Kevin Bates shared with us his interactive digital business card project: “It is completely flush with the circuit board. I love your site I have learned virtually everything I know about micro controllers from you! Thanks!”
Arduboy: The Interactive Digital Business Card:
The primary trick of this design is having milled cutouts made for surface mount components to be press fit into, using the circuit board as a kind of frame. Components selected have a thickness near that of the circuit board (1.6mm). Furthermore, to minimize the board thickness, the Atmega328P is inverted so that the bulk of its height below the surface. The result of equal thickness and recessed installation provides a flush appearance. The primary benefit beyond the aesthetic quality is the device is easily slid from a wallet. The high quality boards and the excellent service from oshpark also makes this build possible.
…Inspiration struck when I was working with the OLED module. For some time I had been pondering the best method for protecting and otherwise accounting for the flex ribbon on the screen within the design of the circuit board. When prototyping, the screen laid flat against the breakout board and this felt like the most natural orientation for the display to be installed. Placing a circuit board next to the OLED screen revealed near identical height and in that moment I knew it was time to get to work….