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Knowledge gleaned from failure.
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## Designing
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1. Altium Designer is great! Until it's not...
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1. Adding a new part to a group Altium library (e.g. WarnickShareLibrary) must be designed outside the library first. When complete, copy/paste it into the group library afterward. This prevents multiple users from working in the same library and overwriting/losing each others' changes.
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1. Check the export to Gerber files carefully, especially holes and solder mask layers.
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1. Get another student to review your PCB before having it sent out. Many errors are caught this way.
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## Vendors
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- [Oshpark](https://oshpark.com/)
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- Pros: Trusted, quick, USA
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- Cons: substrate spikes on the edges
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- [Fast-PCB](https://www.fast-pcb.com/)
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- Pros: Works
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- Cons: China
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- Needs Review: [JLCPCB](https://jlcpcb.com/), [PCBWay](https://www.pcbway.com/), [Advanced Circuits](https://www.4pcb.com/), [PCBgogo](https://www.pcbgogo.com/), [Sunstone](https://www.sunstone.com/), [Avanti Circuits](https://www.avanticircuits.com/)
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- DO NOT BUY: Aisler
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- [PCBShopper](https://pcbshopper.com/) to compare prices
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## Soldering and Prototyping
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1. Flux is your friend
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1. Use leaded solder; the lower melting temperature makes rework easier.
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1. Temperature matters!
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1. When reworking with a heat gun, bathe the part in heat with the tip held a couple of inches away for 30 seconds or so at first, then bring the tip closer. Helps prevent thermal shock. Same for cooling down. Most chips can only take 1 or 2 reworks before they're toast.
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## Tricks
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1. [Fast prototyping](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq968AFgPhg)
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1. Recycling high pin count connectors:
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1. Re-bake it in the oven
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1. When temperature is max, open oven
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1. Quickly pull connector off |
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\ No newline at end of file |
