Making JLCPCB mad at me

With how many tours come through M5, we figured we needed some sort of dispensable gift to give besides stickers to prospective/accepted students. So, we decided to draft a small PCB that we could give out to those that come through the space as something to remember us by.

First draft of the board

I spent today drafting a quick first revision of our decorative board that we would give out to prospective students & families. Looks okay, right? JLC won’t think so.

Backside of the board

I unfortunately decided to put every logo I could think of on the board. Keep in mind, the whole thing is 48mm by 38mm. Small artworks like this likely won’t pass DRC after I import tolerances from JLCPCB, as they’re the ones that actually have to make the board. Sadly, this board might just become a lesson learned in manufacturing tolerances. But it does look pretty.

If you ever want to include custom footprints on your board, be sure to do so! It’s pretty easy to convert a jpeg image into a footprint. Details will come in a future post, but put simply, KiCad has all the tools necessary for you to etch out your own designs on copper. Given that the board house doesn’t get mad at you.

Philip Baykov, CompE 2027