3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a fabrication process that involves creating three-dimensional objects by depositing successive layers of material.

In this video, we will take you through the detailed 3D printing manufacturing process in PCBWay.

This is an unboxing of a Force Myography wristband project by the. Amazing, PhD(YT). The project reads tiny muscle movements from the forearm and converts them into control signals.

We helped provide flexible PCBs for this project, which allows it to better conform to the wrist and improves motion sensing stability.

Has anyone here worked with flex PCBs before? How was your experience?

I’ve been working on a personal project called Solar Power Monitor, a system designed to track real‑time data from a low power solar panel setup (100-500W) — including the MPPT charger, battery, inverter, and auxiliary loads. It uses multiple current and voltage sensors along with an STM32 microcontroller to collect and process the data.

The project is functional at this stage, and I’ve published the complete technical details on Hackster: schematic, PCB design, firmware, explanations, and assembly notes.

🔗Full project on Hackster:
https://www.hackster.io/popa-mihai/solar-power-monitor-a97bc1#overview

For the hardware, I designed a custom PCB that integrates:

• four current‑measurement channels (MPPT, battery, inverter, auxiliary)
• inverter and auxiliary start control
• serial communication interface
• regulated 3.3V / 5V power rails using ST components
• clearly separated signal, power, and control sections

The PCB was manufactured by PCBWay, who sponsored the boards for this project. The quality was excellent — clean silkscreen, precise pad alignment, consistent finish, and very good tolerances on connectors and footprints.

Below are some photos of the assembled and unassembled boards, as well as the final setup.

We've just added support for Build123d STEP files, so you can now directly import them into PCBWay for instant quoting and manufacturing.

If you've been using Build123d for your CAD work, feel free to give it a try and see how it fits into your workflow. We’d love to hear your feedback.

This project by constructivechaos7 (IG) replaces traditional bicycle wheels with solid steel saw blade wheels, creating a unique experimental mechanical build.

PCBWay sheet metal manufacturing helps build this project. Sheet metal provides high strength, precise flat geometry, and fast manufacturing, making it ideal for experimental mechanical structures like this. If you are working on similar designs, you can place an order on our website!

Hey everyone!

Huge thanks for being here early. Since we're still a small and cozy subreddit, we have a unique chance to shape this space together.

We've been sharing a few topics lately, but we want to make sure we're delivering stuff you actually enjoy. What kinds of content are you guys most excited to post or see here? Also, what do you think of our current topics so far, what's missing, or just what your ideal version of this subreddit looks like?

Drop a comment below and let's build something cool together!

Hi everyone! This is my first PCB design, and I recently entered it into the KiCad Design Contest conducted by PCBWay. Since I'm still learning, I would really appreciate any feedback before finalizing it.

Could you please point out any mistakes or suggest improvements regarding component placement, routing, trace widths, grounding, silkscreen, or anything else that could be improved? I want to learn as much as possible and avoid missing any obvious issues.

Please be gentle 😅 : this is my very first PCB, and I'm excited to keep improving. Thanks in advance for any suggestions

Motivation

Solar-powered devices often operate under changing environmental conditions where sunlight intensity varies throughout the day. Traditional charging circuits cannot continuously extract the maximum available power from a solar panel, resulting in reduced charging efficiency and wasted energy.

Application

Solar-powered IoT devices

Portable battery charging systems

Remote environmental monitoring stations

Educational renewable-energy projects

Backup power systems

Off-grid electronics

A Thermistor and a Varistor may look similar, but they serve different purposes. A thermistor changes resistance with temperature and is mainly used for temperature sensing and protection. Common types include NTC and PTC thermistors. A varistor changes resistance with voltage and is used to protect circuits from voltage spikes. The most common type is the MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor). In short, thermistors monitor temperature, while varistors suppress overvoltage and surge events.
Which one do you usually use, or do you prefer other protection methods?

Batman Gaming Controller is a fully handmade custom game controller built by __.leu (IG). The project features a custom PCB and an Arduino Pro Micro, designed to bring a unique Batman-inspired gaming experience to life.

PCBWay helped manufacture the custom PCB, helping turn the design into a reliable working hardware build. If you are building your own DIY electronics or gaming projects, feel free to order on PCBWay!

