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Order the hub from JLCPCB

How to go from the GitHub repository to an assembled hub board, and what to check before you pay. The design is drawn for JLCPCB's assembly service: the bill of materials uses LCSC part numbers and the placement file uses JLCPCB's own column format.

The current design has not been built yet

The current board files fix problems found on the first prototype (commit 1645733), but that revision has not been built, and not every feature has been bench-tested. See Testing status.

  • Order a small run first. Build one and check the power path on the bench before ordering a panelised batch.
  • Power up with no battery attached before you connect a cell.

1. Get the fabrication files​

The gerbers, bill of materials and placement file are not committed to the repository. They are built from the board file and attached to each tagged release.

  1. Open the Releases page and pick a hub-v… release.
  2. Download the three files for the hub:
FileWhat it is
GERBER-SunSproutHub_*.zipGerbers and drill files for all six copper layers.
BOM-SunSproutHub_*.csvBill of materials with LCSC part numbers.
CPL-SunSproutHub_*.csvComponent placement list, in JLCPCB's column format.

If there is no release for the revision you want, the release workflow can be run by hand from the repository's Actions tab. To build the same files yourself, open hardware/hub/SunSproutHub.kicad_pcb in KiCad and export with the Fabrication Toolkit plugin.

note

tools/generate-docs-assets.sh is not part of ordering. It makes the board renders, pinout diagrams and interactive BOM for this website.

2. Board settings​

Set these on JLCPCB's PCB options page after uploading the gerber zip.

SettingValueWhy
Layers6The board has six copper layers. A four-layer order will not match the files.
Board thickness1.6 mmThe design stackup is 1.6 mm.
Copper weight1 oz (0.035 mm) on every layerWhat the design stackup assumes. Nothing on the board needs heavier copper.
Surface finishENIGThe board file specifies it. It suits the fine-pitch ICs and the module's ground pad.
ViasPlain through-hole, tentedThe design uses no blind, buried or micro vias, and tents both sides.
Board size56 × 85 mmCheck this against the size JLCPCB reads from the zip.

Leave the stackup, impedance control and via-in-pad options at JLCPCB's defaults unless a quote warning says otherwise.

3. Assembly settings​

  1. Turn on PCB assembly.
  2. Upload BOM-SunSproutHub_*.csv and CPL-SunSproutHub_*.csv.
  3. On the part-matching screen, check that every line has an LCSC part number and a stock count. A line with no match, or no stock, has to be fixed before the order can go ahead.

Not every part is assembled:

  • The two expansion headers (the unfitted 9-pin headers beside the module) are excluded from the bill of materials and placement file on purpose. Solder a 2.54 mm header strip on yourself if you want them.
  • The VCC_2 INJ header is also left unfitted.
  • Every other connector (USB-C, solar terminal, battery, thermistors, STEMMA QT ports and the 8P8C jacks) is part of the placement file. Check each one in the 3D view.

The BOM is tuned for small runs, with few distinct part numbers; see Design files.

4. Check the assembly preview before you pay​

JLCPCB shows each placement in its component viewer before you confirm. Go through it carefully, since a rotated part cannot be reworked after you pay:

  • IC pin 1. Every IC's pin-1 dot in the viewer should line up with the pin-1 mark on the board. Pay particular attention to the charger, the fuel gauge, the buck-boost regulator, the load switch and the differential I2C buffer.
  • Diode and LED polarity. The cathode bar or marking should match the silkscreen.
  • The ESP32-C5 module. It is the ESP32-C5-WROOM-1U-N8R8, the version with a U.FL antenna connector. Check that it is centred on its pads and rotated as in the interactive BOM, with the U.FL connector on the side shown there.
  • The USB-C receptacle and the connectors. Each should sit at the board edge in the same orientation as the render.
  • Parts shown as not placed should be only the ones listed above.

Compare against the interactive BOM, which shows every part on the board. It is built from the files as of its last regeneration, so it can lag the latest commit.

5. After the boards arrive​

Do not connect a battery yet. Follow Getting started, which brings the board up on USB power first.