Ornament Soldering Kit - 2019

By Jamal Bouajjaj

Introduction:

This project is a PCB soldering kit in the shape of an ornament, designed to be hung on a Christmas tree. The kit has been designed with some SMD and THT parts. If you plan to use this design as a kit for people who have no/minimal soldering experience, it is recommended to pre-solder the SMD parts before giving the board to them for them to solder.

Warnings/Issues:

Note:

Project's folder:

Click the GitHub folder below to access the project's files, which include the KiCad PCB files, the Gerber files, and the Autodesk Inventor CAD files.

Google Drive Link

Pictures:

Comming Soon!

PCB Parts:

This kit has some THT and SMD parts to be soldered (THT means through-hole, and SMD means surface-mount).

PCB Reference Part DescriptionPackage Size Quantity per Board
F1250mA PolyfuseTHT1
C21uF Decoupling CapacitorSMD-12061
J15-9V BatteryTHT1
U1555 TimerDIP-81
R134.7kΩ ResistorTHT1
C1100uF CapacitorTHT1
D1-D125mm LEDTHT12
R1-R12330Ω ResistorSMD-120612

Theory of Operation:

The circuit is based on the 555 timer. The chip, if set up as done in this circuit, will act as an oscillator which will generate a square wave on the output where the frequency is dependent on R1, R2, and C1. With the chosen values, the output will have a frequency of 1.2Hz(the output will oscillate once every ~0.85 seconds). This output is used to drive 6 LEDs when the output is a LOW. The other 6 LEDs are set to be on when the output of the 555 is a HIGH, but this can be changed with the 2 available jumpers (WARNING: If changed the jumper incorectly, you can possible short out either the 555 or the power supply. If you want to change the other 6 LEDs so they blink with the first 6, cut the short in the jumper on the PCB with a knife, then solder the middle pad to the pad that wasn't previously connected(refer to schematic for details))

Schematic:

Here is the PCB's schematic:

Schematic of Project

Technical Diagrams:

Here is some diagrams relating to the project:

PCB Drawing PCB Drawing PCB Drawing PCB Drawing

Case:

The PCB is designed to be screwed into a bettery holder and to be hung on a Christmas Tree. The STEP and STL files for the battery holder for the ornament can be found in the GitHub page.