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We designed 4 Open Source Hardware kits that range from super easy to deliberately challenging to solder.
Because these kits are designed to be educational, to some extent at least, we'll provide some documentation on basic electronics knowledge, what's a LED? Why do I need a current limiting resistor? etc, component selection (how was that resistor value calculated?) and circuit features, how does a boost converter work? How was reverse polarity protection implemented?
These two entry-level Kits are definitely entry-level. They are designed to be manageable even if this is your first time soldering.
If you want to hone your SMD soldering skills and learn more about one of the most widespread power converter topologies, the Boost Edition is perfect. You'll have to solder a bigger variety of footprints and part types. Runs two white LEDs in series from a single CR2025 / CR2032 cell ;)
Find out what a solderer you are. This soldering challenge is designed to be hard to complete, especially if you choose to get the more difficult version which not only leaves you with LEDs and resistors sized between 1206 and 01005 (0.4x0.2mm) but leaves you dealing with an SC-70 MOSFET, a miniature inductor and UFQFPN-20 STM8 microcontroller too. Good luck.
All four kits are fully open-source (CERN and GPLv3) and were certified as open source by the OSHWA:
- HHTronik / I Learn Soldering TH Q.O.K. on Github (OSHWA / DE000018)
- HHTronik / I Learn Soldering SMD Q.O.K. on Github (OSHWA / DE000021)
- HHTronik I Learn Soldering Boost Edition Q.O.K. on Github (OSHWA / DE000019)
- HHTronik I.CAN.SOLDER SMD Challenge Q.O.K. on Github (OSHWA / DE000020)
BOM, design files, design notes and firmware sources (for the SMD Challenge) are available in the Github repositories.