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DIY Arduino or "The DIY-Duino"

by robonerd on March 7, 2011

Table of Contents

DIY Arduino or "The DIY-Duino" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: DIY Arduino or "The DIY-Duino" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Materials List -- For All Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: About making PCBs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 3: Transfering the Pattern - Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 4: Cut out the copperboard and sand it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 5: Preparing the pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 6: The Transfer Procedure - Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 7: The Transfer Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 8: The Transfer Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 9: The Transfer Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 10: The Transfer Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 11: The Transfer Procedure - Minor Touch-ups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Step 12: Etching - Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 13: Etching - Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 14: Etching - Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 15: Etching - The Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 16: Drilling Holes for the Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Step 17: Putting It All Together - Materials/Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Step 18: Putting it Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Step 19: Putting it together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 20: Getting power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Step 21: Programming - Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Step 22: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Step 23: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Step 24: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Step 25: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Step 26: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Step 27: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Step 28: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Step 29: Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Step 30: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Intro: DIY Arduino or "The DIY-Duino"
THIS ENTIRE TUTORIAL IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON MY WEBSITE AT
http://www.theparsley.com/arduino/diy/

******* PLEASE VOTE FOR ME ON THE EPILOG CHALLENGE!!!!!!! *******

To quote the Arduino website:

"Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and
anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments."

I got one a while ago and life has never been the same. Here is the official website for Arduino: http://www.arduino.cc/

There are a bunch of tutorials that show you how to build your own Arduino on a breadboard, called Hack-duinos or something similar. While these are handy, I prefer to
use more solid electronic devices. So I build them with a home made PCB and solder all the components on there myself.

Some may say, "This task seems time consuming and a tad expensive... Why not just kerplunk the 30-some-odd bucks for an REAL Arduino?" Well, some of us enjoy
the craziness of making something completely from scratch -- and in doing so, learning more about the device you are using.

This tutorial will take you through all the steps of making your own printed circuit board(PCB), building an Arduino or "DIY-Duino" and loading your own
programs/sketches onto the board you have built.

Image Notes
1. DIY-Duino Image Notes
1. Arduino UNO

Image Notes
1. A project using a DIY-Duino

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 1: Materials List -- For All Steps
COMPLETE MATERIALS LIST
You will find detail on these materials throughout the specific steps of this instructable.

// ------- PCB MATERIALS LIST ------- //

Copper Board: 12" x 12"
You can buy a smaller board, if you want.
I buy the 12x12 because I use it for a lot of projects.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=055-140

DIY-Duino Pattern sheet

Click here to download the Pattern file
You must use this file to ensure the proper resolution and size of the image.

Photo Paper
High-quality photo paper with a glossy finish is the best to use.

Laser Printer
Or copies from a place like Kinkos or Staples.

Fine grain sandpaper

To rough up the board and make it able to absorb the pattern better.

Common, houshold tape

For securing the pattern to the copper board

Piece of scrap cardboard

This will be your makeshift ironing board.

Paper towels
To put over your board before ironing.

Clothes Iron
Use one you don't mind being ruined.
Chances are, it will get funky.

Plastic container
To bathe your board in warm water after ironing.

Tweezers
Not necessary, but can be helpfull for peeling off transfer remnants.

//------- ETCHING MATERIALS LIST -------//

Jug of Muriatic Acid
You can get this at the hardware store.

Container of Laquor Remover

Removes the toner once the pattern is etched.
Also useful if you make mistakes on transfering your pattern.
You can remove the toner and try again.
You can get this at the hardware store

Container of Hydrogen Peroxide

Any Grocery Store

Standard kitchen paper towels

Use for the ironing, agitating the acid solution, and removing the toner with the lacquer remover

(2) Plastic containers

(1 for the acid mixture, one to rinse, one to bathe the PCB in hot water)

Acid disposal container

Size this, depending on how much you're using.

Pair of plastic dishwashing gloves

You can often find a better, more durable pair of gloves at the hardware store -- right near the muriatic acid oddly enough.

Other Protection
Breathing and eye protection.

Package of photo paper

I if you have access to a laser printer or laser copier. Otherwise, skip this.

1/4 Cup Measuring Cup

Use one that you don't mind being destroyed. Once you use this to measure out the Muriatic Acid, It should only be used for this purpose. NEVER use it to measure food
again.

//------- DIY-DUINO COMPONENTS LIST -------//

(3) Little bits of wire

DIP Sockets Solder Tail - 28-Pin 0.3"

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/7942
$1.50

ATmega328 with Arduino Bootloader

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9217
$5.50

Basic LED - Green (or whatever color tussles your vessel)

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9650
$0.35

Resistor 330 Ohm 1/6th Watt PTH

-- 220 Ohm will work fine too if you have one
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8377
$0.25

Resistor 10k Ohm 1/6th Watt PTH

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8374
$0.25

Mini Push Button Switch

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/97
$0.35

(2) Electrolytic Decoupling Capacitors - 10uF/25V

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/523
$0.45x2=$0.90

Voltage Regulator - 5V
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/107
$1.25

(2) Capacitor Ceramic 0.1uF Crystal 16MHz

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/536
$0.95

(2) Capacitor Ceramic 0.1uF

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8375
$0.25x2=$0.50

(3) Female Headers

You'll need to cut them, and it's a little trickey...
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/115

(4) Standoffs
From Radio Shack or
From Sparkfun

//------- PROGRAMMING MATERIALS LIST -------//

FT232RL USB to Serial
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/718
$14.95

A breadboard
4 short wires
4 longer wires
An LED-- to test if your upload was a success

//------- TOOLS LIST-------//

Dremel or Hacksaw
I suggest buying a Dremel or other rotary tool for this instructable, you will probably need a Dremel to drill the holes.

1/32" Drill bit

I don't know of one of these for a normal drill, neither did the lady at Lowes -- again... Dremel

Metal-cutting disc for Dremel

To cut out the copperboard

Solder
Flux
Desoldering braid -- for errors!
Soldering Iron
Soldering Gripper

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 2: About making PCBs
Just as there are several ways to build your own Arduino, there are likely just as many, if not more, ways to create your own printed circuit board or PCB. This tutorial
opens with an in-depth lesson on how to make your own. I've tried several methods of making PCBs, and what follows is a procedure that has worked the best for me.

