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VDX: I'll see what I can do... not sure I can come up with a good way to package everything nicely, but I'll think about it. You'd have to flash the chip yourself, though. Kenyee: Actually as it turns out the footprint I used didn't have solder mask, so I can't blame the PCB folks. But this was the ...

Had a little time this AM to try and repair the SMD boards. I'm having a real problem with the USB connectors; they're hard to align, and VERY hard to repair if something goes wrong. So far my success rate with the 3 prototype SMD boards is 3/3 for programming the ATMega, but only 1/3 for plugging i...

Irritatingly, the pitch between the pins on the QFP package was fine enough there wasn't any solder mask there! However, when I was able to put the chips down straight, I didn't get many bridges; when my hand slipped and smeared the paste, I got them. I'm going to do more work on my "vacuum pen" jig...

For now, yes... but this site is really more about the orb itself and it would be rude to coopt it, so I am setting up a webstore and forums for the "Orbotron" itself (silly name for the new device). It's not really a shield any more but its own built-in Arduino-compatible board so that the final SM...

OK, 9 kits made with 2 accounted for going to testers. The three prototype SMD boards... not so successful. I didn't have quite enough parts so only one is fully populated and while it accepted programming OK, it's not functioning and I probably can't test more while my guest is here (bless her hear...

Jim: Ha, hadn't meant for the store to really be active yet--it's still in a trial mode! ;) You'll get a kit sent out hopefully tomorrow... with my guest in town I haven't had time to assemble things although she'd probably find it funny. The kits are in and the first 3 SMD prototypes are in, so tom...

Okay, brain is full for a week or so. I have more SMD parts on order and sent off for a batch of SMD boards, more stencils, and case parts. The 10 through-hole kit boards should be here this week and I think I can get those out for cost to testers. I have three prototype SMD boards coming this week ...

[quote="kenyee"]Wayyyyy better than the previous case IMHO. Very compact and svelte[/quote] Well, it's largely your fault, so take some credit; I was pretty complacent with the big fat case :) It might be possible to get it smaller, but I worry it would start getting annoying to build (and I haven't...

I'm about to go postal on delivery services, as it were. Attempted delivery of the boards Thursday and would "automatically attempt a second delivery on the next working day" so I arranged to work at home and sat here until the end of the delivery window... 7:30pm. Nothing, not even a "missed you" c...

Well, the total board area is almost (but not quite) 1/4 smaller, and at about $1.6 GBP/square inch (in small batches) x 2.3-2.75 (recommended multiplier), that could be about $4 off the end price, which will still likely be much higher than I'd like it to be (which is why first round will be at cos...

Heh heh... okay, yeah, this will be worth the delay. Much nicer even if I only dropped from 4 square inches to 3.25. I've placed the proto order for new PCBs (and now need new stencils, and new cases; this is what you drive me to... ;) ). But seriously, I like this much better, plus I found another ...

[quote]Make sure to check your credit records in a month or so.[/quote] Will do. So far I've been lucky and all my brushes with this have been harmless but I'm always worried. [quote]Thanks for putting the cutouts in[/quote]. It's much worse than that; you've forced me into an existentialist crisis ...

That was actually the response I got from Adafruit too (it doesn't have to be polarized; they just used it because electrolytics were cheaper at the time but they use ceramic now). Well, learning experience. I may make that change for production, may not; I'm not bothered too much either way to be h...

Ugh, never a dull moment ;) Just to show I'm not being a total slacker while I wait for boards, I finished my "manual pick and place gantry" to stabilize the vacuum pen (if it works, I'll show a picture, but I'm too embarassed to show the monstrosity if it's just a waste of time :) ). I also convert...