Custom RP2040 PCB: Design, Turn-On, and Debug - How Hard Could It Be?

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  • Опубліковано 19 чер 2024
  • James originally intended to make a video about a tool that he calls a "State Mode Logic Analyzer." One of the core components of that project is the RP2040 microcontroller from Raspberry Pi and its programmable IO (PIO) modules.
    However, getting the RP2040s to work on the custom-made PCBs that James designed turned out to be a chore. So, for this episode, he shares soldering RP2040 (QFN) techniques, easy-to-solder parts for RP2040 designs, and what to debug when turning on custom microcontroller boards. After all, how hard could it be to make a custom RP2040 PCB?
    Discuss the episode, questions James's design choices, and ask him questions on the element14 Community! bit.ly/3HqKMz6
    Article: The Myth of Three Capacitor Values - bit.ly/3SoXtRx
    Workbench Wednesdays - Why You Need a Raspberry Pi Pico Development Board by Shabaz: bit.ly/47B4R0s
    Engage with the element14 presents team on the element14 Community - suggest builds, find project files, and see behind the scenes video: bit.ly/3tmdewv
    Visit the element14 Community for more great activities and free hardware: bit.ly/3q6YMpu
    Tech Spotlights: bit.ly/3qPrDhM
    RoadTest and Reviews: bit.ly/3pV5Bux
    Project14: bit.ly/31wbnJY
    #0:00 Welcome to element14 presents
    #0:36 Overview
    #2:41 Power and Decoupling
    #3:56 Program and Debugger
    #5:02 Boot and Reset Buttons
    #6:17 Turn-On
    #12:06 Give Your Feedback
    #raspberrypi #raspberrypiprojects #pcbdesign #pcbdesigning #debugger #debugging #rp2040 #raspberrypipico #microcontroller #microcontrollers
  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 22

  • @dru6809
    @dru6809 5 місяців тому +5

    No sarcasm. That is a beautiful Rhode Schwartz scope. I hope I can get one someday. There seems to be a big change happening with scopes. This movement towards much larger displays and flatter boxes is welcome.
    Thx for making this video. I like how you showed us a more minimal alternative to the RP2040 recommendations for support circuitry.

  •  5 місяців тому

    I have just ordered my first RP2040 PCB design. I ordered it with top side assembled in order to avoid soldering issues.
    The PCB is the size of a DIP40 EPROM so I hope I did not make too many design mistakes!
    Thanks for sharing your problems!

  • @TheGmr140
    @TheGmr140 4 місяці тому +1

    Nice boards and design 😊

  • @andywest5773
    @andywest5773 5 місяців тому +2

    Great project and very informative! I'm a big fan of the RP2040, but this would definitely be a "hard" difficulty rating for me.

    • @bald_engineer
      @bald_engineer 5 місяців тому +2

      Hah, well the idea behind my qualified "it is easy if..." is that now it should be easier for everyone to debug/turn-on an RP2040 design! I'm sure yours would have far fewer problems compared to mine. ;)

  • @HL65536
    @HL65536 5 місяців тому

    I fixed a fried pi pico once, soldering a new RP2040 onto it. That was my first try at soldering components without (at least stubby) legs. I used an upside down clothes iron as a hot plate and a one of these torch lighters as a hot air tool. I applied solder to the pads and the chip using a soldering iron with lots of solder on it (of course, using lots of extra flux). I managed to get all contacts working at only the second try. The key to success was pressing the chip down onto the board, connecting all the pads and squeezing out the excess solder.
    Verification of all pins being connected is also possible without it booting up, even while that thing is still hot. Just use a multimeter on diode mode and test all pins (positive probe on GND). Connected pins should read somewhere around 0.3-0.8V (also the debug pins and the usb data pins). The other GND pins should of course measure 0V.

  • @danblankenship5744
    @danblankenship5744 5 місяців тому +1

    Getting the correct amount of solder paste will always plague the home hobbyist.
    I like using an IR under-heater with hot air on the top.
    I then will use an iron to reflow those QFN contacts.

  • @darrenslab5537
    @darrenslab5537 5 місяців тому +5

    I have used the RP2040 in a project of mine and have found that hotplate soldering gets them down first try

    • @bald_engineer
      @bald_engineer 5 місяців тому

      I really need to get a hotplate!

  • @dawnofgods
    @dawnofgods 5 місяців тому +5

    10% pad reduction works fine for me on on a 100 um SMD stencil

    • @bald_engineer
      @bald_engineer 5 місяців тому +1

      That's a good point. My friend has been cutting many of my past stencils for me. We worked out some reductions based on pad sizes that work well. I used OSH Stencil for this stencil and just left everything on default in KiCad. Next time I order from them, I might re-submit this one with a reduction and compare it to see if it works better.
      The real problem is that my paste was over a year past its expiration date. So, it didn't hold its shape well.

  • @MAYERMAKES
    @MAYERMAKES 5 місяців тому +5

    Do you have to list everything I did wrong on my first RP2040 design....uughghghg

  • @RottnRobbie
    @RottnRobbie 4 місяці тому +1

    11:38 - Say what? Too much IPA damages pushbuttons? How?
    [
    "How", as in both:
    - what's the mechanism of damage? (It's a _button_ !)
    and
    - how can there be 'too much' IPA?
    ]

    • @bald_engineer
      @bald_engineer 4 місяці тому +1

      It was just a passing thought. It's more likely damage from spending too much time under the heat gun.

    • @RottnRobbie
      @RottnRobbie 4 місяці тому

      @@bald_engineer OK, thanks for clarifying. I was afraid I might've hurt my computer mouse when I used IPA to clean the circuit board yesterday...

    • @bald_engineer
      @bald_engineer 4 місяці тому

      @@RottnRobbie As I think more about why I said that, I remembered I had damaged an SMT microphone around the same time. And I was researching ultrasonic cleaners and surprised how many components are damaged by those. So, washing failures were on my mind.
      But it’s more likely flux got into the switches and melted something.

  • @winsrrow8125
    @winsrrow8125 5 місяців тому

    if u know what do look for AND U HAVE THE TOOLS... i dont have an osciloscope with memory nor a logic analizer, i have the boards i did with the just reload to bootloader problem, i didnt asembled it, was factory asembled so... and i couldnt make use of debugger, my pc setup isn't working and idk why or how to solve it.

  • @jeremiahbullfrog9288
    @jeremiahbullfrog9288 5 місяців тому

    But how would you have troubleshot this without access to a $20,000 scope?

    • @MAYERMAKES
      @MAYERMAKES 5 місяців тому +4

      With a basic scope. He used only functions that are presentvon even the cheapest real scopes.😮

    • @bald_engineer
      @bald_engineer 5 місяців тому +1

      I can’t figure out your joke’s punchline. So I have to ask… how?

    • @HL65536
      @HL65536 5 місяців тому +2

      multimeter in diode mode. Positive probe on GND. Test every pin that comes from the RP2040 using the negative probe. Every GPIO pin should read the same value (within ~5mV of each other). gpios shorted together should read ~40mV less, GND (and stuff shorted to it) should read 0V. If it reads open, it's not soldered on. Also test the special pins (usb data pins, debug pins).

    • @jeremiahbullfrog9288
      @jeremiahbullfrog9288 5 місяців тому

      @@HL65536 Thank you for providing a useful procedure