A little background first... People who are new to making their own PCBs often call this method "The Toner-Transfer Method".
When searching for how to make your own PCBs on the Net, this is the phrase that will often come up.
However, those who have been making these for a while will correctly call it the "Gootee Method" -- and the PCBs themselves are called "Gootee Boards". The reason is
this -- the most in-depth documentation on how to etch your own PCB (at least that I know of) has been compiled and tested by Thomas Gootee.

See his website: http://fullnet.com/~tomg/gooteepc.htm

The PCB you will be making in this instructable is founded in Gootee's teachings, with a few differences/deviations.

Step 3: Transfering the Pattern - Materials

Copper Board: 12" x 12"
You can buy a smaller board, if you want. I buy the 12x12 because I use it for a lot of projects.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=055-140

Photo Paper
High-quality photo paper with a glossy finish is the best to use.

Clothes Iron
Use one you don't mind being ruined.
Chances are, it will get funky.

Piece of scrap cardboard

This will be your makeshift ironing board.

Arduino Pattern sheet

Download the Pattern file here
You must use this file to ensure the proper resolution and size of the image. You don't want to print and etch your board and have it be the wrong size.

Paper towels
To put over your board before ironing.

Plastic container
To bathe your board in warm water after ironing.

Common, houshold tape

For securing the pattern to the copper board

Tweezers
Not necessary, but can be helpfull for peeling off transfer remnants.

Fine grain sandpaper

To rough up the board and make it able to absorb the pattern better.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Copperboard still in the wrapper

Step 4: Cut out the copperboard and sand it

Cut out the board
Protect your eyes.

Use your dremel or a hacksaw and cut out the shape for your board.

Give yourself some space around the edges. I usually give myself about a 1/4 inch extra margin. Mostly, because I often add in risers or spacers when I'm done at each
of the corners.

Spacers are good to use, because they keep your soldered bits off of the table or ground or any other surface. They protect your board from getting fried if it happens to
come to rest upon a metal surface.

Now sand the board

Sand the top of the copper with a fine sand paper. This gives it some more surface area for the toner to stick to.

Sand the edges too, because sometimes they can be sharp, and you don't want to cut yourself.

It's far easier to assemble a board when you don't have bandages on your fingers.

Image Notes
1. Cut the copperboard -- a Dremel or rotary tool works best. But a hacksaw will
do. Image Notes
1. Sanded copperboard. Any sharp edges are removed.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 5: Preparing the pattern
If you have access to a laser printer or a laser copier, fantastic. If not, no problem, you'll let Staples or Kinkos or another copy place do that for you.

If you HAVE access to a laser printer:

Put your photo paper in the printer and be sure that the glossy side is oriented correctly. You need the image to be printed on the glossy side. If possible, set the printer to
print out with the maximum quality/toner thickness available. Print the Pattern file. Try not to touch the image area or get anything else on it. Any oils, abrasions or
anything else will hamper the transfer.

If you DO NOT HAVE access to a laser printer:

Print the Pattern file. Try to get the best, darkest quality printout possible. Bring the printout to your local copy store and have them make laser copies of it on high-quality
photo paper. Explain to them what you are attempting to do with these copies. Occasionally, there will be someone working there that knows or has heard of what you're
doing. Try not to touch the image area or get anything else on it. Any oils, abrasions or anything else will hamper the transfer.

Prepare the pattern

Cut one of the patterns out. On 3 sides, trim close along the edge of the pattern. On one side, leave a little tab for you to hold on to. Again, you don't want anything to
touch the image.

Image Notes
1. Here is a photo of the raw pattern.
Image Notes
1. Trimmed.

Step 6: The Transfer Procedure - Preparations

Transfer preparation/things to get ready
Heat up your clothes iron, put it on the hottest setting -- High/Linen. With no steam. We want this sucka HOT! It's good to start your iron heating up while you get the other
stuff ready. Be careful not to burn yourself or anything else! Be carefull to turn the iron off when you're done!

Image Notes
1. A clothing iron. You should use one that you don't want ruined. There is a chance that some of the photo paper may stick to it. I got this one specifically for making
PCBs. It cost me 25 bucks.

Step 7: The Transfer Procedure

Get a plastic container, large enough so the PCB can lay flat, I use a sandwich container, and fill it with hot water. This will bathe your PCB after your transfer the pattern.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. A plastic container for bathing your board after ironing.

Step 8: The Transfer Procedure

Cut out a piece of scrap cardboard for your ironing board.

I use pieces of cardboard box, usually just cutting off one of the flaps.

Place your cut and sanded piece of copperboard in the middle of the cardboard with the copper side facing up.

Lay your pattern face down on the copperboard.

Take a couple pieces of tape and secure the pattern to the copperboard.

Place a papertowel over the top of the copperboard.

This should protect your iron from the gunk that is created when you heat up the paper -- but I'm not making any promises.

If you don't want to ruin your iron, don't use a good one. You can usually get one cheap at a yard sale or a new one for less than $25.

Image Notes
Image Notes 1. Place the copperboard on the cardboard.
1. cardboard

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Cover the board with a paper towel to protect your iron.

Image Notes
1. Place your pattern face down on the copperboard and secure it with tape.

Step 9: The Transfer Procedure

Transfering the Image
When the iron is heated up, press down FIRMLY on the top of the papertowel, pattern and copperboard.

Hold it in place for one minute.

After a minute, remove the iron.

You should be able to make out the edges of the board through the paper towel.

Use the tip of the iron to go over the board bit-by-bit.

Take another minute to be sure you apply heat to each part of the board...

Go up and down, side to side and left to right.

Pay special attention to the edges.

In my experience, the edges are where the board/image gets the least ammount of heat.

Finally, for one more minute, hold the iron on the board again to finish up.

Caution, the board will be very hot!

Peel the paper towel off of the top.

If some papertowel sticks to the top, it's ok. This will loosten and be easy to remove in the water bath.

