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Manufacturing

brian-r-calder edited this page Dec 4, 2025 · 3 revisions

Introduction

There are a number of different possible methods to generate a hardware implementation of the reference design, either through a set of modules and through-hole components (simpler for building with limited resources), or a surface-mount board from a variety of manufacturers.

Standard Modules

The prototype development board assumes that the ESP32 development module (or a close equivalent) is used to drive the system, with the SD card provided through a simple SPI-based module, which are widely available through Amazon among other locations.

The remaining parts can be readily ordered from DigiKey, Mouser, and other locations, depending on your place in the world. The Bill of Materials is:

Number Part Order Code (Mouser) Notes
4 H11L1 512-H11L1M Logic output optoisolator
1 MCP2562 579-MCP2562-E/P CAN bus transceiver
3 5mm LED 941-C503BRANCZ0C0AA1 Any colour can be used; R/G/B is typical (code is for red)
1 RFM-0505S 919-RFM-0505S Isolating DC-DC Converter
1 SN65C1168 595-SN65C1168NSR RS-422 2x2 transceiver
7 100nF 594-K104M15X7RF53H5 Ceramic decoupling capacitor
1 Screw Terminal 651-1725737 Header for RS-422 connection
3 220Ω 756-MFR4-220RFI LED pull-up resistors R10-12
4 10kΩ 660-MFS1/2DCT52R1002 Pull-ups R1-2, 5-6
2 1.2kΩ 660-MFS1/2DCT52R1201 Pull-ups R3-4
2 560Ω 594-SFR16S0005600FR5 Pull-ups R7-8
1 120Ω 594-SFR25H1201%TR CAN bus terminator
1 Socket 523-HPC-05PMMPSF8001 NMEA2000 compatible socket

A series of pin-headers will also be required (e.g., Mouser 649-1012937893602BLF).

Surface Mount

Given the KiCAD schematic and PCB layout files, a variety of manufacturers could be used to produce and assemble a surface mount PCB. The WIBL prototypes have been manufactured with JLCPCB, and appropriately formatted Bill of Material and CPL (pick and place) files are available for this service from the project's website. During the development period, which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, supply-chain issues frequently meant that particular components could not be reliably sourced, and multiple substitutions had to be made, often from order to order. Close inspection of the BOM for a given version of the board will often, therefore, demonstrate small differences from the main schematic.

During initial development, JLCPCB did not offer a through-hole assembly mechanism, and therefore the DC-DC isolating converter, super-capactior, the NMEA2000 connector, and pin-headers could not be assembled directly at the fab; these were added by hand after delivery. In addition, the RS-422 transceiver was not available from LCSC, the preferred supply house for JLCPCB assembly, and was added after delivery. However (2023-03) a through-hole assembly service is now available, and some parts may now be available for use directly through LCSC. Therefore, some adjustment of the canonical BOM may be required for an individual order.

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