USB...A

What did I say earlier about "gotchas?" Well, this time it wasn't an unknown unknown. It was a perfectly-well known unknown.

I was cleaning up the silkscreen on my latest PCB. Couldn't get the SMD-type USB connector to look nice. But while I was working on it...I realized I'd never checked it against the actual sourced part. Which, upon examination of the engineering drawings, turned out to be...a through-hole. Serves me right for putting a part on there I hadn't personally vetted!

So once again into the mysteries of Eagle part creation.

And when that was done...realized this would be the first circuit I've made in years that doesn't have a blinkenlight for power status. I know; if it is working right, it will have a stack of neopixels for display. But that little status LED is just so durn handy for diagnosis...so back to the CAM files to stick another pair of 1206 SMDs in one of the remaining available corners.

You know what? Those 0805's don't look so scary anymore. I think this will be the last board I do with the larger SMDs. And if stencil and reflow go well, then...FTDI and beyond!

And the board passed the DRC -- with some modification of two of the thermal pads/polygon fills -- and the order placed at OshPark. Now I just have to see if I have the budget left for the parts...and move on to working out the new art for the laser!