Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

Edge Scientific designs custom printed circuit boards that help people bring their product ideas to life. thinkedgesci.com Fort Collins, CO Joined May 2016

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

I design custom electronics for life science companies. In 2019, I bought a used MY9 pick and place machine and DEK Horizon stencil printer and put them in my garage. Combined with a homebrew vapor phase reflow, I can now machine place my own designs.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

Here's another way to shave weeks off development time. Don't re-invent the wheel. For the right application, using a Lantronix Xport (XP1001000-05R pictured here) can turn a familiar UART application into an ethernet connected device.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

Do you use hierarchical designs in your schematics? Being able to re-use a schematic without duplication is extremely efficient for being able to use the "Copy Room Placement" function in Altium Designer. It will copy routes, designator placements, and component placement.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

Should Electrical Engineers learn Solidworks? Using Solidworks allows me to provide a prototype to my clients that isn't just a couple of bare boards and a mess of cables that have to be plugged into a power supply. Instead, I can provide nearly a finished product.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

Here's one way I try to save my clients weeks of development time... Design re-use. Put all the circuitry needed to run an FPGA on its own board. Spend more time designing just the custom circuitry needed for the client's job.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

This circuit has been a workhorse for getting multiple efficient rails. 12V input, 2A switch, runs cool. I incorporate the block and adjustment resistor on my high level schematic and use it multiple times per board. About $2.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

Fail of the Week. I misnamed a logic sheet entry with the wrong logic polarity (RESET instead of nRESET). Caused about an hour of troubleshooting to find out why my module wasn't working. Once I got the signal at the right polarity, everything was fine.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

I incorporate ferrites in my power electronics designs. Some have sworn them off entirely. In my opinion, nothing gets rid of switching regulator noise like ferrites coupled with a proper filter capacitor.

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Mike @ Edge Scientific @thinkedgesci

11 months ago

Free test points. Add some 22GA bare wire, a Saleae, and some board holes that are 50mil OD x 35mil ID. Link their text from schematic, push them into the PCB. Great for SPI buses and anything you would need to touch to debug firmware.