Makerlab/Guides/index

Makerlab Guides

On this page, we collect selected HOWTOs.

Basics

• Soldering 101
• SMD Soldering 101 Video
• SMD Soldering Instructions (in German)
• QFP / MLF Soldering Video

3D Printing

• 3D Design and Printing (in German)
• Tutorial Videos for ViaCad
• ISO 273-1979 specifies the recommended dimensions for holes / cut-outs for threads, bolts and nuts.
  • Thread Diameter: fine / medium /coarse fit
  • M3: 3.2 / 3.4 / 3.6 mm
  • M4: 4.3 / 4.5 / 4.8 mm
  • M5: 5.3 / 5.5 / 5.8 mm
  • M6: 6.4. / 6.6 / 7 mm
  • M7: 7.4 / 7.6 / 8 mm
  • M8: 8.4. / 9 / 10 mm
  • For 3D printed cutouts, it is better to be a bit generous, because the material tends to flow a tiny bit to the inside of the cutouts and thus reduces the effective diameter.

CNC Milling

• CNC Mill (in German)

Open Hardware

• The Open Hardware Repository
• Legal Aspects: Licensing, Patents, Trademarks
  • [CERN Open Hardware License http://www.ohwr.org/projects/cernohl/wiki]
  • [TAPR Open Hardware License http://www.tapr.org/OHL]
• Example of a very good Open Hardware project: VESC by Benjamin Vedder
• Skeleton for an Open Hardware Project on Github (for KiCad + arbitrary software)

Electronics Design

• Basics: Logic Levels, Basic Components, Resistance, Impedance, Reactance; Kirchoffs's Law, Voltage Dividers
• Microcontroller Interfacing: Elegant solutions for saving GPIO pins: http://www.technoblogy.com/show?LSE
• Overview of I/O devices and their interfacing to a microcontroller: https://developer.mbed.org/users/4180_1/notebook/relays1/
• ATtiny Low Power Design:
  • https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/h2ohno/low-power-attiny
• Kemet K-SIM Tool for Simulating ESR and Impedance of Capacitors

PCB Design and Production

• Tutorial by David L. Jones
• Concepts and terminology of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)

• PCB Production Services
  • http://www.electrodragon.com/product/pcb-service/#prettyPhoto
  • https://oshpark.com/
    • KiCad Design Rules for OSH Park
      • See also https://forum.kicad.info/t/oshpark-pcb-rules/121/36
    • Generating Gerber files for OSH Park
    • Video explaining the entire order process at OSH Park
• Circuit Diagrams and PCB Design with Eagle and Fritzing
• KiCad EDA Resources
  • KiCad, the great open source EDA package; we have recently started to migrate from Eagle to KiCad for schematics and PCB design in all new projects
  • http://docs.kicad-pcb.org/4.0.6/en/getting_started_in_kicad.html
  • Great video tutorials series: https://contextualelectronics.com/getting-to-blinky-4-0/
• PCB Design Aspects
  • Zoltan Frasch: High Speed and RF Design Considerations
  • Doug Brooks' Articles on PCB Design
  • Ground layout aspects article series ("Masseführung auf Platinen mit gemischten Chips", in German):
    • https://www.beam-verlag.de/app/download/16875673/HF-Praxis+2-2015+I.pdf
    • https://www.beam-verlag.de/app/download/18096660/HF-Praxis+3-2015+VII.pdf
    • https://www.beam-verlag.de/app/download/18978884/HF-Praxis+4-2015+II.pdf
• Parts Management, BOMs, and Ordering with KiCad

Measuring and Testing

Basics

• Measuring 101

Oscilloscope

• Using an oscilloscope
• Tektronix Oscilloscope Tutorials

Multimeter

• Using a digital multimeter (tbd)

Logic Analyzer

• Tectronix Logic Analyzer Tutorials

Spectrum Analyzer and Tracking Generator

• Agilent Spectrum Analysis Basics, Application Note 150
• Using a spectrum analyzer
  • Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube Basics
  • Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube Basic Tracking Generator
  • Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube Measuring Filters, Saving, Markers, Normalization
  • Video by Jim Eagleson on YouTube PEP and Bandwidth
  • Rigol-related playlist on Youtube

Automation

• Automating measurement tasks with PyVISA

Specific Topics

• RF Crimp Connector Assembly
  • [http://www.wimo.com/download/kabelmasze_steckermontage.pdf| Dimensions for BNC, SMA, etc. from WIMO] (in German)
  • [http://www.reichelt.de/reicheltpedia/index.php5/Crimp_Anleitungen| Instructions from reichelt.de] (in German)

Single-board Computer, Microcontroller, and Software Development

• Raspberry Pi
  • Setting up a Raspberry Pi
• MicroPython
  • Setting up MicroPython on the ESP8266
• Arduino/AVR
  • ATTiny Core, an Arduino core for ATtiny 1634, 828, x313, x4, x41, x5, x61, x7 and x8
  • Nice cheatsheet for Arduino on ATtiny chips
  • Setting up an Arduino IDE with Sublime Text
  • URI with packages for AVR support etc. for the Arduino IDE

Links

• Great selection of how-tos from the FAU FabLab