0000 0000 0001 1010

Your own PCB (Part IV)

Now that the 555 signal generator circuit has been designed and tested, the next step is to arrange all of the components on a PCB and hit the manufacture button (oh, and pay!). There are heaps of options but there are just two important ones for me that I'll mention - a copper ground layer (which I always add to my PCBs now that I know how to do it) and panelising the design to maximise the number of PCBs for the price paid.

I like to use a local autorouter, but hard core designers will lay down all the tracks as well - more power to them. My early efforts at manual routing took a lot of time, and although it was a good learning exercise I now just go straight to the autorouter running locally. Fast and accurate!

Try not to stress too much about the design as I don't think I've yet ordered a PCB that I've been entirely happy with - there will always be a detail or two that you don't like and will need to change. Some of my PCBs are on their fifth or sixth iteration and I'm still unhappy! Keep experimenting with the design and take a few days and a few revisits before you hit the "order" button.

I laid out this circuit on a board four times then had it manufactured, noting when it arrived that the connection between pin 6 and the potentiometer had not been made! I can still use the boards (after a quick solder), but this video is about version 5 which I hope has everything ironed out.

Here is a quick video of the 555 signal generator (V5) being laid out.

If you want to make/modify this project, you will find all of the files zipped up and available through this link.

When the PCBs arrive I will solder up the resulting PCB and run it through it's paces.