Building Glasgow

Project Building Glasgow
debugging PCB assembly so we can build a PCB to debug our PCBs
Status	Initializing
Contact	noopwafel, Shiz
Last Update	2020-01-20

Wha?

We're going to try assembling some Glasgow [1] PCBs. The FPGA is BGA, and there are >100 jellybean parts to place, so this will probably involve the Reflow Oven. Failure is fun!

If we make this work, then we can probably put a bunch of them together for <100eur each (looks like total BOM+VAT is about 75eur), but for now this is just an experiment.

Glasgow is described as an `open source multitool for digital electronics'; it's basically an FPGA with configurable level shifting for 16 ESD-protected I/O pins, so you can connect it to a whole bunch of random interfaces:

Status

We ordered 50 revC1 PCBs and a stencil from JLCPCB.

• They asked for confirmation that the solder mask layer was meant to be missing the DNP parts, replied.
• They arrived and are in noopwafel's samla.
• We also have solder paste.

noopwafel bought about 10 board's worth of components.

• We managed to import a BOM into Mouser, and to break Digikey's BOM manager.
• Future thoughts: the HX4K is 1eur cheaper. Also, jellybean parts could be cheaper.
• noopwafel has a BOM spreadsheet for managing this now; order split between mouser, digikey and TME.
• In theory, we now have all of the parts we need!

We should put together some simpler boards in the reflow oven. noopwafel plans to try one of the iceGLITCH boards.