Solderless PCB mounting for pushbuttons, on-off switches etc

[pappavis]

Working on a MiG-21bis pit.

 

When it comes to soldering I have two right hands :P.

Why not have a pre-fabbed PCB which allows one plugin pushbuttons, toggle switches, potentiometers etc etc onto it?

 

note;

1. I am a n00b at Arduino, soldering, and learning in the go.

2. I havent designed any PCBs yet, experimenting with Sparkfun EaglePCB, Fritzing.

 

It would save me WEEKS of frustration if i can just have my MiG-21bis fuel pumps-thingys PCB printed, then plugin the on-off switches onto the PCB. No soldering.

 

I am sure sum1 has already tought of this.. and did it. But WHERE? Which supplier can create such PCBs for me? If i deliver the PCB design, WHO can create that PCB?

 

For example, this is my prototyping.

Edited December 2, 2015 by pappavis

[Ragtop]

When it comes to soldering I have two right hands .

Why not have a pre-fabbed PCB which allows one plugin pushbuttons, toggle switches, potentiometers etc etc onto it?

 

I might be missing your request here but something like the Leo Bodnar BU0836x sounds like what you need.

[Nikolas_A]

I think you 'll loose more time troubleshooting loose connections on cheap breadboards than it would take you to learn how to solder. Not much to it really...

[weeb]

I think you 'll loose more time troubleshooting loose connections on cheap breadboards than it would take you to learn how to solder. Not much to it really...

Spoken for the truth there m8.

 

I am not sure if this is a wind-up hence I will word my reply carefully. Lets say for instance it costs 36 billion to design and build a plane. At no time in the planning and pre-production does it say, need to get some cheap boards so that we can just plug this component in. I didn't know shit about building a cockpit, now I could solder 2 buttons to a fly's arse. Take an arduino amazinly clever and compact. Oh it's got digital outputs and analogue, how can I make that switch go on/off, screw about with it until you get it right. A lot of us started in the same situation. :thumbup:

[BravoYankee4]

I am about to do some PCB's for DCS BIOS and Arduino, but mainly focusing on the output, since I will have normal lightbulbs (not LED) in the indicators (*).

Since I am also planning a MIG-21 cockpit (unless there is a Viggen announcement soon) perhaps we can work together with this.

 

I have designed and ordered other boards previously, like the A-10C NMSP panel (see attachment below). By the way, these are for sale if anyone want them (cause I have cancelled my plans for a Warthog cockpit).

 

The Leobodnar boards are great, but not for DCS BIOS. Still I will probably use it anyway, connected and configured as a normal input in parallel with the Arduino boards.

 

 

* Based on ULN2803 Darlington array circuits and/or 2N7000 N-channel MOSFETS, so I will not exceed the current limits of the Arduino.

Edited December 2, 2015 by BravoYankee4
Adding information

[Viersbovsky]

You know of prototype PCBs, right? Especially stripboards.

https://www.futurlec.com/ProtoBoards.shtml

 

You can transfer your breadboarded circuit more or less directly to the protoboard.

You will still have to solder, but it is pretty easy with the help of these boards.

[BravoYankee4]

Or put some nails in a wooden board and do some solderless wire wrapping :music_whistling:

 

 

* Wire wrapping

 

Edited December 2, 2015 by BravoYankee4
Added example picture

[agrasyuk]

Or better yet spend the time and learn to solder. It will not take much effort to reach acceptable quality of connections, probably within minutes of your first session. Good soldering iron will not set you back to much either.

 

One of the best "value for the money" tools I ever got is a used Weller soldering station. Not the digital one and othing fancy. But oh sooo good, absolutely love working with it. It is a very sensible investment if you plan to stick to this hobby.

[BravoYankee4]

Well, I wasn't really recommending the wire wrapping alternative, just adding an alternative with a smile.

I do second that purchase a soldering iron and learn to use it is a good idea. Eventually you will find a lot of things that can be done once you have got some skills.

[vicx]

I am sure sum1 has already tought of this.. and did it. But WHERE? Which supplier can create such PCBs for me? If i deliver the PCB design, WHO can create that PCB?

