Content Warning
• This presentation contains explicit material
• Audience discretion is advised
One Man Foxconn
Misadventures in PCB Design and Manufacturing
About Me
• Computer Engineering student at a local
university
• NUS Hackers student society at said local university, dedicated to the spread of the
hacker culture
• Relative noob at hw
• Maintainer of local mirror download.nus.edu.sg
About Me
• jellyjellyrobot@gmail.com
Was ist das?
• Appreciate how a complete PCB turnaround
works
• Conception/ Ideation
• Design
• Prototyping
• Assembly
Conception
• Translates to
• thinking about (what happened) “that” year
• It was a friday september evening @ Sapore
NUS…
Coffee.js
• Idea of a PCB badge for *ahem* everyone at
Hack&Roll 2016
• Inspired by
• Defcon
• Chaos Communication Camp(s)
• R0ket Rad1o
• Bunnie Huang
Hauptgedanke
• Programmable badge (no prior experience
needed)
• Promotes social interaction
• Fully utilitarian
• Paperweight
Reception
>> FAST FWD
• Late October 2015
Design
Constraints
• Money
• Time/ Manpower
• Space
• Laws of
• Physics
• Intellectual Property

(not applicable to most hobbyist projects)
Constraints
• Money
• Time/ Manpower
• Space
• Laws of
• Physics
• Intellectual Property

(not applicable to most hobbyist projects)
Breadboarding???
Literature Review
Go Pro?
Constraints
• Money
• Time/ Manpower
• Space
• Laws of
• Physics
• Intellectual Property

(not applicable to most hobbyist projects)
BOMing
Bill of Materials
• Recommended columns
• Item Description
• Part Number
• Quantity
• Cost
• Supplier
Design
PCB
V1/2
V3/4/5
LETS DO THIS THING YO!
First Prototype
RAISON D’ETRE
• Pilgrimage to Hacker’s Mecca
• pic of CCCH
Decouplawhat?
Back to the drawing board
• Simpler Design
• Switch to ATTINY85
• Fully utilitarian
• Paperweight
Safety Fast!
Prototype zwei?
Purchase made!
Hold up
Hold up
Assembly
• 1 week
• 200 boards
• >4400 components
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
This process is RIGGED
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
30 Boards/day
Assembly Process
• Solder Paste Application
• Pick and Place
• Reflow Soldering
• Programming
• Soldering (Thru Hole Components)
• Reprogramming <if needed>
• Packaging
100 Boards/day
Stats
• Yield
• Prototyping Phase 1 -> 1.5/3.5 boards
• Assembly
• Phase 1 -> 1/1
• Phase 2 -> 0/5
• Phase 3 -> 190/190
Ja Ja Gib Mir eine
Grund
Takeaways
• Be an idiot
• Make mistakes
• Have a fallback plan
Fallback
PCB Vendors?
• Services I used
• Smart Prototyping
• DirtyPCBs
Recommended PCB
Fabrication Options
• ENIG (not HASL)
• Stencil
• Hot plate
Special Thx to
• Vishnu Prem
• Varun Patro
• Jiayee
• Yeo Kheng Meng
• NUS Hackers
• Sponsors for Hack&Roll
ICH VERSTEHE
NICHT
HABEN SIE FRAGE
Fin

One man foxconn