POC VERSION TWO

[Dr Jefyll]

I'll be watching your project with interest, BDD. But I must say this toaster-oven business has a worrisome association with food. Let's hope the topic doesn't somehow segue back to broccoli!

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Dr Jefyll wrote:

I'll be watching your project with interest, BDD. But I must say this toaster-oven business has a worrisome association with food. Let's hope the topic doesn't somehow segue back to broccoli!

I promise no broccoli will be harmed in the making of POC V2. Can't vouch for the asparagus though.

[Aslak3]

How is she coming along BDD? It looks like you were ready to go to manufacturing? Or is the reflow research and experimentation still a blocker?

Looking forward to seeing the how project turns out, as I'm sure others are too.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Aslak3 wrote:

How is she coming along BDD? It looks like you were ready to go to manufacturing? Or is the reflow research and experimentation still a blocker?

Looking forward to seeing the how project turns out, as I'm sure others are too.

I'm temporarily unable to do close-up work, such as soldering small parts to a PCB. Waiting for my left eye to get better from surgery.

[calculi]

I wish you a quick recovery !

[BigDumbDinosaur]

calculi wrote:

I wish you a quick recovery !

Thanks! It's taking its time about getting back to a usable condition. Everything through the left eye look like a blob.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

I'm not quite ready to assembly POC V2. However, as I have the PCBs I figured I'd post a couple of pictures of them. I need to complete my reflow soldering project before assembling this mess.

Incidentally, there is a trivial error on the solder side, but one that will be easily fixed with an X-Acto knife.

POC V2 PCB Component Side

POC V2 PCB Solder Side

[Aslak3]

She's beautiful BDD. Really looking forward to hearing about the build and bring up!

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Aslak3 wrote:

She's beautiful BDD. Really looking forward to hearing about the build and bring up!

Thanks! It has taken quite a while to get to this point, but I'm patient and can contain my excitement.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

This is a bump to keep this topic from slipping into the abyss.

Things are at a standstill pending yet another surgery on my left eye, which at close range is functionally blind right now. Oddly enough, I can see distant objects with some clarity, which means I can still drive an automobile. I just can't do much in the way of close-up work.

I was able to assemble a prototype module that will be part of our line of railway riding scale automatic block signal system (ABS) modules, but it's all through-hole parts, many with large spacing between the pins. It was a struggle to solder in a DIP-8 package and I did get one accidental bridge between two pins. I also managed to install two transistors (TO-92) backwards. After tracking down and fixing this stuff the module worked. However, I was pushing it trying to do this assembly work, and this experience definitely tells me I'm not ready to tackle POC V2 with its much tighter parts spacing.

ABS Module Undergoing Test

Incidentally, the PCB for this unit was made by a USA company called EPEC. I generated the PCB layout in EPCB, used Copper Connections to convert the EPCB file to Gerber and shipped the Gerbers in a ZIP file to EPEC. The cost for 15 boards was about 25 percent less than if I had used EPCB's production service for the same quantity. In addition, EPEC does some QC checks on the boards (including a hi-pot test) that EPCB doesn't do, and includes a QC report with the shipment. The bare boards are UL recognized, which can be useful in Canada, the USA and some other countries that recognize the UR mark. I was quite pleased with the product, which was as good as EPCB's in all respects.

We have a pretty substantial order pending for ABS modules of several types, which is was prodded me into finding an alternate to EPCB for board production purposes. I've never had a complaint with EPCB's product, but also have been underwhelmed with their production pricing, which is more like prototype pricing from other board houses. After reviewing a number of houses, I decided to place a small order with EPEC to see what we would get for the money. Their stuff is good, so they will be getting the entire order for all PCBs in the set of modules we have to build.

[whartung]

As always, best of luck on the surgery -- I hope it'll be night and day (literally) when you recover from it.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

whartung wrote:

As always, best of luck on the surgery -- I hope it'll be night and day (literally) when you recover from it.

Unfortunately, the surgery isn't going to happen. Two different ophthalmologists are saying essentially the same thing: there are no more surgical options. Both decline to operate, saying that further surgery on my left eye is too risky, with a poor chance of improving my sight.

My left eye is unable to focus for any distance, and if I close my right eye and try to see only with the left, it's a blurry world full of distortions—straight lines are wavy, circles appear to be ellipses and I can't even make out people's faces well enough to identify them by sight alone, unless I'm standing a few feet from them. Reading has become a trial of patience, requiring that I cover the left eye.

Currently, all of my electronics bench work is on hold, as I can't see well enough to work with small objects in close quarters. I have no idea at this time if I'll ever be able to resume electronic assembly and, among other things, get POC V2 assembled and tested.

[whartung]

Sorry to hear that BDD.

[Aslak3]

To BDD,

Did you find someone to assemble your board for you? It seems like a "minor" part of the project, it's physical construction, shouldn't prevent you getting the board going! I'm sure many folks around here would be only too willing to put the board together for you.

Partly this is selfish on my part: I really want to see how your ideas pan out.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Aslak3 wrote:

Did you find someone to assemble your board for you?

Not yet. I was hoping the oldest grandson might do it, but he's away at college and up to his neck in engineering coursework.

Quote:

Partly this is selfish on my part: I really want to see how your ideas pan out.

That's two of us!