Catchy title, right? I ordered some Funky Sensor PCBs after few days ago and got them today. Just to recap – this is an extremely small Attiny84 based sensor with RFM12B module on top. I can’t stress how small it is, it is just slightly larger than the RFM12B board. My version is different from Toibias’s in the sense that I have step-up circuit on mine and he has voltage step down. I thought powering it from a single AA(A) battery would be nice feature when talking small. Of course, you can powe it with a CR2032 battery, easily fitted on top the Funky.
I have never done SMD soldering before. It has been few nightmare hours to get the 0603 SMD parts soldered and the step-up IC was hardest of all. I think I have beginner’s luck and surprisingly it does work.. I am getting steady 3.33V from a single, quite abused already AAA battery. Not all went smooth of course, the inductor is too close to the RFM12B on the bottom of the PCB so I had to raise it a bit, but it worked. Also, destroyed the SMD LED while re-soldering it for the 45th time in order to get it right..
The Funky is programmed by inserting a 6 pin header to the side, that is later removed. Neat idea to save space.
Here are some pictures
Overall it has been very educational experience, I am quite happy with the results.
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