Designing your own kit of Near-Field Probes

Ey builder!

Learning by doing is the best way to do it.

It forces you to understand the concepts behind what you are trying to achieve. You need to go further than if you were just reading it. It is the difference between active learning vs passive learning. I have just finished the book Ultralearning and learning how to learn better and faster got me fascinated.

Focusing on Near-Field Probes

I have launched a new Open Source project of PCB Near-Field Probes and I am learning a ton of new things while doing it

You will get all these learnings! Here is the roadmap:

Requirements: what do we want to get from this set of Near Field Probes?

My plan is to start small, learn and keep iterating. The first requirements are:

• Low cost or, at least, much more affordable than others in the market
• Useful for a generic applications (Not very niche or specific)
• Easy to install and use. Of course, they should be safe
• Easy to manufacture with standard methods

Before jumping into KiCAD, I checked what exists already. I found interesting kits:

1. ​Pocket Near Field Probes (Unit3Compliance): I like the variety and manufacturability. What I like most is the graphic guide on Near-Field probes.
2. ​Ketszim97 - Near Field Probes: simple and visually appealing. The amplifier added directly to the probe shows that the author went an extra mile. We will discuss the need for pre-amplifiers in later chapters.
3. ​OpenFieldProbe: with a good explanation on how they are designed. They even include a plastic case to isolate your hand from dangerous voltages.

The project is now live on Hackaday​

In the next chapter, we will design the probes and define the parameters such as Stackup, routing or vias.

Happy building! ⚒️

Ignacio