THE FINAL REVISION
After taking a closer look at the 3D printed TR-595E’s body, I believe I can mount this PCB flat-faced. In other words, only the LEDs are on the upper side of the PCB and they can fit into the already pre-made windows. All I have to do is to just relocate the remaining components to the bottom side of the board. And this means I would have to make my own version using the EaglePCB software.
The original circuit lighted up the LEDs and there is no sequencing. I also spread the four 0805 LEDs apart further since on the test laser print, there is about 1.2mm extra space. In the end, for my own version, I added in the 555/4017 circuit to animate the four LEDs. The Auto-router did its job and after checking for errors, I uploaded the design files to JLCPCB.
Again, this board will be 0.8mm thick and finished in Black.
THE OH-OH MOMENT
Unfortunately, JLCPCB could not display nor preview my PCB Design on the order window. Thinking nothing much about it, I just confirmed the order. When I checked my order the next day, it has been processed but the preview window is still not updated. It is a small matter but can be a time saver when I need to see what I have ordered. During the time, there was a status about awaiting for Engineer for checking, etc. For me, it is a non-issue, but, it might happen of you place your order on a Weekend or on a Chinese Public Holiday. Anyway, the image below is the last revision before I made the changes.
Sorry that you would not be able see the latest design where I have intentionally created two square holes so that I can solder the red LEDs upside down. If this works, I am so happy. Although the Gerber preview software (I downloaded one from the Internet) showed that the holes are there, I prefer to see the preview on JLCPCB.
I intentionally designed the Top Panel PCB this way as I needed the board to be mounted flat from the inside. Although I could not find the red OSRAM LEDs on the market. So, I had two alternatives:
USING THE 1.8MM LEDS
OK, this is my first idea because it worked on a previous design some time ago. I soldered a normal through-hole LED with its legs bent backwards and then push it through the hole in the PCB. It worked because there was enough space in the cavity of the model. The only issue is that the leads needs to be trimmed off as the solder bump would create a gap between the surface and the PCB.
Alternatively, I can solder the legs from the bottom but because they are flat area, there is no mechanical strength. A few accidental knocks and the LED could come off, along with the copper track. Imagine if the TR-595E was dropped and the Lipo Battery was loose inside it. OK, the 3D casing might crack from the hinges first, though.
USING THE 0805 SMD LEDS
The second solution is to mimick a, ‘What if I did get the OSRAM LEDs’s situation. Either way, I still need to make the two holes. But this time as squares instead of the rounded ones. I will solder the 0805 from the bottom and then its light should be visible through the hole. If the datasheet is correct, the LED’s lens is about 0.5mm tall while the PCB is 0.8mm thick, the 0805 will not jut out from the board.
