The Purple PCB Has Landed! 💜📦

It finally happened!!!!

After weeks of designing the schematic, routing traces, double-checking footprints, and refreshing the shipping status more times than I'd like to admit... my custom PCB is finally here!

The first thing that caught my eye wasn't even the components, but was the purple solder mask. I absolutely love how it turned out. It's such a fun change from the typical green boards, and somehow it makes the whole project feel even more personal. And seeing my own Cecelia's ProtoLab logo printed on the PCB? That was one of those moments where it really hit me: I designed this!!! :D

This board is the foundation of my ESP32-S3 multimedia platform, combining several subsystems into one compact design:

• ESP32-S3 CAM core board interface

• Lithium battery power section

• Buck regulator

• Boost converter

• Audio power amplifier and speaker output

• TFT display interface

• Expansion board breakout connector

Now comes the part I've been looking forward to—and maybe a little nervous about: bringing the board to life.

The BOM is officially complete, and all the tiny pieces are ready to become an actual working system:

• MAX98357A I²S digital audio amplifier

• SX1308 boost converter

• AMS1117-3.3 voltage regulator

• TP4054 Li-ion charging IC

• BSMD1206 resettable fuse

• 10 μH and 4.7 μH inductors

• Capacitors from 200 pF to 100 μF

• TVS protection diode

• Female headers and expansion connectors

• And, of course, the ESP32-S3 module itself

  

  
  

The next step is soldering everything by hand, one component at a time. I'll start with the power section first, verify the voltage rails, and then slowly populate the rest of the board before powering it up for the very first time.

There's always that mix of excitement and suspense with a brand-new PCB. Will it boot on the first try? Did I accidentally swap two pins? Did I remember every decoupling capacitor? I am getting nervous already!😂

We'll find out soon.

Either way, this is one of my favorite moments in any hardware project. Watching an idea go from a sketch, to a schematic, to a PCB, and finally into something you can actually hold in your hands never gets old.

Next stop: soldering... and hopefully seeing this little purple board come to life. 🚀💜