Image Notes
1. Press down firmly on the board and hold there for a minute.
Image Notes
1. Iron the edges of the board to make sure you've heated up and transferred all of
the pattern.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Carefully peel back the paper towel. The board will be hot!

Step 10: The Transfer Procedure

Time for a bath!
Place the board, face up in the plastic container of warm water and let it bathe for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, peel the pattern paper off.

In my opinion, the ironing the trickiest part of the entire procedure... If you've done a good job at ironing, the entire paper will peel off and you will be looking at a shiny
copperboard with the black laser toner transfered onto it.

However, this will not likely happen. Do not be discouraged! What will likely happen is one of two things:
1. You peel the paper back and some or all of the paper comes off, but the pattern was not totally transfered either.
2. You peel the paper back and only some of it comes off, leaving behind some paper and a thin plastic.

In case 1:
You haven't completely ironed the toner and it hasn't transfered to the board.

You are sadly out of luck -- only for the moment though. You will need to start again.

Hey, at least you have the copper cut out, right? And practice makes perfect... the best way to be an expert at something is to be a complete failure at it first.

The board on the left isn't totally messed up. In fact, I fixed it with a Sharpie... see below on how this works.

But you can see where the toner didn't completely transfer over to the board. On the left corner, the toner is faded -- thats because it's still stuck to the paper.

Now, the board below that one is a total mess. It's one of the first boards I ever tried to make. I'm not sure why I still have it, maybe just to show in this tutorial. You can
see that its kind of corroded from sitting around. The main thing to look at is that the toner didn't transfer too well.

If this happens to your board, put it back into the water and let it soak over night. You'll easily be able to peel everything off in the morning.

After all the paper is removed, take some lacquor remover, dampen a papertowel with it, and wipe away all the toner.

Re-sand the copperboard, so that it looks clean and new and start again. Don't sweat it, you'll get it, trust me!

In case 2:
You're left with some paper still stuck to the board. You may notice that there is a thin plastic layer that is sticking to the copper. This is what the pattern image was
originally transfered on to.

You may also notice that there is some "plain" paper that comes off easily. Take your thumbs and rub off what you can of the "plain" paper.

Soak the board in the warm water bath for a nother couple minutes. Return and try to rub off more of the "plain" paper.

Eventually you'll be able to get everything off.

The photo has only a little of the plastic stuck to it. You can use your fingernails to peel off the plastic, because the transfered toner resists being chipped by your nails
fairly well.

I also find that using some tweezers to peel off the thin plastic works too. BE CAREFULL though with the tweezers, because it IS possible to chip the pattern with them.

Also, you need to get ALL OF THE PAPER AND PLASTIC off of the board for the etching to work thoroughly. Often, I just remove what I can of the "plain" paper and then
set the board in the bath for a couple hours.

When you return, you'll find that the plastic does not stick so much to the board and you can peel it off easily. Again, you can use tweezers, but use them carefully.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Take the board out of the bath.
Image Notes
1. Place your board into a warm water bath for 10 minutes.

Image Notes
1. Carefully peel back the pattern. There will likely be some paper still stuck to
the board.
Image Notes
1. Some of the toner has not transfered properly in this example. This will need
to be fixed with a Sharpie.

Image Notes
1. Removing more of the "plastic"-like paper that coats the board. Letting the
Image Notes
board sit for a couple hours makes this easier to remove.
1. This is a mess! One of my firsts.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. This board transferred successfully. It's just soaking so that the remaining
paper can be removed more easily.

Step 11: The Transfer Procedure - Minor Touch-ups

OK, so you got all of the paper and plastic removed.

Double check your board. Make sure all lines connect properly.

Go over any nicks with a Sharpie permanent marker. I have one of the thin-line Sharpes for fixing these little nicks. Sharpie ink resists the acid.

If everything looks good, you are now ready to etch your board.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. This board is ready to be etched.

Image Notes
1. Touch up any missing toner with a Sharpie. A thin-tipped Sharpie works better
than the standard ones.

Step 12: Etching - Materials

Jug of Muriatic Acid
You can get this at the hardware store.

Container of Laquor Remover

This is for if you make mistakes on transfering your pattern.
You can remove the toner and try again.
You can get this at the hardware store

Container of Hydrogen Peroxide

Any Grocery Store

Standard kitchen paper towels

Use for the ironing, agitating the acid solution, and removing the toner with the lacquer remover

(2) Plastic containers

(1 for the acid mixture, one to rinse, one to bathe the PCB in hot water)

Acid disposal container

Size this, depending on how much you're using. See below on disposal.

Pair of plastic dishwashing gloves

You can often find a better, more durable pair of gloves at the hardware store -- right near the muriatic acid oddly enough.

Other Protection
Breathing and eye protection are essential.

1/4 Cup Measuring Cup

Use one that you don't mind being destroyed. Once you use this to measure out the Muriatic Acid, It should only be used for this purpose. NEVER use it to measure food
again.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Lacquer Thinner -- for removing the toner when you're done etching.
2. Muriatic Acid -- does the etching. The etching solution will contain 1 part
muriatic acid and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide
3. Hydrogen Peroxide -- dilutes the acid so that the solution works better. The
etching solution will contain 1 part muriatic acid and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide.
Image Notes
1. Heavy duty gloves you can buy at the hardware store protect your hands
from being burned.

Image Notes
1. A measuring cup to portion out the muriatic acid and the hydrogen peroxide.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 13: Etching - Precautions
First, some precautions
Muriatic Acid is very dangerous, both to breathe, and to get on any part of your body. It will also destroy most of what it comes into contact with, metal, clothing.

Most important, protect your skin and eyes. I ALWAYS wear goggles and it's not even an option to not use plastic gloves.

Put on your eye protection. Put on your protective gloves. Put on your breathing protection. Make sure you are not wearing clothes that you want to keep clean. Chances
are they will be ruined. It is best to do the etching outside, in a garage or basement, or in a bathroom. Somewhere where if you spill a little acid, it won't hurt anything.

If you can't do your etching outside, do it in a well-ventilated room, and be sure to protect anything you don't want completely ruined from the acid.

Basically the only thing that won't be runied by the acid is plastic.

