So it’s taken a few months but, I’ve managed to finish the first revision and received PCBs for the first interface board I mentioned in my previous post. Can’t wait to start assembling.
As for the design, there were a couple manufacturability issues that came up during the layout. The electrode array connector was the biggest pain point. Trying to figure out how to easily connect an array of capacitive electrodes was a bigger challenge than I expected. Eventually I settled on a female IDC header that I can plug a dissected IDC cable into. The header was significantly larger than I wanted to put on the board but it was the best solution I could find. A flat flex ribbon cable and surface mount header will likely come in the next rev or two.
The size of the antenna trace from the nRF8001 Bluetooth radio is a concern as well. It may cause a functionality issue because to get the recommenced 50 ohm impedance matched trace, I need a 114 mil trace width and due to my layout there was only room for a 10 mil trace. I’m hoping the tuned LC network compensates for the impedance mismatch.
I also posted a video describing the project on youtube! Check it out: Glove-based Computer Interface
The next step will be building the boards. I’ll try to take some pictures of the process to show how it’s done.