 

Are you ready?

 

http://www.seeedstudio.com/service/

 

It is both cheaper than you think but could end up being more expensive than you realise.

 

When you make a mistake ... even on a small run or protoype it costs money. Let us know how you go.

[pappavis]

I got the idea for solderless PCBs by wathcing a youtube vid, see below.

And yes soldering i did do.. but its a pain, and since I wanna build a complete cockpit its gonna take me AGES to solder everything together. I do have small protoboard, but havent used it yet. Going solderless is also kinda a way of learning myself more about the possibilities aroudn arduino.

My next project could be a solar power backup for our remote waterpump installation in South Africa.. with 3g connections etc etc. The possibilities are endless.

 

As for solderless after some googlin' found something like this..

 

That comes kinda close to what i wanna do. Except that i dont want any wires running all over the proto/PCB.

 

Below youtube uses seeedstudio.. and yes its expensive if u have it wrong ;).

[ame]

[/ame]

[agrasyuk]

what is going to be huge pain is down the road hunting for that one (or few) malfunctioning solder-less connection when it will inevitably come apart. soldering is by far one of the easiest skills to learn in this hobby IMHO, it's comes down to just muscle memory. it sounds like you will be doing more electronics and soldering iron happens to be pretty much the central tool of the topic. makes sense to spend effort to improve with it. make sure your tools are clean, use flux and good flux-core solder, pre-tin your wires, keep notice of not overheating components and almost nothing can go wrong.

 

its up to you if you want to attach things with ducktape, but don't expect to hear it is a very good solution.

Edited December 2, 2015 by agrasyuk

[Warhog]

Working on a MiG-21bis pit.

 

When it comes to soldering I have two right hands :P.

Why not have a pre-fabbed PCB which allows one plugin pushbuttons, toggle switches, potentiometers etc etc onto it?

 

note;

1. I am a n00b at Arduino, soldering, and learning in the go.

2. I havent designed any PCBs yet, experimenting with Sparkfun EaglePCB, Fritzing.

 

It would save me WEEKS of frustration if i can just have my MiG-21bis fuel pumps-thingys PCB printed, then plugin the on-off switches onto the PCB. No soldering.

 

I am sure sum1 has already tought of this.. and did it. But WHERE? Which supplier can create such PCBs for me? If i deliver the PCB design, WHO can create that PCB?

 

 

Pappavis, the best thing I can recommend is for you to learn how to solder. It is an easy skill to master and once you've learned how to solder you will never forget it. Its something that will always be there when and if you need it. To put it into perspective, its way easier to learn soldering than learning how to flying a DCS aircraft.

 

Two years ago I started here, much as you are now doing . I had little to no experience with soldering and when I did solder something, it was crap. I just couldn't do it. :doh: A fellow I met here on this forum introduced me to a series of YouTube videos. That was all it took. My soldering went from crap to "OMG,:shocking: Did i Do That?:clap:".

 

One thing about these video's, this guys voice is...well... I'll let you see (hear) for yourself. :music_whistling:

 

Its a multi part tutorial. Spend a bit of time watching the tutorial and also look into purchasing a good soldering station. You can't do a good job soldering if you have substandard equipment. Being able to adjust temperatures and have it stay at a set temp is rather important as you will learn in the video.

 

[ame]

[/ame]

 

 

 

Pappavis, I guarantee you, it will be time well spent.

 

Good luck .

John

[BravoYankee4]

There are plenty of different shields available out there, with different kind of terminals, like this one: http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/Screw-Shield-p-1238.html

Search for "terminal shield" or "screw shield" plus arduino.

 

My plan is to wait for the next version of DCS-BIOS with support for RS-485 before I design an build any interfaces. Then it will be possible to have an Arduino MEGA as master and then a lot of slave interface boards.

 

You can of course have a lot of Arduino boards today working in parallel with one serial connection each, but that isn't very effective.

[Mr_Burns]

My next project could be a solar power backup for our remote waterpump installation in South Africa.. with 3g connections etc etc. The possibilities are endless.

