Planning DIY TPS63000 based driver

Grreat, very nice! Awesome is the word.

Why do you think the oher one was sooo hot?

Congrats! definitely the last board looks much more like what manufacturers recommend in their datasheets! Really professional again and much more thermally enhaced.

BTW DON'T use a non-stick pan as reflowing technique. Its thermally stressfull for the components as they don't get uniformly heated because they receive the heat only from the bottom, and that's not good. A much better solution is just using a kitchen oven with regulable temperature or anything that heats using hot air/ infrared radiation with regulable temperature.

You start at 100ºC until all the PCB reaches that temp, then slowly climb up to 180ºC and let it sit there for like 30 seconds to make the paste fluxes vaporize and activate(I assume you'd be soldering with paste) and then another slow climb up to 220-230ºC or so depending on the paste, and let them cool down at room temp. A rule of thumb is to never climb more than 3ºC per second. That's how it's done in the industry and that's the better way as thermal stresses due to different thermal expansion coefficients might cause cracks or stresses and the best way to minimize them is to make temperature changes slow enough. You can find more accurate reflow time vs temperature graphs online.

The sad truth is that most people who do reflow online don't actually know how it should be done, and start heating components with hot air at 350ºC or things like that... and that's not the proper way.

Thanks erdabyz for above suggestions.
I think one of >>these<< and one of >>these<< are in my future. But I have to get tires for my car first .

I wish the TPS63000 datasheet had that layout guide like the TPS63020 ... It would have save me a lot of time and trouble.

Great brand aoyue, but these prices are a little high I think. Do some researching, they can be cheaper.

jib77 said:

Thanks erdabyz for above suggestions.
I think one of >>these<< and one of >>these<< are in my future. But I have to get tires for my car first .

I wish the TPS63000 datasheet had that layout guide like the TPS63020 ... It would have save me a lot of time and trouble.

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I own this one: Divineo.cn - Product Information and i'm really impressed on how well it works, and it's also fairly high quality. I don't have a preheat station as most PCB's I make are small enough to be preheated with the own station. But now i'm planning on buying a small kitchen oven as I'm having lots of friends and not so friends wanting me to make them PSgrooves (a USB dongle for "unblocking PlayStation 3" that makes you able to play "backups of your original games"). I also have to develop a good way to make homemade soldering stencils for quicky and efficiently spreading the solder paste.

For stencil ... I was thinking about using a CriCut machine, and I found this: Create Solder Paste Stencils with Cricut

jib77 said:

For stencil ... I was thinking about using a CriCut machine, and I found this: Create Solder Paste Stencils with Cricut

Click to expand...

I was thinking about coating a polyethylene sheet with UV curable soldermask (the same I use for soldermasking PCB's), insolating and then etching the uncovered plastic with acetone or using heat. I have to find some poliethilene sheet thick enough to be used as stencil and try it.

Never heard about a cricut machine... those aren't sold in spain xD

any plans for a build with your own driver yet?

gillza said:

any plans for a build with your own driver yet?

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Well I already have a sweeeet LCC Red running with a V2 drive @ 420mA

Im contemplating a new 445 or replacing the flexdrive in my existing 445 build with a V3. But I need to test at higher currents, its just I haven't had the time lately.

That's great jib77!
That last board does looks nice. I looked at the CriCut myself as my daughter has one. lol Can't say she was happy, but I tried doing a vinyl type peel & stick sheet. Not that accurate on the trace gaps. Maybe the sheet is trying to move a little? :thinking: I found a decent deal on ebay for UV photo iron on film sheets and they claim you can use tracing paper with the printer set to max resolution and the UV wont pass. It will pass through the unprinted areas. It was all only abt $20(film & 2 types of double clad) and if it works you could make over 50 of your boards. Chemicals only add abt $10.
When I looked at the current shunt regulator amp it was the lowest gain of that series at 20!

I did find a ref of using an OPA344 or OPA345 in with the INA193/5's which has a gain of 5. Max input voltage is 7.5VDC, but that should be fine for single cell operation and should make the resistor issue less painful with a variable you can actually purchase making it adjustable!
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/opa344.pdf

Again, great work. Please keep the updates coming.:gj:

Edit: Also, A big :thanks: to ALL that commented here. Good communication and dialog is very beneficial with an on going project.

Hmmm same package available and its pin compatible! .... I could drop one in and give it a try. I guess 5 volts is enough gain huh. Did they suggest the 20V part to improve efficiency due to the super low resistor values?

Vaporizer said:

Edit: Also, A big :thanks: to ALL that commented here. Good communication and dialog is very beneficial with an on going project.

Click to expand...

I'm very interested in seeing these being offered as a substitute to the current drivers. Not that I have anything against the existing ones but the more choices the better.

I'm also learning quite a few things about electronics while trying to follow the progress of Jib77's driver.

Yea, when I saw the refs it was pin compatible. That's why I suggested it. No major changes AFAIK. The not so high gain op amps normally don't have such critical value resistors ie 741.......
I couldn't see the need for a 20 gain and those resistor values arent something you'll have laying around. If the other can use a "normal" low value pot it would add a alot of versatility to you build being adjustable. That series may be needed or it could be TI pushing their stuff. Tough call with out actually doing a build.

Just thinking out loud. If you wanted to sell 1 or 2 of your last made boards to help offset your cost, I might be interested. I'd go for the other op amp and see. PM me if you are interested. Gonna be a while before my stuff gets here.

Edit: The OPA333 looks promising too. Same pkg and pin out as far as I can see. Looks like a gain of 30, but the example circuit shows using a 200ohm variable.
http://www.micrus.ru/UPLOAD/fck/image/lines_pict/TI/OY.pdf

Remember that it has to be a good op amp. You know, a 741 won't work.

How thick are the boards?

@ rafa,
Yea, I know a 741 is to dirty. It was just an example quick out of my head op amp that doesn't require the critical low value resistors. They do exist.
Actually the OPA3xx series looks promising. I think I stated that before in a post, maybe in another thread if not here.
I just walked in. I have a new grandaughter! 9lbs 21 1/2" long born early this morning.

Cant wait till it gets here