Close

Flaws

A project log for Flickering Pumpkin Pin

A minimalist approach to seasonal nerdwear

stephSteph 10/02/2023 at 06:520 Comments

I'm really happy with the way this pin turned out. However as with any project there's a few things I'd change in the next version:

1. Light Leaks

The front of the design has sections covered by soldermask but not covered by copper. As a result, the circuit on the backside is visible through the front. The defect is easily remedied by coating these areas on the backside with a black marker, essentially creating a final layer to the PCB. It works, but it's unsightly. I simply plan on telling everyone that each pin is signed by the artist, and that my signature looks like this:

2. The Backup Battery Holder

In the event that I have to use the backup type of battery holder, I'll also need to use a bodge wire because I'm missing a trace to the left side LED's here: 

3. Brightness Over Time

I don't even really consider this a flaw, but some people might so I'll mention it here. Because this pin has no current limiting resistors, the brightness of the LEDs will fall according to the discharge curve of the lithium coin cell battery. In practice, this means that the lights are very bright for the first few hours of operation, pretty bright for about 24 hours, and then pretty dim for another 24 hours. 

Discussions