PCB Workstation with Articulated Arms

thingiverse

The PCB Workstation with Articulated Arms is a highly versatile tool for your electronic laboratory. Equipped with a rich set of adapters and accessories, it allows making precise and stable connections to the electronic components of any printed circuit boards under test or development. HAVE A LOOK AT THE ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON MAKE MAGAZINE:http://makezine.com/projects/3d-print-the-ultimate-helping-hands-for-a-pcb-workstation/ "PCB Workstation" in the TOP 8 CLEVER JIGS on MAKE MAGAZINE:http://makezine.com/2015/12/13/8-clever-jigs-for-your-workshop/ If you don't own a 3D printer or quickly want to get a fully functional PCB Workstation with 8 Articulated Arms, 8 Crane Arms with Needle-Probes and a full set of probe adapters, it is now available an Easy to Assemble Kit! PCB WORKSTATION KIT LAB EDITION: now only € 79.90 EUR + shipping Buy Now with PayPal your PCB Workstation Kit! The kit includes the following parts: Square Base Frame (18x18cm) with 16 Sockets (x1) Double-Sided PCB Holders (x4) Flat PCB Holders with Rubber Pads (x4) M5 Hex Bolts and Wing Nuts for PCB Holders (x4) Crane Arms for Needle-Probes (x8) Needle-Probes with Soldered Wires (x8) M4 Hex Bolts, Washers and Wing Nuts for Crane Arms (x8) Articulated Arms with 21 Ball&Socket Joints (x8) "Mini Grabber Test Clips" with Wires and Adapters for Articulated Arms (x8) Adapters for " SparkFun Alligator Clips" (x8) Adapters for " Hirschmann Grabber Clips" (x8) Adapters for " Hirschmann Spring Loaded Test Probes" (x8) Adapters for " Pomona Micro SMD Grabbers" (x8) Adapters for " E-Z-Micro-Hooks" (x8) Adapters for " Saleae and Zeroplus Logic Analyzers Probes" (x8) Adapters for "Tektronix Logic Analyzers Mini Grabber Test Clips" (x8) Wires with male-female Pin Connectors for User Probes (x8) Feel free to contact me if you need any information or customization of the kit. Print Settings Printer Brand: Zortrax Printer: Zortrax M200 Rafts: Yes Supports: Yes Resolution: 0,19 Infill: High Notes: Support: 10° when needed (disabled for most pieces). Infill: Medium for the bases, High for other parts. Post-Printing Step 1: Mount the silicone bumpers I suggest to apply 5 silicone bumpers beneath the base piece, so it will be more stable on the desk. You can use bumpers with a diameter up to 20mm. Step 2: Assemble the PCB holders The central part of each base consists of 4 sliding pieces arranged in a cross along which can be moved the anchoring blocks to firmly keep the printed circuit board in place. The assembly of the PCB holders to the base piece requires some wing nuts (5mm) and Hex bolts (5×12 mm). The PCB holders have two faces, one for straight sides, the other for the corners of a printed circuit board. You can choose the right face simply turning the holder. Step 3: Mount the base joints The base joints are required to mount the articulated arms to the base piece. Each type of base is equipped with multiple holes in which can be inserted a variable number of articulated arms for different purposes. These pieces have a slot to allow the passage of the electric cable without passing through the hole of the base, so it is very easy to insert, remove, or change an articulated arm on the fly. Step 4: Assemble the bendable arms The articulated arms are then made by assembling multiple ball and socket joints. Depending on the required length, an articulated arm may be formed from a variable number of ball and socket joints, however 20 elements should be sufficient for most uses. Each articulated arm provides an internal duct in which an electric cable can run. If you wish to make more rigid articulated arms, you can use the provided special ball and socket joints that have a slightly smaller ball to allow the application of a rubberized coating that improves the friction and the stability of the articulated arms. I suggest the use of a small piece of heat shrink wrap 8mm (0.28") long, 0.27mm (270 micron) thick and 9mm (0.4") diameter. I have also provided a new piece "B&S Joint (thick coated).stl" to allow the use of a thicker heat shrink tube. Step 5: Install custom terminals with wires The terminal elements of the articulated arms are designed to accommodate different types of accessories: Alligator Clips (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12033) IC Hook Clip Grabbers (http://www.amazon.com/12pcs-6colors-Small-Grabbers-Multimeter/dp/B00C4PLQ7A) Micro SMD Grabber Test Clips (http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/micro-smd-grabber-72902-series/16004) Micro Sprung Probes (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/needle-point-probes/0775726) Micro Clip Probes (http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/grabber-clips/0775704) Zeroplus type Probes (http://www.amazon.com/Probe-Saleae-Logic16-Zeroplus-analyzers/dp/B005NR440W) Tektronix type Probes (P/N 020-2733-00 in kit 020-2662-0x) (http://www.bmisurplus.com/products/40893-tektronix-p6516-logic-probe-accessory-kit-020-2662-00) Step 6: Mount optional base extension The piece "BaseExtension.stl" can be used to expand the base, allowing for the mounting of bigger PCBs that do not fit onto a single base. This piece can be coupled with each available base (except "Baseround16cm12holes.stl") using the appropriate "extension linkage" piece supplied in the archive "ExtensionLinkages.zip". Step 7: Assemble bendable arm with LED lamp You can also add to your PCB workstation a terminal element that can accommodate an LED to illuminate a particular area of the PCB. I used a super bright white LED connected to a 9V battery using a 180 Ohm resistor. Step 8: Add optional parts Now that you have almost finished your customized "PCB Workstation" perhaps you will no longer use the old "third hand tool", but you could miss the magnifying glass. So, I have added a special piece "HolderMagnifyingGlass.stl" to still use the accessories of the old third hand tool, including the magnifying glass.