Have you ever noticed empty pads on a finished PCB and wondered why they are there? Those empty footprints are often intentional. They are called DNP (Do Not Populate) and play an important role in the flexibility of PCB design.
Have you used DNP components in your own PCB designs? Share your experience below!
This is a DIY desk lamp project by today_i_created_ on Instagram. The project started with a custom controller prototype and evolved into a complete solution with a custom PCB, aluminum enclosure, assembled electronics, and finished software. After several iterations, the controller is now fully functional and ready to control the lamp.
We're glad to support this project. If you are working on your own projects, feel free to check out PCBWay for your next build.
This DIY desk lamp project takes a custom controller from prototype to a finished build, including a custom PCB designed specifically for the lamp. today_i_created_ from Instagram designed this project and we helped bring the PCB to life.
If you're working on your own electronics project and need custom PCBs, feel free to check out PCBWay and give your next design a try!
This is my latest keyboard project: the Planckton - a small version of the Planck in 10u.
Thank you to PCBWay for sponsoring the red CNCed case. Looks beautiful in red aluminium. It is very convenient how easy it is do design something at home and have easy access to a real industrial equipment (indirectly) and get those excellent results. Ordering was straight forward and quality is excellent.
More info and pictures on my website:
https://moinboards.de/projects/planckton/
The ArmSoM Sige6 is not out yet, but ArmSoM sent me one early, and it is a real departure for a company best known for its Rockchip single board computers (SBCs) because this one runs an Allwinner A733.
In this hands on first look I walk the whole board, boot the stock Debian Linux image, and work out what the A733 actually gives you: two Cortex-A76 and six Cortex-A55 cores, a 3 TOPS NPU, 6 GB of visible LPDDR5, 32 GB of eMMC, and an unusually rich set of interfaces including a 40 pin GPIO header, MIPI DSI, two MIPI CSI camera ports, an M.2 2280 slot for NVMe, PoE header pins, gigabit ethernet, USB 3.0 and 2.0, an RTC battery connector, and onboard microphone and speaker headers.
Along the way we swap out the Chinese apt mirror and run apt update, enable root SSH login, find the eMMC partition layout doing something strange, catch both browsers falling back to software rendering instead of using the Imagination GPU, and hit a sleep bug that ArmSoM will want to sort out before launch. Then it all gets scored on the SBC tier list, though with no price or public availability yet it is ranked out of 25 rather than 30, so we will be revisiting this one properly once it ships with a newer kernel and a more complete SDK. All of my feedback is going back to ArmSoM, so leave your thoughts in the comments and I will pass them on.
Linux headers for this image: https://plati.ma/go/armsom-sige6-linu... Thank you PCBWay for sponsoring this video! Get $5 off your first order with my referral URL: https://plati.ma/go/pcbway-RYU09f2BAVU
A look inside PCBWay's factory. From panel cutting to flying probe testing, enjoy the satisfying sounds behind the PCB production process. Which part of the process is the most interesting to you? 👀
Solder mask bridge is a small but important PCB manufacturing detail that helps control solder flow during assembly. Here's a quick look at it. Feel free to share your experience in the comments!
What happens when a 3D-printed design gets a completely new level of finish?
layersofdylan(Instagram) transformed these custom Oakley-inspired frames with electroplating, giving the 3D printed parts a stunning metallic look and a premium feel. The combination of 3D printing and electroplating shows how creative manufacturing techniques can turn a simple prototype into something truly unique.
We're excited to support this project. If you have your own ideas that need professional 3D printing, feel free to check out PCBWay and bring your designs to life!
Built from scratch by designedby.koda(Instagram), this custom radio project shows how DIY hardware can create reliable communication without relying on traditional networks. The project features two custom-built radios capable of full messaging and emergency alerts, with range testing coming soon.
We're excited to support this project by manufacturing the PCBs and helping bring the design into reality. Want to build your own custom electronics project? Check out PCBWay and turn your ideas into reality!
Here are some pictures of the homemade RGB Pi scart cable I made since the original RGB-Pi cable is no longer being sold. I made the pcb through PCBWay and had them put all the resistors on. The only thing I had to do was solder a 21 pin scart connector and GPIO ribbon cable. Picture looks great, sounds great, Im happy with it. I know other cables can be used to run "RGB Pi OS4" on a Pi but the schematic for the original RGB Pi cable was public and I wanted a fun project. Its my favorite OS in terms of look and feel and user friendlyness. This cable should also be able to be used with other OS to such as retropie.
I have been shooting 4K footage of my cat, Sugar 🐱, and editing videos, and I soon realized my storage is running out quickly. While I could have just bought a off-the-shelf NAS, I wanted to solve two major issues with standard NAS in the market nowadays: scalability and cable clutter. Therefore, I ended up designing and building a modular, stackable NAS system (nickname: SUGAR CUBE NAS) engineered for high-speed wireless operation.