Image Notes
1. oops! This is what happens when you drip the solution in your garage.

Step 14: Etching - Preparations

The containers
You will be using 3 containers. One container will hold your etching solution, the second will hold hydrogen peroxide only, and the third will be used to discard your
solutions in a safe and proper manner.

The hydrogen peroxide container will be used to rinse off your board after it is finished etching.

Now, prepare your etching solution

The mixture is 1 part Muriatic Acid to 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide.

Use the 1/4 cup measuring cup to portion out one 1/4 cup full of Muriatic Acid and two 1/4 cups full of hydrogen peroxide into one of your plastic containers.

Step 15: Etching - The Procedure

Check the copper board to be sure you have removed all traces of the photo paper.

You should have checked it over and made sure that all of the traces are completed, and there are no chips that would make an incomplete circuit.

If there are any chips or scratches, fix them with a Sharpie as described earlier.

Lets start etching!

Gently place the board into the etching solution.

You will notice that the etching solution begins to change color.

This is the acid reacting to the copper and starting to dissolve it.

Agitate the container gently, so that the etching solution mixes over the submerged board.
Use a paper towel to wipe the board while it's submerged.

This helps along the etching process.

After about 4 minutes, you will notice that the copper will begin to dissolve.
Continue to wipe areas where there is still copper.

After about 5 minutes, your board should be completely etched.

The etching solution will have changed to a green color after reachint with the copper.

Remove the board and rinse it in the second container, the one that has just hydrogen peroxide.

This will dilute the remaining acid.

Now, it's not the best thing in the world to do, but we've diluted any solution still clinging to our board and most of the copper that has dissolved into the solution is diluted
as well. So... take your board and rinse it under some water.

Here is what you should have.

You will notice in the photo attached that there is still some copper in the top right corner.

This should be ok.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
But if this happens on your board and you want to remove it, just gently sand it off. Be careful not to sand off anything you don't want to!

The final step is to use lacquer remover to get the toner off.

Put some lacquer remover on a paper towel and wipe off the toner.

Do your best to get all of the toner off.

Your board should look like the final photo attached.

Rinse this puppy off once more and get ready to drill the holes for the components.

Image Notes
1. Gently place the board into the etching solution.

Image Notes
1. The solution will start to turn green...

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Continue to gently agitate the container. 1. Use a paper towel to wipe the board while it's still submerged. This helps
along the etching.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Continue to wipe areas that still have copper.
Image Notes
1. After about 4 minutes

Image Notes
1. After about 5 minutes

Image Notes
1. The etched PCB.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Put some lacquer remover on a paper towel and wipe away the toner. Be sure
to remove all the toner. And then rinse the board one more time. Image Notes
1. Here is what you should have. You have successfully etched a PCB. Now
onward to drilling the holes for the components.

Step 16: Drilling Holes for the Components

Up until now, you could get by without a Dremel or other rotary tool. It may have been trickier, but do-able.

However, I must say, I can't imagine getting past this part with a normal drill.

First, I don't think they even sell 1/32" drill bits for normal drills. Second normal drills are just too cumbersome to do this delicate work. One slip and you've ruined your
precious PCB.

So, do yourself a favor and score a Dremel or rotary tool. They are usefull for many more things than just making PCBs!

Put on your eye protection and carefully drill your holes.

Be carefull with both the PCB and the drill bit itself.

A 1/32" bit is really not much larger than a sewing needle and easy to break.

It's a pain to get half way through drilling and snap a bit. Then you either have to go to the hardware store and get another, or order one online. The hardware store near
me doesn't even sell individual bits, they're in a package of different sizes. So it's $10 for one bit and five that I already have like three sets of.

If you order them online, you can buy them in a small cannister of 4. I think I paid $5 for one cannister. It's good to have extras, eventually you will break one.

Anyhow, carefully drill out the holes for your components. Start by drilling through the copper side. Then turn the PCB over to the plastic side and drill through the holes
you've made -- just to be sure you have it going through clean.

Hold your PCB up to the light and check that you've drilled everything.

On this board, I've drilled places to add risers in the corners. It's a good idea to have these, so your board isn't sitting on the table and resting on its solder points.

Pat yourself on your back, you're now ready to assemble the components.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Your PCB
2. tiny drill bit
3. A smaller holder for the bit
4. Dremel chuck to tighten down the drill bit.
5. Dremel

Image Notes
1. This PCB has all the holes drilled out and is ready to have the components
installed.

Image Notes
1. Hold to the light to see if its been all drilled.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 17: Putting It All Together - Materials/Components
(3) Little bits of wire

DIP Sockets Solder Tail - 28-Pin 0.3"

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/7942
$1.50

ATmega328 with Arduino Bootloader

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9217
$5.50

Basic LED - Green

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9650
$0.35

Resistor 330 Ohm 1/6th Watt PTH

-- 220 Ohm will work fine too if you have one
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8377
$0.25

Resistor 10k Ohm 1/6th Watt PTH

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8374
$0.25

Mini Push Button Switch

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/97
$0.35

(2) Electrolytic Decoupling Capacitors - 10uF/25V

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/523
$0.45x2=$0.90

Voltage Regulator - 5V
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/107
$1.25

Crystal 16MHz
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/536
$0.95

(2) Capacitor Ceramic 0.1uF

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8375
$0.25x2=$0.50

(3) Break-Away Female Headers

These are not really break-away.
You'll need to cut them.
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/115

(4) Standoffs
I got the ones pictured at Radio Shack
Here's a link for some from Sparkfun

Solder

Flux

Desoldering braid -- for errors!

Soldering Iron and a second set of hands helps out in a major way!

Image Notes

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 1. Green LED
2. 220 Ohm Resistor
3. 10K Ohm Resistor
4. Tactile Push Button
Image Notes
1. 3 little pieces of wire
2. Socket for the ATmega328
3. ATmega328 with Arduino bootloader

Image Notes
Image Notes 1. 16mHz Crystal
1. Electrolytic Capacitors 2. .1 uf ceramic capacitors
2. 5V Voltage Regulator

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. female headers

Image Notes
1. standoffs

Step 18: Putting it Together

I have drawn up a little diagram of where all the components are supposed to go. And I have also included photos of the board as the components are added.

