GMU:Printed Circuit Board Art/mxkllmnn: Difference between revisions

The design was very much influenced by the early thoughts on the topic of "capacitive touch". I would have installed all the technical components in a [https://www.instructables.com/Dead-Bug-Prototyping-and-Freeform-Electronics/ dead bug] fashion, disappearing into the flush socket of the wall, if it hadn't been for the idea of realising the entire backend as a PCB in the front, with touchpads on its rear. When the idea of touch input gestures was dropped (because this contrasted with highlighting mechanical devices), all that was left were components that logically belong to the backend. Yet, having everything fit tightly into the cover of the switch makes debugging very easy. By removing it, all the connections are accessible. So the transfer from breadboard to a PCB was the only logical consequence.

Since I did not want to spoil my option of revisiting capacitive touch gestures at a later date, it was my personal challenge to realise everything on just one side of the PCB with no viases or through-hole components. Of course, this also meant that not a single trace was allowed to intersect, which has been hard before I got to know the practice of ground areas (across the entire PCB).