BTW: It's named after Sugar, my cat, plus the modules stack just like sugar cubes!
🎥 Check out the full build with cinematic editing here, I clarified a lot of the design concept and operations in the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBbPJsZJWWA
I will make more videos on how I designed and assembled this NAS.
Key Specs & Highlights:
I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or any features/improvements you’d add to a modular stacking design like SUGAR CUBE NAS!
Note: I added a picture down below to show the two custom PCB that allow highspeed SATA/SAS signals to pass through as well as the 12V and 5V power.
Sorry forgot to include that in the main post. Got too many cool photos to share. 😂
Hi everyone! In my previous post I shared the first prototype of the Echo Dot 3rd gen integrated in Home Assistant. I finished the PCB and I'm waiting to receive it from PCBWay. I just opened a new topic on the Home Assistant Community Forum in order to track the whole developement and would be the perfect place to share ideas with you!
A new hardware project from thecuriousscientist(IG), 100W USB-C PD programmable power supply built with a custom PCB design.
We're excited to help bring the design from concept to reality. The build process, especially the soldering and assembly stage, shows the details and craftsmanship behind creating a powerful DIY power solution.
Interested in building your own version? Place an order through PCBWay and start your own build.
So this is my DMG-style Game Boy Micro. I replaced the DMG-style buttons with ones from labfifteenco.
u/GoodLookingEdd helped me with the DMG-style D-pad, and I had it printed in resin at pcbway.
It feels like the original, so great job, mate! I bought the front panel sticker from RetrogameEVO and stuck it to the metal of the console, and then I bought a clear front panel.
This protects the sticker, as it's underneath the front panel. Now I'm wondering if u/FrankieT19 could make a DMG-style theme for EZ Flash; that would be the icing on the cake, hehe. Thanks a lot for designing the D-pad, u/GoodLookingEdd!
I have a open hardware project on Github sponsored by PCBWay for a bluepill style board for the new STM32C5 family MCU from ST. A custom board in this format is perfect for trying out new MCU's not yet entered mass production or with limited availability. For the STM32C5 family the usual outlets does not have comparable boards as this yet. This board can be populated with other LQFP-48 variants of the MCU family as they become available for purchase.
Pinout of Rev0 version:
At the same time there is an alternative firmware option using the ECS Oberon-2 language variant (without garbage collection) as an alternative to C or C++.
Link to board on github : STM32C5-eval-board
Link to firmware on github : ECSMicroLib
This is my first real PCB project and someone more experienced would probably spot many possible improvements.
Check out this DIY 10W dual-rail power supply for an analog synthesizer, designed by scrap_engineering(IG). Since analog synth circuits rely on op-amps that require a dual-rail supply, this project focuses on creating a custom power solution for stable operation.
We're happy to support this project by manufacturing the PCB and helping bring the design into reality. If you're working on your own electronics projects and need reliable PCB manufacturing, check out PCBWay!
Ever wondered what's inside a Furby without breaking it open? The Thought Emporium(YT) built a custom CT scanner to reveal the hidden mechanical and electronic structure inside a Furby.
We helped bring this fantastic idea to life. Have a project that needs our help? Check out PCBWay!
So I had PCBWay CNC machine a custom PEEK steam tip for the Profitec Go wand mod on my E24
For ones that don't know PEEK, the main reason was to stop caked milk and do it like the big guys do. Steel tips get scorching hot instantly, and if you don't wipe it in two seconds, the milk bakes on like concrete. PEEK doesn't hold heat the same way. Running this at 155°C, the steel tip was burning hot, but the PEEK tip stayed cool enough that I could literally unscrew it with my bare fingers mid-steam. Zero caked milk.
But here's the weird part I ran into:
I tested 2-hole OEM, 3-hole PEEK and 4-hole PEEK tips. I figured the 3-hole would be the sweet spot for back pressure on a single boiler machine, and thought 4 holes would completely kill the steam pressure.
Instead, the 4-hole tip actually made a way better "blast" and the milk was moving better than the 3-hole? Hole sizes are identical - only difference is 3 holes in a triangle vs 4 in a square.
Anyone smart enough with fluid dynamics know why 4 holes would make a better exit velosity when there's supposedly less pressure per hole? I'll check what google says but it stumped me.
When choosing a display for an electronics project, 7-segment displays and LED matrices are two common options.
7-segment displays are great for simple numeric information like clocks, counters, and measurements. They are cheap, easy to control, and require very little MCU resources. LED matrices offer much more flexibility, allowing you to display text, graphics, and animations. The trade-off is higher complexity, more processing requirements, and higher cost.
Have you had any interesting experiences with either 7-segment displays or LED matrices? Share your thoughts!
