Devlog #4

Documenting and Pinout Image done

What I made

So because I made it so far, now most of my work was concentrated on documenting this whole project:

• Documenting I made a README for this project. I tried to write the things that I think are most important for this project.

• Pinout Image LOL, so this was a pain. I never made a pinout for a board, but hey, every day I learn something XD. I made a screenshot of the top of the board and then, in some random image editor, I wrote the pin name next to every pin.

• Last PCB changes So while documenting and making the pinout image, I noticed some issues in the silkscreen, so I repaired them and uploaded the new versions.

What do I want to do next?

So there are things I want to do:

• Request for funding and get the board manufactured - So yeah, this first part of this project is almost coming to an end, so the last thing to do to end this part is to request funding and get the board manufactured.

• Test the board - This is gonna be the funniest thing about this whole project. I want to record everything from the first plug-in, troubleshooting, rage quitting, and, at the end, getting it to work (hopefully).

So this is all for this devlog. I know it’s short, but there aren’t many things to talk about, but if you have any questions or ideas, leave them in the comments and I’m gonna try to reply to everyone.

Hope you like this project and stay tuned.

Love u :3

Down below you can see the pinout image.

Devlog #3

Final Routing and New Silkscreen

What have I made so far?

So, these are small changes, but they are important. Here are the things I made:

• Added a button — Yeah, I know it’s nothing special, but on this small board, it was challenging. But I made it! The button is made for classic usage — nothing special.

• Final PCB routing — So, I want to get closer to getting the PCB fabricated, which means I have to do a final inspection. For this, I used Claude AI and some Reddit stuff, and yeah, I can actually recommend using AI for inspecting PCBs, mainly Claude. When you set the thinking level to Max, it can find errors that you would probably never notice. I found around 5 problems, but they weren’t anything too complicated — mainly some incorrectly placed vias.

• Silkscreen — This is one of my favourite parts of making a PCB because I can do crazy stuff and add something that was made by me. I also added the pin names to both the top and bottom of the PCB, so you don’t have to look at the pinout documentation every time.

What do I want to do next?

So, the end of this first version is almost here, and there are only a few things left to do:

• Documentation — Because it’s open source, it needs good documentation. I actually don’t like this part, but I have to do it :). I also want to make something like a pinout image showing what every pin can do.

• Ship it — After all of this, I want to ship the project and ask Hack Club for funding because, yeah, it’s a little expensive. (Not too much, but I want to get the PCBs manufactured and assembled.)

So, I think that’s all. If you have any questions or ideas, you can leave them in the comments, and I hope I’ll see you in the next Devlog.

I know it doesn’t look like I spent much time on this, but Hackatime was down, so I couldn’t track my time.

Love u

Below, you can see the PCB 3D render, and you can see my beautiful silkscreen :3

Devlog #2

Finished the first version of the PCB

What have I made so far?

So yesterday I made the schematic for this board.

Today, I spent 4 hours working on the PCB — it was pain.

• So I decided I wanted to make this board as small as I can. It is 29.718 × 17.018 mm, so yeah, it’s pretty small, and you can maybe imagine how hard it is to wire everything.

• I had to remove the SD card slot because it was too big for the PCB.

• I even decided that I was just going to use a 2-layer PCB, but yeah, I managed to do it.

• I had some problems and errors, but yeah, they weren’t that hard to solve — the hardest thing was connecting the last connection (it was impossible).

• I also added basic silkscreen, and on the bottom side, I wrote the name of every pin so it would be easier to work with it.

This is the first time that I have made something this hard, but hey, this is why I am doing this — to learn something new. (I ran DRC and got 0 errors, easy.)

I even 3D-printed the board, and guys, it’s really that small.

What do I want to do next?

So, because this is just the first version of this board, there are things that I want to edit and add to the board:

• Silkscreen — This is one of my favourite parts of making a PCB, and I really enjoy playing with it. I want to make it look elegant and professional, but also make it mine. I want to add the names of the pins and their functions (which one is SDA, SCK, and others) so you don’t have to look at the pinout image every time.

• Reset circuit — One of the issues with the ATtiny3217 is that it doesn’t have a reset circuit, so I want to make one so it automatically reboots itself after flashing and other things.

• Buttons — I want to add 2 buttons to the board, and yeah, they must be small. One is going to be for manual reset using the reset circuit, and the other one is going to be a classic button that you can use in your programs.

After that, there are a few more things I want to work on in the near future:

• Inspection — Yeah, I’m trying to do this while designing the board, but for this, I’m going to look at every pin and every piece of documentation and try to find and fix the bugs. (I hope there aren’t going to be many of them.)

• Documentation — So, because this is open source and I want you to be able to use it too, I want to make really good and clean documentation. I also want to make a pinout image like the professional development boards have.

So I think this is all for this devlog. If you have any questions or ideas, you can write them in the comments.

See you in the next Devlog.

Love u :3

Below you can see the 3D rendering of the board and then the classic 2D image of the PCB.

Devlog #1

Finished Schematic

What is MyTtiny?

MyTtiny is my own development board based on the ATtiny3217.

Here are some of its features:

• USB-C — The board will have USB-C for easy programming, communication, and other things. (USB-C is just good :3)
• UART — It will also have a CH340N chip for UART communication and programming.
• Pin headers — One of the most basic features: GPIO pins for connecting your own components and modules.
• SD card — On the bottom side of the board, there will be space for an SD card module for storage. You don’t have to use it, but if you connect an SD card, 4 GPIO pins will be unavailable.
• NeoPixel LED — A built-in NeoPixel RGB LED that can light up in basically any color.
• Compact size — I want to make the board as small as possible so it can easily be used in my projects.
• Easy programming — I also added a DPI programming header, so the bootloader can be flashed and the board can then be programmed through UART using the Arduino IDE.

What have I made so far?

For now, I have finished the first schematic.

I’m not the best at designing PCBs yet, but I already have some experience with schematics and electronics, so I used some connections from my previous projects as a reference.

I also tried to make the schematic clean and easy to understand, so both you and I can work with it more easily.

What do I want to do next?

This is only the first part, and there is still a lot of work to do.

Here are the things I want to do next:

1. PCB design
   Right now, I only have the schematic, so the next step is to turn it into an actual PCB. :)

2. Final inspection
   After finishing the PCB, I need to inspect everything carefully and fix any bugs I find. Of course, the best inspection will probably happen after I physically receive the board.

3. Documentation
   Since this project is open-source, I want to make good documentation so other people can understand the board and use it in their own projects.

4. Ask for a grant
   Thanks to Stardance (thank you, Stardance <3), I want to apply for funding so I can get the board manufactured.

5. Manufacturing
   I want to have the PCB manufactured by JLCPCB and have it assembled as well, because some of the components are really small and I don’t want to suffer while soldering them.

6. Try to make it work
   Once I receive the boards, I want to flash the first one, test everything, and hopefully… make it work. :)

And while I’m doing all of this, I’m going to post these devlogs so you can stay tuned!

So I think that’s everything for this Devlog.

You can write your questions or ideas in the comments — I’m going to read everything!

See you in the next Devlog!

Love u :3

Below you can see the schematic of the board.