This is an old project of mine with limited documentation or images.
V1 Background
After my messy V0 prototype worked, I wanted to make the same circuit on a custom PCB. I had never made a custom PCB yet at this point, so this project marked a critical point in my electronics journey.
V1 Design
YouTubers like Phil’s Lab and GreatScott were incredibly helpful through this process. I wouldn’t have been able to make anything at all without them. I designed this PCB using JLCPCB’s online EDA, EasyEDA. This schematic was a mess, but again to be fair to myself it was my first PCB and I was 14.
V1 Results and Issues
As expected for a first PCB, it did not work at all. There is no chance it would have really ever worked. I think I didn’t even know what decoupling capacitors were. Also I had this idea that the GPS antenna would work somehow no matter where I put it, so I put it directly in the middle of the PCB around all of the other components. It did not work at all. It’s a big learning process though! You have to start somewhere, and I know this project really kicked things off for me with my PCB design.
V2 Background and Design
After the issues with my V1 PCB APRS Tracker I went back and made a V2 PCB. I’m pretty sure I just made small edits to the schematic and then redid the PCB with my slightly better YouTube education on PCB design. I kept the decoupling capacitors and crystal closer, improved the GPS antenna slightly, and also for some reason made the whole PCB smaller. I was cocky.
V2 Results and Issues
I can’t seem to find any pictures of the assembled PCB, but I do remember exactly what the issue was that led to it not working. I had used a ground plane pour to connect all the grounds together on this PCB, but some of my trace clearances were too small which “pinched” the ground pour causing it not to be able to reach some pins on the MCU. This was a pretty big issue and I’m pretty sure it caused the whole PCB to not work at all.