Here is a simple diagram of the finished setup, complete with the pin locations. Follow the pictures coming up to put the board together correctly.

In this Instructible, I will hope that you are decent at soldering. It is not my goal here to teach you how to solder.

There are a bunch of tutorials an pointers out there on how to solder properly.

Here is one of my favorite pages:

http://www.ladyada.net/media/common/soldering.pdf

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. The finished DIY-Duino

Image Notes
1. The finished DIY-Duino with pin positions

Step 19: Putting it together

First, you have the naked board.
It should be oriented with the copper facing away.
You will be soldering the components on the plastic side only, NOT the side with the copper.
Put the leads of the components through the board and solder them to the copper.
The places where there are squares should be where the ground/negative lead of the component are soldered.

Start by soldering the DIP Socket for the ATmega328.

DO NOT solder in the actual chip.
It is always a good idea to use these Sockets, because you can remove your chip if you want to use it in another board or project or whatever. And desoldering them is a
royal pain.
Note the area where there is a little oval cut out.
This is to let you know how the chip should be oriented.
When you finally put your ATmega chip into the socket, you want to place it with the oval facing up.
The top left of the chip is the reset.
If you don't put the chip in right, nothing will work.

Add the capacitors and the voltage regulator.

Important: The capacitors have a little white bar on one side. This is to let you know where to attach it to the ground.
Attach the side with the white bar to where the square pad (ground) is and the other to the power.
Do this for both of the capacitors.
The voltage regulator needs to be soldered with the back of the "chair"/ the tall metal part facing out.
You may need to file a little of the legs off of the voltage regulator, as the leads are often squarish and flat.

Add the little wires.

You have three wires. It doesn't really matter what color they are, as I'm sure you know. Just as long as you know where they are supposed to go.
For this circuit, you'll solder wires to span and attach to two grounds and one voltage.
The white wires in the diagram are for ground and the red wire is for power.

Add the .1uf ceramic capacitors (2 of them) and the 16nHz crystal.
It does not matter how the ceramic capacitors or the crystal are oriented.
The crystal is a little wider than we need for this board, so you should bend the leads so that it will fit in snugly at the bottom. You don't want any components dangling.

Add the resistors.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
The resistors are 10K Ohm and 220 Ohm.
The 10K Ohm resistor is banded brown, black, orange and gold and will provide resistance to the button.
The 220 Ohm resistor is banded red, red, brown and gold and will provide resistance to the LED.

Add the LED and button.

The LED will light up and tell us that the board is getting power.
The button will allow us to reset the board.
Some buttons have 4 leads, we only need two of them, so you can snip the extras off if you have four.
Be sure to insert the long leg of the LED into the power, and the short leg into the ground(the square pad).

Add the female headers.

It's not really necessary to have all these headers.
Personally, I like to have a voltage and a ground for every usable pin on the chip -- especially next to the analog pins.
But, I suppose as long as you have one extra voltage and one extra ground out, you are good.

Add the power supply.

And you're done.
There are a couple different ways to connect to a power supply.
I'll write a little about that in the next step.

Image Notes
1. Naked board

Image Notes
1. Naked board

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the socket for the ATmega328

Image Notes
1. Add the socket for the ATmega328

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the capacitors and the voltage regulator

Image Notes
1. Add capacitors and voltage regulator

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the little wires.

Image Notes
1. Add the little wires.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the .1uf ceramic capacitors
2. Add the 16mHz crystal

Image Notes
1. Add the .1uf ceramic capacitors
2. Add the 16mHz crystal

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the 220 Ohm resistor
2. Add the 10K Ohm resistor
Image Notes
1. Add the 220 Ohm resistor
2. Add the 10K Ohm resistor

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the LED
2. Add the button

Image Notes
1. Add the LED
2. Add the button

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add the female headers - these have 5 pins
2. Add the female headers - these have 6 pins
3. Add the female headers - these have 9 pins

Image Notes
1. Add the female headers - these have 5 pins
2. Add the female headers - these have 6 pins
3. Add the female headers - these have 9 pins

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. Add power.

Image Notes
1. Add the power supply

Step 20: Getting power

Depending on your preference, you can create a bunch of different power supplies for your board. Check out the photos attached to see some options.

There are a bunch of wall plugs you can buy, but be careful of it's output, because you risk toasting your board.

You want a 9V DC 100-500mA power adapter, one with a 2.1mm barrel plug and positive tip. I don't have one, because I use mostly rechargable 9volt and AAA batteries.

There are many tutorials on how to wire a DC power jack, if you don't know how to do it.

Image Notes
1. This is a DC plug that you can solder to your board.

Image Notes
1. You can solder this directly to voltage and ground.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Image Notes
1. This allows you to plug and unplug your 9V power supply.

Image Notes
1. 4AAA batteries and plug

Image Notes
1. This is a different version of a DC plug.

Step 21: Programming - Materials

If you already have an Arduino, you can follow the details on how to use it as an In-System Programmer (ISP) here:
http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ArduinoISP

However, you will need to modify your board to be able to accept a line from the Arduino's Reset to your boards Reset.

Personally, I like to use the FT232RL USB to Serial. I think it's easier and iIt's just become habit for me.

FT232RL USB to Serial

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/718
$14.95

I can't remember if mine came with the male headers, so you might want to get some of those too.

You will need:

The board you created above
Breakout Board for FT232RL USB to Serial
A breadboard
4 short wires
4 longer wires
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
An LED-- to test if your upload was a success

Image Notes
1. The FT232 on a breadboard

Step 22: Programming

The first photo is a picture of the top of the FT232 and the other is the bottom.

You will need to solder male headers to the board.

Be sure to remove any battery or power source from your board before you connect the FT232.

Image Notes
Image Notes 1. The bottom of the FT232
1. The top of the FT232

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 23: Programming
Set up your FT232 on a breadboard like this photo.

The wire on the top left is TXD and will go to pin 0 (RX) on your board.

The wire on the bottom left is RXD and will go to 1 (TX) on your board.

