[Weather] [personal] Weather PCB dimensions

[Jim Pace]

Regarding through-hole boards, I was thinking that we ought to consider 
using through-hole(but not plated through-hole) construction for the 
passives at least. I've built, for instance, the Simon Hub kit and the Bray 
Barometer from the 1-Wire project of a few years ago and more recently, the 
Hobby Boards Humidity module. I find those amoeba sized chip caps and 
resistors to be an unnecessary pain to place and solder when simple axial 
leads would have been much easier.
Jim
http://ecapmiill.home.comcast.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave McGuire" <mcguire at neurotica.com>
To: "List for 1 Wire Weather Stations and devices" <weather at buoy.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Weather] [personal] Weather PCB dimensions


> On Nov 19, 2006, at 12:24 PM, Jim Pace wrote:
>> I replied to Matthew in a separate email regarding his request, but
>> this
>> seems like a great subject for a group discussion.
>> If we were to redesign the wind instrument, what would we do
>> differently?
>> My first thought is that, like the originals, the KISS principal
>> should be
>> adhered to.
>> Micro power hall effect sensors are available, should the sometimes
>> troublesome reeds be replaced?
>
>   Absolutely.  I like reed switches, but a fully-solid-state
> implementation would have significant reliability advantages.
>
>> Is there a better way to do wind direction, with finer resolution?
>
>   I'd do it ultrasonically.  Transducers are cheap, microcontrollers
> are cheap, there are designs floating around (there was even one in
> Ciarcia's magazine recently), you get both wind speed and direction
> from the same sensor, and it eliminates moving parts.
>
>> If an improved design will require external power, is that OK? It
>> is for me.
>
>   Ok for me too.
>
>> Shouldn't we dispense with surface mount devices on the board as
>> much as
>> possible?
>
>   Why?  Wider-pitch surface mount devices tend to be much easier to
> solder than through-hole parts (despite some widespread
> misconceptions) and are often cheaper.  I won't touch through-hole
> anymore unless I absolutely have to.
>
>               -Dave
>
> -- 
> Dave McGuire
> Cape Coral, FL
>
>
>
>
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