also what the heck, did he plan before he started soldering in components? What fun is that?
>> Thanks for the suggestions of video and audio channels, this will be great to have on hand as I re-solder everything from the last 36 hours. 
>> I'm not saying I'm going to start now, but does anyone have suggestions software or shortcuts for planning perfboard builds? Fritzling? (Asking for a friend.) 
>> Thanks All!
>> Tim
>> On Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 10:34 AM Ryan B8S <ryan at pimpdroid.com <mailto:ryan at pimpdroid.com>> wrote:
>>> Not an old guy, but I can't believe no one mentioned Synth Chaser at Synth Chaser dot com.
>>> https://www.youtube.com/c/SynthChaser/videos <https://www.youtube.com/c/SynthChaser/videos>
>>> My favorite youtube channel by an order of magnitude.
>>> On Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 7:08 PM David Simpson <davidosimpson at gmail.com <mailto:davidosimpson at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>> I recently found this video and was astonished by the skill, technique quietude ala Bob Villa.
>>>> How to solder grid style PCB / 555 PWM DC-motor driver (EEEL1-3) <https://youtu.be/_ypW45Y8VSs>
>>>> What are your favorite channels for informative/instructive electronics repair? Preferable those who don't yell or are in a constant state of outrage...
>>>> 
>>>> -- 
>>>> david o. simpson | cameraperson | binarymob.com <http://binarymob.com/> | earth
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