Step 2: Print the board
Skip this step if you somehow already have a board.
Unless you got the board as part of a kit (not yet available, but maybe someday) you will need to have it printed.
For a long and wordy description of how to get a board printed (along with links to even more articles on the subject) see step two of my other article "Build an electronic score keeper".
The board file in eagle format is included in the attached "eDie-1.2.zip" file.
If you don't want to bother with the hassle of formatting the board for printing, you can order it right from BatchPCB for $5. Unfortunately there is a $10 setup fee per order and a shipping charge, so unless you are ordering other boards at the same time, this is a bit pricy.
I have three copies on order from dorkbotpdx in purple for $8.05, I'm excited to see how it turns out.
This board is small enough to qualify for the 10 (5 of tested for printing errors) for $10 deal from seedstudio.com. I am also waiting for those to arrive from china for evaluation.
Do you have to print the board? No, the board is technically optional, you could wire all this by hand. But it's not easy or pretty. See the pictures in the notes step for the original hand wired prototype.
Unless you got the board as part of a kit (not yet available, but maybe someday) you will need to have it printed.
For a long and wordy description of how to get a board printed (along with links to even more articles on the subject) see step two of my other article "Build an electronic score keeper".
The board file in eagle format is included in the attached "eDie-1.2.zip" file.
If you don't want to bother with the hassle of formatting the board for printing, you can order it right from BatchPCB for $5. Unfortunately there is a $10 setup fee per order and a shipping charge, so unless you are ordering other boards at the same time, this is a bit pricy.
I have three copies on order from dorkbotpdx in purple for $8.05, I'm excited to see how it turns out.
This board is small enough to qualify for the 10 (5 of tested for printing errors) for $10 deal from seedstudio.com. I am also waiting for those to arrive from china for evaluation.
Do you have to print the board? No, the board is technically optional, you could wire all this by hand. But it's not easy or pretty. See the pictures in the notes step for the original hand wired prototype.
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Professional-PCBs-almost-cheaper-than-making-them- describes pretty well the process of getting eagle CAD to spit out gerber files.
Gerber files are zip files with images that describe each of the layers that go on the board. In the case of this board, at least 8 (top and bottom each of copper, soldermask and silkscreen plus a file to show where the holes are and another to describe the drill sizes). Each manufacturer may want each of these individual files named and/or formatted differently.
In the case of batchPCB and dorkbotpdx, they each provided a file that tells eagle exactly how to generate gerbers the way they want. In the case of seeedstudio, they didn't but they they wanted a "readme" file in the zip that just described what each layer was named, so I re-used the batchPCB job and then created that readme.
I just got back the ones I ordered from dorkbotpdx and they are very pretty. I have not tested them yet but I'll be happy to upload the gerber file I used once I have in the next week or so. The seeed studio ones are still on a boat somewhere.
Some time soon I hope to launch a kickstarter campaign to raise seed money to make kits of this project, but I don't envision these kits being available until 2012.