 

Your in Netherland and your solar powered 'remote' water pump is in South Africa.....that is some journey, did you duck tape the pipe together all the way from Johannesburg?

[Nikolas_A]

As for solderless after some googlin' found something like this..

These parts are soldered on the other side of the pcb, what's solderless about that?

[giei]

My Arduinos :)

http://1drv.ms/1jAkCfU

[Mike Powell]

Just in case no one's mentioned this yet (cough, cough) Learn to solder!

 

Even milspec metal-on-metal connectors have problems. Simple wire ends stuck together will cause no end of grief. The problems won't be something as simple as a disconnected circuit, though you'll see those too. You'll experience a variety of intermittent problems. If you have enough non-soldered connections, you'll eventually see non-ohmic connections form when (usually invisible) corrosion at the connection point turns the connection into a diode like structure. Circuit malfunctions will be so weird as to define description. Frustration will set in. You'll begin to drink heavily and pull your hair out. Your sleep will be affected. Eventually you'll give up on sim building and take up Karaoke.

 

It will be terrible, so just learn to solder.

[pappavis]

BTW, for sum1 like me with 2x righthands.. a PCB printer *WITH* pick-in-place. Just dont mind the $2999 pricetag ;)

[ame=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/botfactory/squink-the-personal-electronic-circuit-factory]Botfactory Squink[/ame].

Edited December 10, 2015 by pappavis

[Alterscape]

pappavis, where'd you find a PCB mill with pick-and-place for $3k? That seems wildly, wildly underpriced relative to the market. An old used pick-and-place without reels can go for upwards of $5k USD, and that's just a pick-and-place that will need expensive pcb reels to operate, and no PCB mill.

[pappavis]

Oke, so i did some soldering.

 

Its a chore.. too many wires :(.

I know very little of electronics, but learning on the way.

 

Questions;

1. Does every on-off switch need a resistor?

2. What if I add a resistor for each row of buttons, would that break something?

3. On some rows there are 3x on-off switches. If i use 1x resistor per row and 1x switch is off would that cause harm anywhere?

 

This is my very-first attempt, yes its really ugly..

 

It should resemble this from MiG-21bis

 

 

and this wired backside WIP on a plastic floortile scraper

 

Any other tips appreciated.

[Viersbovsky]

pappavis, where'd you find a PCB mill with pick-and-place for $3k? That seems wildly, wildly underpriced relative to the market. An old used pick-and-place without reels can go for upwards of $5k USD, and that's just a pick-and-place that will need expensive pcb reels to operate, and no PCB mill.

 

At the left upper corner of the video is a link... It is a kickstarter project. Do the math (and by that I mean it will probably be another vaporware gadget).

[BravoYankee4]

For switches you don't need any resistor(s).

 

For LED's you must have one resistor per LED for current limiting.

[Viersbovsky]

Pappavis, tell me a bit about that project.

 

- What kind of buttons/stuff do you want? Switches, pushbuttons, potentiometers? You seem to be right on track with starting with the simplest panel.

- What microcontroller do you want to use and how do you want it to communicate with your pc?

 

Just a quick overview so it is easier for us to help you.

 

Also, if you are a complete newbie with electronics, this book is very helpful. It got me through the first year at university ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Learning-Through-Discovery/dp/1680450263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450099518&sr=1-1&keywords=make+electronics

Edited December 14, 2015 by Viersbovsky

[BravoYankee4]

Pappavis, tell me a bit about that project.

 

- What kind of buttons/stuff do you want? Switches, pushbuttons, potentiometers? You seem to be right on track with starting with the simplest panel.

- What microcontroller do you want to use and how do you want it to communicate with your pc?

 

Just a quick overview so it is easier for us to help you.

 

Also, if you are a complete newbie with electronics, this book is very helpful. It got me through the first year at university ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Electronics-Learning-Through-Discovery/dp/1680450263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450099518&sr=1-1&keywords=make+electronics

 

I assumed Arduino, since that is indicated in the original post.