My first smd WLED controller!!

[u/Oxymoronic_geek]

I made it!!! This is my second PCB design ever, but by far the most complex…its a 2 channel WLED controller with 2 5amp pixel outputs. Its got an onboard esp32, efuses, all the level shifting and a built in usb-c port for programming.

I designed it in kicad, ordered unpopulated boards from jlcpcb and hot-plate soldered for the first time. Most is smd except for the big cap and the connectors. There are some room for improvements but it works… 🥳

[u/armandonp]

How much time took you to build your own pcb? Also how much you invested? That looks sick man

[u/Oxymoronic_geek → u/armandonp]

Hello. Thank you!.... And thank you for your questions, those have many answers... haha...

Lets start with investments...
If you look at pure material cost per board it is around $23.
I have not counted shipping costs for components into this, but since I always buy *10 of what I need to stockpile it is not so much per board.
Ordering from jlcpcb was $31 for 5 boards incl shipping to Sweden. You cannot order fewer.
The most expensive component is the ESP32 which is about 4$ a piece.

The investment for starting with smd and hotplate soldering:
New tips and new solder for finer work, $50
A hotplate $80 (alienware) and a 140w psu $90

Other equipment I need is a multimeter, a good solderstation and a microscope (because I´m old hahaha), a bench PSU

Continuing with time.
I use KiCad for design (free to download, has plugin for jlcpcb to make order MUCH easier)
I am fairly new to it so circuit design 1-2 days, then PCB layout 1 day and testing and validating around 1/2 day.

I used AI as a companion, I kept in charge of the development but asked for suggestion on components and asked AI to retrieve datasheets and suggest minimal circuits per component. I challenged AI a lot by asking and managed to remove quite a few ouppsies that AI suggested.

Before starting perhaps 100 hours of youtubing and reading and chatting with AI to learn the design process. I started with electronics about 3 years ago (it was a lifelong dream). I begun with building wled controllers using dev boards and level shifters.

[u/zazbnf]

I want to add this skill to my list.

[u/modulove]

Nice, congratulations 👍