PCB Christmas Tree

Project Overview

I was inspired by the various PCB Christmas tree designs I saw on the internet and decided to make my own. The tree had colour-changing LEDs and could stand up on its own.

Design

Schematic

The circuit consisted of colour-changing LEDs in parallel, 90° jumpers, a capacitor to smooth any spikes or dips in the battery voltage, a power switch, and a coin cell battery.

Board Design

The board was designed so that each tree would be comprised of three PCB components, allowing it to stand up on its own. These components were created by instructing the manufacturer to mill the board into the intended pattern, keeping the components connected only through mouse bites to allow for easy separation. An additional hole was added to the top of the tree so it could be hung as a tree ornament.

Panelization

Since most manufacturers charge a standard rate for a 100 x 100 mm board, I maximized the number of trees I could produce with one board by creating breakaway panels. Four individual trees were arranged on the board and I instructed the manufacturer to v-score the borders of the trees so that they could be easily separated by hand.

Physical Implementation