Core board schematic — DONE ✅
Finished the complete KiCad schematic for Luxera’s Core bench board (the “brain” board that the glasses’ electronics get proven on before shrinking into the frame).
What’s in it:
- Full battery power chain: USB-C in → MCP73831 charger → 2 parallel Li-ion cells → MAX17048 fuel gauge
- Three regulated rails: 3.3V buck (TPS62840), 1.8V LDO, and a 5V boost (TPS61023) for the compute module
- Socket for the RK3566 compute module (CM4-compatible, 2× 100-pin DF40 connectors, ~60 pins wired: power, USB, I²C, UART console, boot control)
- Two MAX98357A I²S amps for bone-conduction audio (left + right channels via SD_MODE resistor trick)
- Capacitive touch controller (IQS227B) + multifunction button
- Camera (2-lane MIPI CSI) + display (2-lane DSI) lanes broken out, and a 40-pin FFC that will link to the sensor board in the glasses’ front frame
Hard-won lessons today:
- Learned the difference between buck and boost topology the practical way — the inductor goes before SW on a boost, not after 😅
- ERC threw 140+ “errors” that were all one thing: the LCSC import tool doesn’t set pin types. Learned to read the report instead of panicking — it actually became a free wiring audit
- Caught a real bug in review: my camera I²C clock label had landed on pin 90 (a 1.8V power output!) instead of pin 80. Hover-checking pins is now religion
Next: footprint assignment, then the actual PCB layout — 4-layer board, 55×45mm.
Every part verified in stock at JLCPCB/LCSC. Repo committed. 🔧
Comments 5
whats the project all about?? can you make an introductory post explaining everything?? would love to know more!!
@avishgoyal Thanks man 🙌 Quick rundown since you asked —
Luxera is standalone AR smart glasses I’m building from scratch: normal-looking thick acetate frames with everything sealed inside — a small green heads-up display in the right lens (MicroLED + waveguide), a camera and a depth sensor in the front corners, bone-conduction audio in the temples, and a Linux computer (Rockchip RK3566 + NPU) running the whole thing on-device. No phone tether, no visor look. It also has an accessibility mode that uses the depth sensor to give obstacle nudges for low-vision users.
Right now I’m at the hardware stage: the full schematic for the main board just got frozen — designed pin-by-pin in KiCad, every part verified in stock at JLCPCB so it can actually get fabbed and assembled. The plan is a flat bench version first to prove the circuit and boot the OS, then shrink the same design into thin curved boards that fit inside the temples.
Everything’s open in the repo (github.com/abolambA/Luxera) and I’m devlogging every session here. Next up: PCB layout — routing the MIPI camera lanes is going to be the boss fight 😅 Follow along if you’re curious!
@nihad_alsufe sounds cool!! this reminds me of Even Realities’ G2 glasses, you might want to take a look there for some inspiration. And could you also upload like short screenshots zoomed in on one thing? We cant zoom images on stardance and its pretty difficult to see you schematic lol
@avishgoyal well actually Ik these glasses and Ik multiple ones of them and I worked on multiple types that are already in the market but still felt the limitation so working on the thing and building my own thing that I’m flexible with .. thx for the connection and motivation
cool!
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