Badgelife 101 Workshop

Slides

---

---

Resources

• Main Git Repository Contains
  • Example Layouts
  • Finished Schematic
  • Finished PCB Layout for Badgelife Merit Badge

Electronic Design & Analysis

• Hyperphysics Electronics Pages
• All About Circuits
• LED Resistor Calculator (DigiKey)
• How to Use a Multimeter (SparkFun)

Schematics

• Electronic Symbols (Wikipedia)
• How to Read a Schematic (SparkFun)
• Adafruit & SparkFun publish most of their designs as open source, great as references and inspiration!

Electronic Design Automation (EDA)

• KiCad
  • Learning Resources
  • Third-Party Libraries
  • KiCad Cheatsheet
• Eagle (part of Fusion360)
  • Guide to make PCBs with Eagle (Adafruit)
• Comparison of EDA Software
• Online Gerber Viewer (GerbLook)

Hardware

• Parts
  • Digikey (Reliable, direct partner with many manufacturers)
  • Mouser
  • LCSC (Lost of China-based parts)
  • Beware eBay/AliExpress – Many Counterfeit/Recycled/etc. parts
• Datasheets
  • How to Read a Datasheet (SparkFun)
  • List of Integrated Circuit Packaging Types (Wikipedia)

Prototyping

• Breakout/Dev Boards
  • Adafruit (Great learning resources, open source designs)
  • SparkFun (Great learning resources, open source designs)
  • SeeedStudio (Wide variety of products, much ships from China)

PCB Art

• Gerbolyze - Produces halftone art in Gerber format.
• svg2shenzhen - Convert SVG to complex KiCad Shapes

PCB Fabrication

• Pre-Fab Checklists/Guidelines
  • PCB Basics (SparkFun)
  • OSH Park - Preorder Checklist
• Fabricators
  • OSH Park - Very high quality, fast turn around, local to Portland; Design Rules
  • JLCPCB - Shenzhen-based, lots of options; Design Rules
  • PCBWay - Shenzhen-based; Design Rules
• Process
  • Strange Parts tours JCLPCB - PCB Fabrication (YouTube Video)
  • Strange Parts tours JLCPCB - PCB Assembly w/ Components (YouTube Video)

Tools

• Soldering
  • USB-C Soldering Iron
  • Good Soldering Station
  • High Quality Solder
  • Hot Air Soldering Station
  • Soldering Flux
• Meters/Measurement
  • Cheap True RMS Multimeter
  • Fluke Multimeter
  • Cheap Logic Analyzer
  • Saleae Logic 8 Logic Analyzer - High End Logic Analyzer
  • USB Oscilloscope/Logic Analyzer
  • LCR Meter - Measures Capacitors, Inductors, etc.
• Interface Tools
  • Tigard - Multi-Protocol Tool for Hardware Hacking
  • USB-UART Adapter - Connect to embedded serial ports
• Other Tools
  • USB Power Analyzer
  • Analog Discovery 3 - Logic Analyzer, Oscilloscope, and Waveform Generator