The wire on the top right is ground and will be attached to a ground line on your board.

The wire on the bottom right is VCC and will be attached to a power line on your board.

Image Notes
1. to pin 0
2. to pin 1
3. power
4. ground
5. TXD
6. RXD
7. ground
8. power
9. USB to your computer

Step 24: Programming

The first photo is how the connection looks.

The second is a close up of how the wires are plugged into your board.

The red wire is VCC -- power.

The Black wire is ground.

The yellow wire is TXD and is connected to pin 0 on your board.

The orange wire is RXD and is connected to pin 1 on your board.

Image Notes
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 1. Here's how the connection should look.

Image Notes
1. power
2. ground
3. pin 0
4. pin 1

Step 25: Programming

Open the Arduino Software.

If you do not have the Arduino software, download it here http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software and follow the instructions for setup.

Go to File >> Examples >> Basics >> and open the Blink sketch...

Or any other sketch of yours.

If you are going to use the Blink Example, plug a LED into pin 13 on your board. The long leg goes to pin13 and the short one goes to ground.

Image Notes
1. The Blink example
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 26: Programming
You need to be sure you are set to the right chip/board.

Otherwise you will get an error when trying to upload your sketch.

Go to Tools >> Board >> and click on the the chip you have in your board.

In this case, we have the ATmega328.

Image Notes
1. We're using the ATmega328

Step 27: Programming

Click the upload button (in yellow in the photo).

The program will tell you that its Uploading to I/) Board.

Wait for it to say: "Binary sketch size: 1018 bytes (of a 30720 byte maximum)"

Image Notes
1. Click to upload the sketch
2. Wait until you see this and then press the reset button on your DIY-Duino

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 28: Programming
When the software says "Binary sketch size: 1018 bytes (of a 30720 byte maximum)"press the reset button on your board.

You only have a couple seconds to do this, otherwise your upload will fail and you will get an error.

When the program is sending the sketch over, the RX and TX lights on the FT232 will go all blinkey for a couple seconds.

When they stop blinking, you will get a "Done Uploading" message and the LED will begin flashing.

Image Notes
1. Press the reset button

Step 29: Programming

Success!

You have successfully created your own PCB, assembled your own DIY-duino, and programmed the board.

Awesome!

If you put one together, post a photo.

Also, if you encounter any problems, post a comment and I'll do the best I can to help you.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!

Image Notes
1. SUCCESS!!!!!!!

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
Step 30:
Some Good Resources:

My DIY-Duino Page
Here is a link to my page where I also have this tutorial detailed
http://www.theparsley.com/arduino/diy/

The Official Arduino Page

http://www.arduino.cc/

Sparkfun
Good place to get supplies and learn
http://www.sparkfun.com/

Ladyada
Another great site with a wealth of information and products
http://www.ladyada.net/

PCB-123
A good program to design patterns for your own boards. Download the FREE program below:
http://www.sunstone.com/pcb-resources/downloads/ThankYou.aspx?ID=14

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ProtoShield Connect a PS/2 dmallen from Arduino The
from Keyboard to the How to have fun Board! by rtty21 RRRRRRRRRRBBA,
"Household" iPhone by awgh with Arduino a $3 Arduino by
Items (<5$) by (and become a
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Comments
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jpr3 says: Mar 9, 2011. 10:10 AM REPLY

This was a GREAT tutorial. Your web site had each and every step documented! Great work!!!!!

pcapelo says: Mar 7, 2011. 12:30 PM REPLY

Really good instructables. I cant wait to build my own. thank you for the information.

I have a question for you: why not make the board usint the minimum ammount of space???? Why leave so many "empty" space on the board???

congrats again

PC

robonerd says: Mar 7, 2011. 12:37 PM REPLY

Hey there, thanks for the comment. I suppose there's gotta be a better way to make it smaller-compact. I just found what way it all worked the best for
me, and stuck to that way. Besides, when you look at it vertically, it kinda looks like a face.... I just couldn't change the look on that face! I've also foound
if you want to add something, you can just drill through, carefully... Definitely could use some tightening though, but not sure where. peace!

erniehatt says: Mar 11, 2011. 12:48 PM REPLY

Very difficult to make it more compact, unless you can make double sided boards, that is not easy using this method. I have pulled a few things in
tighter but it does not alter the board size much, but it does leave a few spaces to add things in the future. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 2:22 PM REPLY

yeah, i really didnt want to even have the wires in there.
so this is as compact as I could make it.
could you please send me even just a jpg of your pcb design?
click my profile and do the message thang.
id love to see how you modified it.
thanks!

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 erniehatt says: Mar 17, 2011. 3:13 AM REPLY
I removed the comments because I found a couple of errors

robonerd says: Mar 17, 2011. 5:19 AM REPLY

thats cool.

erniehatt says: Mar 16, 2011. 12:41 AM

(removed by author or community request)

erniehatt says: Mar 16, 2011. 1:21 AM

(removed by author or community request)

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 5:07 AM REPLY

Which version of PCB wizzard are you using? Does this allow you to make files you can ship off to a company to have boards made?
I have a couple different boards I'd like to have "professionally made" but I've never done that before.
Thanks for sharing your designs.
I'm glad that you found the instructable useful.
Again, I'd love to see a photo of the finished project when it's done!

erniehatt says: Mar 16, 2011. 4:58 PM REPLY

professional edition 3.50, and yes it does export the apropriate files. Very easy to use. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 6:06 PM REPLY

cool, thanks for the reply.

erniehatt says: Mar 16, 2011. 8:40 PM REPLY

Hi, just tried the muriac acis etc, do you use it for only one board or can you save it to use again. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 17, 2011. 5:00 AM REPLY

Sadly, it only works for one board. You can try to use it for two, but the time is dramatically increased.

oshondrom says: Mar 16, 2011. 12:45 PM REPLY

Could you send me the source pcb of pcb 123 pcb? Please, i need to modify it!
My e-mail: [email protected]

robonerd says: Mar 17, 2011. 5:00 AM REPLY

did you get the PCB?

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 12:58 PM REPLY

I just sent it to you.

