The electronics production module was an extremely interesting and helpful week where we produced the Quentorres PCB with the Roland SRM 40 and then soldered all the necessary components to the board and made it work using arduino!
I chose electronics production as my elective this semester since I am interested in understanding the physical processes behind electronic systems.
First, we had a masterclass with really useful theory and tips for milling, some creative inspiration of the types of boards that can be created and tested some premade prints to learn about the Roland SRM-20 machine that we have at the Fablab at IAAC.
Additionally, it was a great day to meet the Fabacademy students from barcelona and all over the world. Fun surprise! One of my classmates from my Bachelors degree class was also a part of the same class joining from Fablab Kochi, India. (our fabrication processes professor would be really proud of us)
We gained a lot of knowledge about the materials, components, LEDs and common errors and mistakes that we could make during the process.
PCBs are the foundations of electronic circuits. They can be single or double sided, or even multilayered.
For this project, I used a single sided PCB that usually have copper and cellulose or resin paper composite (FR1).
This one is generally too thin to use with hotplates
FR4 is the most commonly used, but it can be toxic to use for the process of milling.
PCBs are generally made with a process called etching. It is a classic technique that uses strong acids and chemicals. The artist generally adds a protective coat to protect the areas that will remain and repeatedly removes the excess layers until the circuit is created.
We did not use this method, and used milling instead since the toxic chemicals generally used int his process is not safe for home use.
Etching can generally be combined with other methods such as engraving to create really intricate and artful circuit boards.