Homemade Hardware

Andy Sigler

Hardware is not hard, and new tools at ITP make it easier than ever to make custom circuit boards for your projects. Students will learn how to grow from a breadboard to their own surface mount PCB, all without leaving the floor. This class is about artists and designers taking control of their hardware, and exploring the potential of embedding their projects into the world around them.

Students will learn Eagle CAD, micro-milling machines, drawing schematics, electronics theory, ordering parts, surface-mount components, solder paste, stenciling, reflow, pick-and-place, and more.

Two projects will be assigned. The first is a class project, where each student will make their very first surface-mount PCB. The second project is the final, and we will be spending the rest of the semester focused on iterating through prototypes and final designs.