David97 says: Mar 17, 2011. 1:25 AM REPLY

I want to remote control my arduino useing my xbox controler (bluetooth). how can I do this?

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 1:00 PM REPLY

I have edited the board design to eliminate the three wires.
And have also designed one that uses the 16mHz crystal resonator, as suggested by pepehdez below.
A barebones board is in the works too.
If anyone is interested getting a copy of either of these modifications, let me know.

angelvalorreed says: Mar 15, 2011. 12:49 AM REPLY

Very good work, and inspiring. I have prepared my own board, following your tutorial, though I am not being ableto make it work for the moment.... I don´t
have the ftdi adapter you use to program the board, but I have an Arduino duemilanove. I am new to electronics, so please excuse me if I ask silly
questions...

My question is: If I program the ATmega328 using the Arduino, then take out the chip, and then install it in your board... Should it instantly begin to work in
the new board? i.e., if I program it with the blink example, should the led begin to blink?
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 Finally, what I do have is a ttl to 232R cable, the 3.3V version explained in this datasheet... http://adafruit.com/datasheets/DS_TTL-232R_CABLES_V201.pdf

could you please explain if there is a way to adapt it to program the board?

Thanks a lot,
Angel Valor

robonerd says: Mar 15, 2011. 6:13 AM REPLY

Have a look at this page:
http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ArduinoToBreadboard

angelvalorreed says: Mar 15, 2011. 1:27 PM REPLY

Thanks a lot for your kind suggestions.

First, the pictures. I think I have followed all the steps carefully. I think (but I am not completely sure) I have no shorts. I have noticed that my
decoupling capacitors are rated 10 uF-35V, whilst your prescription is 25V. Is this OK?

Also, my 16.000 Hz is somewhat bulkier than yours. Hope this is OK too.

For me, its OK to repeat everything and construct a second board (Normally I get results minimum from second try :>)) but... I have mounted the
setup you recommended from the Arduino site tutorial, and still no results.

I have tested that the atmega328 chip is OK- I have tested the blink example with several digital pins and results are OK.

By the way, I have to say that your tutorial is one of the best documented and more consistent I have seen on the net, thanks again. But I have a
doubt. In your blink example, you mean it's not necessary to put a 200 ohm resistance? If it's necessary, please indicate it in your nice tutorial (then it
will be perfect).

Thanks again, I will appreciate any sugeestion you may have, based on the pictures. Best regards,

Angel Valor

robonerd says: Mar 15, 2011. 6:32 PM REPLY

I looked at the design of the top of the board. All looks good there. I dont think the 35V in the capacitors matters. And yes, i would use a 220 Ohm
resistor on the LED. My only suggestion is that the soldering looks a little too thick on the bottom, if ANY solder touches between pins on the
chip's socket, it wont work. The LED may be getting power, but the chip wont work. You need to be sure that the soldering does not touch
between any of the socket pins or any of the ATmega pins that branch out from there. if you look at the board, you will see that there are places
where the ground and voltage are together in a line. The soldering for these areas may touch, and will likely do so. But on individual ATmega
pins, it is vital that it is not touching. I hope this helps you. I think I did 4 boards before I had one that worked. Thank you for your compliment, too.
I appreciate it. I'll do the best I can to help you get this working. It may take a couple tries! Don't get discouraged!

angelvalorreed says: Mar 16, 2011. 7:36 AM REPLY

Thanks again for your help. I have decided to concentrate on the breadboard version of the system.

I have assembled everything several times, I have checked that the cables I am using are Ok, etc. I suspect the place where it can be failing
is the one concerning clock signals.

Some thoughts:
-My "crystal" is taller than the crystals I see in your pictures and elsewhere. It is labelled "PZXTL 16.000". Do you think of any other
component looking as a resonator, but that instead is something different? Could this be here the case?

-Second point: for the capacitors attached to the crystal, you prescribe 0.1 microfarads (code 104; 100.000 picofarads), whilst in the Arduino
tutorial you sent me the link, they are using for the same place 22 picofarads capacitors. Why such a big difference? And: Is there a relation
between the type of crystalyou use and the capacitance of the capacitors you attach to it?

Thanks in advance,

Angel Valor

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 8:59 AM REPLY
I searched for the original page I used to breadboard my arduino, but couldn't find it. Have a look at this page for breadboarding... it's
similar though it uses the 22picocaps:
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Tutorials/ArduinoBreadboard

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 8:56 AM REPLY

Take a look at this, it may be a decent alternative.
a 16mHz resonator -- it has the caps built in.
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9420
This one online is only .95 USD.
I'm probably going to start using these instead, as pepehdez suggestes below.
Mostly because they eliminate the 50 cents for the 2 ceramic caps!

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 8:42 AM REPLY

As long as the crystal is 16mHz it should work, though i did a google search for the PZXTL and everything that came up was 8mHz.
Someone used a resonator that worked instead of the crystal and ceramic capacitors, see the posting by "pepehdez" below, he has a
photo attached too. I'm not sure why the difference in the values of the ceramic caps. I originally breadboarded my design a long time ago
based on an online tutorial that used those. It worked so I haven't ever tried anything different. your problem might be with that crystal, it's
really the only think I can think of. Let me ask you this, does the LED come on when it has a power plugged in?

angelvalorreed says: Mar 16, 2011. 12:25 PM REPLY

I have solved the issue: now the blink example is working both in the breadboard and in the pcb. And it was solved changing the 0.1
microfarad capacitors attached to the crystal, with 22 picofarad ones. So the crystal was OK too. And it turned out I had no shorts,
although I admit my soldering skills are very modest.

I am really happy, as I see a lot of applications for your PCB. The best thing of all is convenience: here in Madrid to my knowledge
there is no electronics shop where you can buy arduinos directly; you have to order them from web sites that charge minimum 10 € for
delivery service. On the other hand, the technical service is not always the best, if you have the bad chance a component you buy has
defects, there are big chances you will not be able to return and get a new one. I am in such a situation for an Arduino I recently
bought.

On the other hand, most shops sell atmega328's. And that's the point, it makes a big difference to have an "arduino" instantly and for
almost half the cost.

