EE192: Mechatronics Design Lab

Checkpoint 2 (Updated 1-31-2018)

This week’s lab checkpoint is simple, so you can devote more effort to the project proposal.

While we wait for the next cars to arrive we'll continue to practice soldering. This time we'll be using smd (Surface Mount Device) Components!

Blink LED board

You'll be building a simple blinking LED circuit using an IC (integrated circuit) timer chip. The circuit is based off this simple schematic.

SMD components can be quite tiny and tricky to solder. There are a few different methods, some of which require special tools. For tips on hand soldering smd components see this link.

Note: The thin solder can be much easier to use with SMD components. It can be found with the other solder supplies at the front of the lab.

We've included a blink LED PCB for every student at each lab bench. We've also distributed new solder tips to each lab station. These will be useful for making precise connections on your pcb.

Checkoff Procedure

We want everybody to get some practice working with soldering smd's (this will be a useful skill when you design and assemble your own pcb later) so we've distributed one “blink led” board per student.

You still only need one person per team to demo the checkoff, but there should be 3 working boards.