Here's a brief update on the PCB manufacturing process for my
MIDI Thru Box. For more information, see
When I checked the site the other day, it said that the board
had passed all checks and was in production. Interestingly enough,
they also tell you who processed your order and who the CAM
operator is. I'm not sure if it's useful, but it sure is a clever
way to humanize the production process.
Today, I got two email messages with zipped images attached,
showing the UV curing process step of the boards. At the same time,
the two images became available on the site, as shown above. Here
are the images, resized 50% of the size they made available:
It's really interesting to be able to track the progress of the
board through the process. I'm excited to get these, and a little
nervous that I may have botched something (we'll see). For one
thing, I think the default hole pattern for the power supply jack
left holes that are way too big and may be difficult to solder. I'd
hate to end up with a $100 desk decoration. Then again, I could
just be a worried expectant dad here ;)
Creating something on the computer and then seeing it
manufactured, whether it's my own CNC machine, someone's 3D
printer, or a service like this, gives you a feeling that software
alone simply can't. It's the bridging of the physical and
electronic world, and is immensely satisfying at a visceral
level.