PixelRadio is a FM Radio Transmitter with RDS (Radio Data System) capabilities. It was developed for holiday "Pixel" displays (e.g., animated Christmas lights).
A Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is highly recommended for building your PixelRadio. All the artwork files for the two-sided PCB can be downloaded here.
The PCB files are in the RS274X Gerber format required by commercial PC board fabricators.
For lowest cost PCB fabrication it is suggested to use an off-shore (China, Hong Kong) board house. Typical costs are about $20 USD delivered to your door.
Note: The fabricator does not supply components and they do not assemble your board; that's your job.
When ordering the PCB from your supplier be sure to select 1.2mm thick FR-4 material. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE!
PCB specifications are as follows:
PCB Thickness: 1.2mm
Base Material: FR-4
Layers: 2
Dimension: 99.57mm X 94.61mm
Different Design: 1
Delivery Format: Single PCB
Impedance: No
PCB Color: Green
Silkscreen: White
Surface Finish: HASL(with lead)
Deburring/Edge rounding: No
Outer Copper Weight: 1
Gold Fingers: No
Castellated Holes: No
4-Wire Kelvin Test: No
Material Type:FR4-Standard Tg 130-140C
Appearance Quality:IPC Class 2 Standard
Do NOT change the PCB material or thickness; it must be FR-4 base material that is 1.2mm thick.
The PCB must be FR-4 material that is 1.2mm (0.047") thick. These two critical specifications provide the proper trace impedance on the RF signal paths.
Also, the 1.2mm PCB thickness is required for the mounting grooves (card slots) in the recommended metal enclosure.
The PCB specifications have been optimized for lowest fab cost. But feel free to change the PCB color, Silkscreen Color, or Surface Finish (lead free). Avoid changing any other specification.