PCB Checklist - What to check before you submit

Wed, 04 Mar 2015 15:22:50 +0000

Recently I’ve been expanding my retro game collection to include game cartridges imported from Japan. The problem is that I don’t have Japanese game systems (yet). So I’m creating an open source adapter to convert Famicom carts to the NES. Before I submit the PCB to OSH Park, I’m going to run through this PCB Checklist to make sure I don’t forget something silly.

This PCB checklist is something I’ve built over my years of creating boards. If you’ve got tips from your own list, don’t forget to leave a comment letting us know.

Autorouters Suck: Autorouter: 0. Baldengineer: 1

Tue, 03 Mar 2015 15:06:54 +0000

I am not a fan of relying on the Autorouter in EAGLE – or any PCB CAD software for that matter. When laying out a board, I’ll use the autorouter to get an idea if the part placement is going to work or not. In this case, I was reminded how much autorouters suck! Even after running for while, the autorouter could only route up 50% of the nets (signals).

Famicom Adapter on Bald Engineer

PCB Checklist - What to check before you submit

Autorouters Suck: Autorouter: 0. Baldengineer: 1