This is a page for my gifts that I gave out for Christmas 2010. They are pocket-sized optical theremins. They're based on a 556 surface-mount IC timer. It's a dual 555 timer. I tried the toner transfer etching method for the first time for this.

This is the PCB I came up with for it. It's a keychain, so this is about 1.25"x2".




Here's a couple pictures of the toner on glossy paper. There's 10 of them on here. I ironed it on, and tried out etching for the first time.




It took a very, very long time. I did it on a near zero degree day in Minnesota, outside in the garage. Heat is your friend when it comes to etching.

In order to do my through-hole parts, I needed to drill holes in the PCB. However, I did not have the micro drill bits it took to do this. Instead, I wired a needle to the tip of my old soldering iron, and used it to poke holes in the through-hole pads.


Here's a couple of finished pictures:




Thanks for looking.