The arcade controller has been detailed and this project is finished. It is now attached to my living room entertainment computer and doing double duty as a video selection "remote" and also of course used for playing classic video games. Several folks have asked if they could buy it or a similar one. We may well start selling controllers from fletchtronics.net. Keep your eye out and drop a line to fletch if you're interested in arcade controllers or kits or both. 
Very exciting news, Petunia has arrived! In the first post, I talked all about what prompted me to create Petunia, and some of the methods involved in creating the circuit board. Now the circuit boards have arrived, I have practiced the hot-plate soldering technique and have working prototypes to develop code on.  Petunia Prototype
Well technically this project isn't really my first PCB. That was made back in high school, a 555 circuit that made an incandescent bulb flash. Excitement! When I first sat down last year thinking about making PCBs again, my first thought brought me right back to that etching process. I'd heard of a technique called "toner transfer" that can be used to create boards at home. However, I have 2 cats and a wife in an apartment to think about here. I don't want to leave lots of toxic stuff laying around the house for the cats to eat and for everyone to breathe. So, I decided to use an online printed circuit board fabrication house where I can submit my design and get back a nice board without messing with toxic chemicals. |
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