idea: 3d electronic wireing with standard component boards..

crazy german physicist here, hallo world :-)

i liked your slogan
"do not bless us with how to do this or that, do it yourself and we will be happy to

hear from you."

but as i live in a tiny bike trailer all seasons long in a park of a small german city,
my possibilities seem to be restricted to software and web applications.

but as you are looking for ideas on RepRap II,
here comes a leaving-old-paths-idea for electronic circuits:

When we got a 3d printer, we should print the circuits in 3d :-)

therefore all(!) electronic components go on the simplest (hole matrix) board,
and all(!) the wireing is printed 3d
including the sockets for the component boards.

for now, we might even supply all users with cheap component boards from china,
one board with the most commen resistors and capicitors,
one board with some transistors, chips and usb interface,
up to a board with a programmable microprocessor and display boards..

and then :-)
everyone(!) can simply download a 3d wireing,
print it and plugin the (smd-)component boards.

from car alarm to radio, to cell phone, wearable computer, everything :-)

and when you want a new toy, you simply unplug the boards

and reuse them :-)


roland (in a rainy park),
and remember the first two rules:

you allways speak yes.

Hah! Interesting idea!

---

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Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas A. Edison

Hi Roland,

... where are you located?

Maybe you can drop into the German forum ( [forums.reprap.org] ) for some plain exchange too? ... my english isn't so excellent, but i'm experienced in 'learning by doing'

Viktor

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2009 03:50AM by Viktor.

ah thank you very much for not saying no !!!

if this is indeed a new idea,
you should really consider it for Mendel :-)

you allready have the technology
and reusable component boards may lead to an entire new aproach for electronics!

ever exiting challanges, what could be done with a set of standard component boards!

and of course ;-)

R = R1 + R2
1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2
1/C = 1/C1 + 1/C1
C = C1 + C2
N = N1 * N2
every logic circuit ist made of transistors
and a tiny multi prupose micro controller might emulate the rest we need.

a resistor costs 3 cents, a capacitor 4 cents
i like to build my io-interface again ( [www.liebwink.de] )
a cheap two sided smd board of course could have a huge processor like socket!

it still needs some years for reprap to create its own transistors and capacitors
so using "micro chips" that contain even single resistors might really be the best

choice.

roland,
allways speak yes!


ps.
make the reprap into a CVD, for carbon nanotubes is ALL we ever need!!!
[en.wikipedia.org]

this might be the cheapest component board: [www.reichelt.de]

you simply plug in all components,
and optionaly solder them when circuit works.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2009 06:17AM by roland.

You mean like a breadboard with a pick-and-place tool?

You may want to investigate FPGAs or Field Programmable Gate Arrays

An IC version similar to what you are talking about.

indeed (and wikipedia is your friend),

With FPAAs, there are even ANALOG ARRAYS to allow programmable circuits of standard resistors and capacitors..

now we might stop trying to print circuits with the reprap
and build the entire reprap electronic on FPGAs and FPAAs :-/

that is not, what reprap is about :-)

but we could use these little toys as the standard component boards,
in this case CPLDs might be enough.

and still happily continuing to hard wire the electronic components
(that sit on the component boards (that might simply be FPAAs and CPLDs))
instead of programming the connections.

the term "Glue Logic" might fit to my idea.

my idea was not about outsourcing the electronics
but to do what can be done.

perhaps you should not extrude circuits with melted solder
but print with conductive ink (carbon dust, conductive glue, ..).

would give a far better resolution,
and printing thinnest lines might give resistors,
and printing conductive planes and electrolytic layers might yield capacitors.

a "pick and place tool" to solder single resistors into an extruded board
might be a blind alley!
(even so we might someday need reprap-tools to smooth printed balls for printed bearings..)

so be happy to now only print circuit boards and sockets (plugging in the component boards)
until step by step
you can also print the electroinc components :-)

and yes, when printing electronic circuits on plastic
you can also print cables..
no need to manually install the printed electronics..

roland, alias robo durden,
dreaming of a true ReplicatingRap


and remember the first to rules:

you do not ask questions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2009 10:22AM by roland.

at this very moment..
i am developing a small shunt regulator for my new selfmade solar panel.

as mostly, it does not work instantly, and now i am not sure,
whether the circuit is wrong, or a transistor burned :-/

so it really would be like heaven,
if all the transistors go into a chip socket
and the wireing board would be automaticly made by a reprap
based on the schematic diagram :-)

and when it works as it should,
i solder the transistor in the chip socket.

this new approach to circuits would really be nice.
roland

i then would make me a reprap half the size
for my litlle bike-house-trailer :-)

If this could be applied to software as well to process queues in parallel, low level use short bits, high level uses bits spread out across the matrix... Nice...

Hey! This starts to sound a bit like a human brain... whoaaa.

Johan van Tonder Wrote:
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> If this could be applied to software as well to
> process queues in parallel, low level use short
> bits, high level uses bits spread out across the
> matrix... Nice...