Please, correct the tutorial concerning these capacitors, as it seems that at least one kind of crystals (the PZCTL ones I have) will not
work unless you attach to them much lower capacitances, 18-22 pF.

And finally, thanks for your support and splendid tutorial.

Best regards, Angel Valor

robonerd says: Mar 16, 2011. 6:04 PM REPLY

Im very glad you got it to work.
Please post pics of any applications you use it for!
I'm going to keep the iable as it is though, because if you use the exact components listed, it works like a charm.
Though I will add a suggestion to try the caps you used when in use with that crystal.
May I ask what type of power source you use?
Wall power? a 9v boattery?
this might be something I need to think of.
because im in US and power are different in Europe?
Im not sure though, maybe had something to do with power conversion?
Oh well, at least you got it working!
Cheers!

robonerd says: Mar 15, 2011. 5:16 AM REPLY

The chip should work if you put it into the Arduino and then your board.
From the program menu, you need to select:
Tools>>Boards>>Arduino Duemilanove or Nano w/ ATmega328.
I'm working on a modification to my board that will have access to the reset.
Then, you can use your Arduino as an ISP to directly program the board you made.
Can you post a photo of the board you made?
I'd like to see how it came out.
I'll check your link too.

erniehatt says: Mar 10, 2011. 9:49 PM REPLY

I have run this through my PCB program, and on going over your design, I notice you have Three links, I have managed to get rid of two.
Pins 8 and 22 go to gnd link these with a track under the IC.
Pin 7 I ran the track up the centre of the IC juggled the ele capacitors and connected to the positive rail. Could not find a way to get rid of the third.
I am forever using Arduinos on different projects, I will make about four of these boards at a time. Thanks for a great article. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 6:06 AM REPLY

Could you message me your PCB file? I'd like to see it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 erniehatt says: Mar 11, 2011. 12:35 PM REPLY
Hi, not sure how to do that, I use Pcb Wizard to make my Artwork, unless you mean a scan of it. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 2:22 PM REPLY

well i guess, just print screen button and paste that to any graphics program?
\

erniehatt says: Mar 11, 2011. 3:18 PM REPLY

I have made a scan, not sure this is working, as I have made a couple of attemps.
You will notice that I have added an SCR at bottom left, this is for triggering a camera or flash. I have been using an Arduino with a DYI shield
for this, and am looking to have a dedicated board, so will be adding to your design.
You will see I have made some alterations, in placement of components,not much. this could be tightened up some by using smaller tracks,
but the difference is minimal. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 3:55 PM REPLY

thanks. very cool! i hope this works for you!

erniehatt says: Mar 12, 2011. 6:25 PM REPLY

Hi, have done those alterations I spoke of, now have a stand alone triggering system board, apart from the top section nothing is the
same.
At the bottom I have added two reed relays, this is for triggering the FZ50 camera, which has a remote system different from most
other cameras, it works on a resistive circuit consisting of 3 resisters 33k,27k, and 1.8k.
also a trigger for flash or other cameras, also one for a laser. also outputs for the ft232, so I can add or change the program if
necessary without opening the box. also allowances for an LCD screen, and two sensor inputs.
Your project here as been a great help hee, thankyou, I can now make other projects without the expence of seperate arduinos and
shields, I can make four of these boards for half the Arduino cost. Ernie

robonerd says: Mar 13, 2011. 5:41 AM REPLY

Thats awesome! I'm glad everything worked for you! I'd love to see a picture of your set up. cheers!

erniehatt says: Mar 13, 2011. 6:21 AM REPLY

You will have to wait a while, still rounding up some parts. But will post something soon.

Gus96 says: Mar 11, 2011. 5:39 PM REPLY

hey man first of all AMAZING INSTRUCTABLE ..... Keep going on !
i was wondering if you could teach me how to program this thing using this http://arduino.cc/en/Hacking/ParallelProgrammer instead of using the ft232 board
you ve used.

robonerd says: Mar 12, 2011. 11:36 AM REPLY

you'll need access to the atmegas reset pin, top left.
my board does not have this.
i guess you could just drill through to it and add a wire or pin...
though im not sure.

pepehdez says: Mar 11, 2011. 8:30 AM REPLY

Thanks man, this is great stuff. I have a question though, I only have 3 pin crystal resonators, is the installation in attached picture ok ?

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/
 robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 8:38 AM REPLY
shucks, i don't know... can you get the 16mHz crystal and the ceramic caps?

pepehdez says: Mar 11, 2011. 9:02 AM REPLY

I can, I just like these resonators because they have built-in load capacitors so no external caps are needed.
I made a little bit of research and in case someone else is wondering how to use them, my last image was correct.

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 9:45 AM REPLY

COOL!

BertVK says: Mar 11, 2011. 12:35 AM REPLY

Hi,
love this instructable. Very complete.
I did notice you got the positioning of the two capacitors wrong in the pictures, shorting them out. They are correct in the drawings and the final - functioning
product - though. Maybe you should replace those pictures with correct ones or people will be left with non-functioning boards.
I'll certainly build one once I find that box with left over time.

Bert

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 9:02 AM REPLY

Thanks for checking it out and letting me know about the caps. I fixed the photos.

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 6:13 AM REPLY

Thank you for your comment.
I can't get a visual on the photos your talking about for the caps.
Do you mean the setup photos?
In those photos I have the top cap with G facing down and the right cap has G facing to the right.
Now, I might be spacing out, but this looks and more importantly works fine on my boards.
Please be so kind as to advise, cause if im wrong, I want to fix it.

BertVK says: Mar 11, 2011. 7:15 AM REPLY

Check the drawing and the picture in Step 18.
You can clearly see that the caps are oriented wrong in the picture on this link:
http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/F3S/7PNI/GKS0SJIA/F3S7PNIGKS0SJIA.MEDIUM.jpg

Bert

robonerd says: Mar 11, 2011. 8:35 AM REPLY

I see it, SHOOT! I thought you were talking about the elec caps not the ceramics. Crud, I gotta fix that! Thank you very much for the catch! I
appreciate it.

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http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Arduino-or-The-DIY-Duino/