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Automatic Litter Box -Hand-Soldered PCB — Wiring the System Together

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At this stage of the project, things started to get messy.

Multiple modules, loose wires, temporary connections… it worked — but it wasn’t sustainable.

So instead of spending a lot of time designing a perfect PCB in KiCad, I took a more practical approach:

👉 I built my own PCB by hand.

🧠 Why Not KiCad (Yet)?

I initially started designing a proper PCB in KiCad.

But:

  • The learning curve is steep
  • Layout + routing takes time
  • Multiple iterations are needed

For this phase of the project, that didn’t make sense.

I needed something working now, not perfect later.

So I switched approach.

🔧 The Solution — Perfboard PCB

I used a standard prototyping board and soldered everything manually.

📸 The Board

Hand soldered PCB

🎯 Purpose of This Board

This PCB acts as a central wiring hub.

Instead of:

  • Loose jumper wires
  • Unstable breadboard connections
  • Debugging random disconnects

Everything is now:

  • done led test to see if things are dual connected so I dont get short circuit.
  • Fixed
  • Repeatable
  • Easier to troubleshoot

🔌 Components Connected (Current Plan)

This board will handle connections for:

  • HX711 Module (load cell for weight detection)
  • 1.3" OLED (128x64, I2C)
  • TB6600 stepper driver
  • NEMA 23 motor
  • KY-023 Joystick module

And likely more components later.

⚙️ What This Improves

1. Stability

No more loose wires = fewer random issues.

2. Debugging

You can now:

  • Trace connections visually
  • Probe signals easily
  • Isolate problems faster

3. Expandability

Even though it's handmade, it’s structured enough to:

  • Add new modules
  • Reroute signals if needed

⚠️ Tradeoffs

This isn’t a “clean” PCB:

  • No ground plane
  • No optimized routing
  • Not production-ready

But that’s fine.

This is a functional prototype board.

🧠 Key Insight

Sometimes the fastest way forward isn’t the “correct” way.

It’s the way that:

  • Gets you unstuck
  • Lets you test ideas
  • Keeps momentum going

This board does exactly that.

🔜 Next Step

Once the system is stable and finalized:

👉 Then it makes sense to design a proper PCB in KiCad.

At that point:

  • Requirements are clear
  • Layout is known
  • Fewer iterations needed

🧪 Summary

  • Skipped full PCB design (for now)
  • Built a hand-soldered wiring hub
  • Connected all major modules
  • System is now more stable and maintainable

This is one of those “ugly but important” steps that makes everything else possible.