Overview
A warm-white LED desk nameplate that spells TAMARA in a 3x5 bitmap pixel font. Designed as an Adom molecule (92 x 38 mm, 4-pin machine contact) so it can be manufactured on the InstaPCB workcell.
How it works
- 54 warm-white LEDs (0603) arranged in 6 letters: T-A-M-A-R-A
- Each LED has its own 390 ohm current-limiting resistor (0402)
- All LED+resistor pairs wired in parallel from VBUS to GND
- USB-C connector on the south edge with 5.1k ohm CC pull-downs
- 10uF bulk cap for inrush smoothing
- Total draw: ~275mA at 5V (1.4W) -- any phone charger handles it
How to use it
- Grab any USB-C cable (iPhone charger works)
- Plug one end into the board's south edge
- Plug the other end into a 5V USB-C power source
- TAMARA lights up warm white
Bill of Materials
| Component | Value | Package | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| LED | warm-white | 0603 | 54 |
| R | 390 ohm 1% | 0402 | 54 |
| R_CC1, R_CC2 | 5.1k ohm | 0402 | 2 |
| C_BULK | 10uF X5R | 0805 | 1 |
| J1 | TYPE-C-31-M-12 | USB-C | 1 |
Design details
- Board: 92 x 38 mm, 2-layer, 1.6mm FR4
- Pixel pitch: 3mm LED-to-LED
- Letter gap: 3mm between letters
- Warm-white Vf = 3.0V, so 390 ohm at 5V gives ~5mA per LED
- Back side has full documentation silkscreen (how to power, BOM, maintenance)
Built with
Authored in tscircuit (TSX), previewed with adom-tsci, exported to KiCad.