PCB Making with Fiber Laser

This is a three or four part class, starting Tuesday, September 9th at 7pm, and continuing the following Tuesdays.

This will be a workshop-type format, where we will learn to create very basic single or double sided PCBs, with the Fiber laser in the lab. This is a great, quick, cheap way to create simple PCBs for basic needs like connectors and/or button/LED panels, etc.

This class will use Inkscape as a very basic design tool for generating PCB designs and artwork. It is highly encouraged that users have some basic knowledge of Inkscape, though we will be digging into some of the necessary concepts for this work.We will walk through a couple of designs, from concept through artwork, phsical manufacutring and assembly. Basic class outline may include:

• Basics of PCB design and construction
• Use of Inkscape for design and layout
• Running your artwork on the laser to create PCBs
• Soldering and Assembly
• Building PCBs with Silkscreens
• If time permits: Building your own custom Arduino

Event fees will cover materials necessary for class.

This class is geared more to focus on the contruction and prototyping process of making physical PCBs, and is not a general-purpose PCB design class. i.e. We do not cover KiCAD or any other actual PCB design or software, and instead use Inkscape to cover basics of preparing designs for lasering.

Through this is a novice class, it is fast paced - and we will learn about pretty complex concepts. The "Workshop" nature of this class is meant to provide a lot of hands-on experience with guidence and mentorship, meaning we do not expect deep expertese in any of these areas before taking the class - but you will learn a lot! Homework will be assigned, encouraging some work on projects between classes.Feel free to read the class outline doc. This is meant as a reference to the material we will be covering in-class.

Also check out other Workshops in Nashua.