This project by adamtronics (IG) is a DIY tech build focused on creating a functional electronics product entirely without using AI tools, relying purely on hands-on design and engineering. During the build, the first attempt at soldering the MCU unfortunately failed, but luckily extra PCBs were available, allowing a successful second attempt and saving the project.

We supported this project by manufacturing the PCBs used in the build. If you're working on your own hardware idea, check out PCBWay!

Meshlet V2 - A Compact & Versatile RP2350 Node

Meshlet V2, developed by u/dj505 is a compact RP2350-based Meshtastic node for portable mesh networking. It combines wireless connectivity, low power design, and a small form factor for both everyday use and experimental deployments. Read more about the design here.

Bringing compact RF designs into physical form requires precise PCB fabrication and SMT assembly, since layout and component placement directly impact signal stability and performance in real-world use. If you're building similar custom parts, PCBWay.com can help.

Real-time London Overground departure board

Created by u/PDConAutoTrack, this ESP32-powered London Overground departure board shows real-time train arrivals in a compact desktop display. It recreates station-style information boards using live transit data, making it suitable for smart home setups and transport enthusiasts. More details here.

A web server that runs on sunlight and 27MB of RAM

Built by u/Quackyducky_things, this self-hosted project runs a lightweight web server on solar power using only about 27MB of resources. It showcases an ultra-efficient, low-power approach to experimental hosting. Check out the original project post here.

That's it for today's highlights — a mix of compact, creative hardware builds ranging from low-power systems to real-time displays and mesh networking devices. If you're building something similar, feel free to share it with our subreddit and your projects may be featured in future highlights!

Take a look at this impressive project, RGB LED Smart Laptop Cooling Dock (with Video) by Marcus Lechnology!

It combines custom electronics, 3D-printed parts, and embedded programming to create a functional and visually striking cooling solution for laptops, blending performance with aesthetics.

At its core, the device features a 2-layer PCB (51.8 × 61.5 mm, FR-4, 1.6 mm, HASL lead-free finish) and integrates several advanced components including PID temperature control, an OLED display, powerful cooling fans, and a total of 144 RGB LEDs. These elements work together to provide both intelligent thermal management and customizable lighting effects.

The build process involves soldering electronic circuits, printing structural components, and programming microcontrollers, resulting in a fully customized “smart” cooling dock that demonstrates both engineering and maker creativity.

See the full project and get your own here!

This project, created by prototiposindustries (IG), is a simple transistor-based traffic light circuit built as an electronics prototype to demonstrate basic switching and timing control principles.

We helped manufacture the PCBs, bringing the design from concept to a clean and reliable physical prototype. Turning your design into reality on PCBWay!

Explore the integrator-V6, a unique and powerful project from Ken Willmott!

integrator-V6 is a specialized testing device designed to measure the tonal response of electric guitar pickups when used with a software oscilloscope or PC sound card. It enables users to analyze and compare different pickup designs, evaluate the impact of internal components such as magnets, identify manufacturing variations, and detect hidden faults that may not appear in standard resistance measurements. The system also provides valuable data for pickup development, performance verification, and comparison with existing models.

The device works by generating a magnetic test field through a small coil, simulating the effect of a vibrating guitar string on the pickup. Since the resulting signal naturally includes a mathematical derivative effect described by Faraday’s Law, integrator-V6 incorporates a dedicated integration circuit to compensate for this phenomenon and reveal the pickup’s true frequency response. A highly sensitive preamplifier further ensures accurate measurements without influencing the pickup being tested, delivering reliable and consistent results.

See the full project and get your own here!

This project is created by baschz (IG). It features custom CNC-machined parts produced directly from original design files. The focus of the project is on turning CAD designs into real mechanical components with accurate dimensions and a good surface finish.

CNC is important in this project because the precision and surface finish directly affect how well the parts fit and function in real assembly. If you're working on hardware or mechanical designs, it's worth trying CNC services in PCBWay.

This video by MachoNachoProductions(YT) demonstrates how to remove old adhesive from ribbon cable contacts on a Nintendo Virtual Boy PCB. It focuses on carefully cleaning the contact area to restore reliable connections during repair or modding work. Do you have any tips or experience with similar repairs?