How to Make Inspirational PCB Keychain

One evening, after a hard day at work, I came to the conclusion that everything we do in life should be done by putting our whole hearts into it. Later, when I was getting into the car, I couldn't hit the lock with the key... Combining the motivating sentence with the problem of hitting the lock with the key, the idea of creating a creative keychain was born. It was supposed to have a practical and aesthetic design, so you can use it as a flashlight on a daily basis.

The light that falls from the LEDs is enough to help us hit the key to the door lock the first time. The simplicity and aesthetic dimension of the project give a lot of fun if you do it yourself. The low cost of the device and a great feeling of joy after making and soldering yourself are guaranteed!

In the design of the keychain, I tried to use a minimalist and modern structure. It allows you to build a simple-to-build but fun design. I used the following elements:

LEDs - link

BATTERY HOLDER - link

SWITCH - link

PCB - link to PCBWay

When I knew that I would be designing the device, I decided to plan what the most important functionalities and assumptions would be. The main elements were that the keychain would serve as a mini lamp, had a slogan motivating mask made of soldermask, it was minimalistic, the battery lasted as long as possible, and that it was durable. It had to be resistant to being kept in a purse and to the numerous impacts of a key.

I already have selected components, so it's time to create a layout diagram in the Altium. I used several elements in the pendant design, such as LEDs, battery, holder.

The PCB board was supposed to be as small as possible, however, it should allow the inscription with motivation to be clearly visible. The device was supposed to be as simple as possible, thanks to which I eliminated the use of elements such as a microcontroller. I used blinking white and green LEDs, thanks to which the keychain, when turned on, surprises with lighting in the rhythm of blinks.

However, in the design process, I was careful to let the space well illuminate, for example, a door lock at dusk or at night. The PCB board has a recess thanks to which we can attach it to our keys and hang freely without disturbing the user.

I know from my experience that the possibility of printing a very accurate and durable board can be produced by PCBWay (They have prepared a great Christmas event with interesting prizes - link to the event). I expected the product to be of the highest quality and to meet all my assumptions. I uploaded files for my board on the site, then I could see what it would look like. I chose my file and all the parameters were loading themselves, I only changed the soldermask color to matte black (my favorite). Then I clicked "save to card", provided shipping details, and paid for the order.

The PCB is ready, the parts are ready, so it is time for soldering. I started by sorting all the elements for the previously marked compartments so that they do not get mixed up and I prepared a PCB, cleaned it, and degreased it with IPA.

In the following step, I smeared the solder areas with solder paste. Thanks to that, we were able to start soldering. I started the process by heating up the hot air device which I used in the production process of the entire keyring.

First, the LEDs were soldered, then the battery connector and the switch used to turn on and off the device. Finally, after soldering the device, I cleaned the board again with IPA.

After soldering, we finally have it - we created our awesome keychain! It serves both as a key ring and a flashlight that motivates us to fully experience all the moments in our lives. We made a simple device together, which in my opinion gives a lot of joy because after all, it is all about doing what makes us happy and doing it with all our heart <3