Piece display PCB discussion

[The_Ed]

I will NOT be auctioning it! And with all the parts, tools, and labor $5K would be cheap!

Use a Meanwell power supply, don't cheap out with that other one. Buy a nice SP-100-12, they are cheap enough and won't kill your precious chessboard.

[Tony]

The boards are pretty much handmade . They're engraved in panels of 20, each one taking about half an hour to engrave and a little less again to drill and rout. Bit worn? - crank down the Z a little. Bit snapped - again - the new one may be set to a slightly different height. Run out of 30 degree? use the 45s, slightly wider cut. Some were routed out with a .1" bit, when they'd all snapped it was a 3mm with the toolpath recalculated but they may not have been exact. They should still all do the job.

I tinplated the early boards which is why some are silver but found some of them tarnished faster than plain copper and it didn't make much difference to solderability.

Now you can see why I really want to move to manufactured PCBs with printed coils, saying they would halve construction time is probably understating it. They won't look as cool as an array of formers and gleaming copper coils though.....

I've never measured the length just wound them from a bulk roll but you could get a rough idea from the former diameter. I can guarantee you will have missed turns somewhere.

For a power supply I'm just using an old laptop/LCD panel supply that provides 3A at 12V. for testing the single coil you'll only need 50mA at the most.

Edit: You could always use an old PC power supply, usually plenty of those around.

[bstott]

Thanks Tony for the board build and part difference insights. Yes, I see now that you have carved out a number of time intensive sets that it is time to go time, cost and materials efficient.

@...Ed Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you about selling. I just was trying to give a compliment based on my perceived market value. Of course I didn't factor in your value is Priceless! I was just saying.... It sounds to be VERY nice when completed.

I have already gotten tired of winding before I've started. With 98 Coil forms built and over 5,000 hand windings ahead of me - I'm a little --- I stopped and am (foolishly?) building a semi-mcu controlled winding machine. Got algorithm completed, 1/3 programming done, motor to coil form mount coupling built, 1/2 of the winding count circuit designed and tested. HA, HA... Will probably give up and just take the coils to bed and wind myself to sleep..... Better than counting Sheep!

[Tony]

I would rate the worst part of construction to be winding the coils (including preparing/assembling the formers), the second worst soldering the surface mount parts. Once they're out of the way the rest is fairly simple.

[bstott]

Wanting verification of inserting the bulb into the pcb base.

The two wider spaced bulb pins plug into the pcb holes where the two coil ends are soldered?

[Tony]

Yes, the tracks from the coil pass between those 2 wider spaced pins.

[Salt Maple]

Life got in the way of winding the coils and few small things didn't help me get started either. What are the widths of the pieces that hold the coil? The spacer and bottom piece I think.

I soldered the display pieces and the foil capacitors are getting in the way of the bolt and stopping me from having a nice tight fit between the plates(?) when I bolt the pieces together. Is this something I should be concerned about? Should I remove the foil capacitors?

I'm going to have a good chunk of free time the next two weeks and I hope to make a good push to get it finished.

[Tony]

The spacer acts as a 'floor' for the capacitor so it's better to assemble it before soldering the capacitor in place or the bolt will just push down on it, not the PCB. A small gap isn't a problem in itself but the wire will slip into it when winding the coil and force the pieces even further apart. The spacer is 1.5mm and the bottom piece is about 0.8mm, the white ones will be slightly more.
I would remove the capacitors and refit them once the former is assembled, a pain I know but it'll probably save trouble when winding later.

[Salt Maple]

The one answer I was hoping I wouldn't hear, and the one answer I was expecting to hear. Damn you: hope for the best, expect the worst, for always being there for me.

I apologize for not asking the question properly. What is the diameter of the pieces?

[Tony]

29 and 33mm. Before removing the capacitors you could try a large rubber pad/washer with a spare former disc on the top to try and spread the pressure over the whole PCB.