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A Review of the OSH Park Jelly Beans

ted-yapoTed Yapo wrote 12/09/2016 at 14:18 • 3 min read • Like

I received my latest OSH park PCBs yesterday - some TritiLED boards without integrated battery holders. Inside the envelope was also a package of OSH Park jelly beans:

I've previously compared the board quality and level of service at OSH Park to that of a few China-based services I've tried (OSH Park wins), so this time, I thought I'd focus on the confectionery aspects of the PCB service.

True to the made-in-USA-quality branding of OSH Park, the beans themselves are genuine Jelly Belly's: well-regarded beans, indeed. The back of the package displays a prominent "Made in the USA" label:

Even though the beans were sealed in the plastic, I took the precaution of wiping down the package to remove any contaminants that may have transferred from the PCBs. I'd be more concerned if these were lead-solder HASL boards, but still - I'm a stickler for no food or drink in the lab.

When I first saw the package in the poor lighting of my garage, I thought the beans were black. It didn't take long to realize that they must instead be purple! Like the PCBs themselves, these beans take on such a rich hue that this mistake is easily made. In better light, they appear quite handsome: deep purple in color, with the classic white "Jelly Belly" logo emblazoned on the side, mirroring the PCB's soldermask and silk-screen. Bravo, OSH Park!

Upon opening the bag, I detected a sweet, fruity boquet of berries and plums: they could be Island Punch or Wild Blackberry - or knowing OSH Park, a custom purple mix signifying that they're a brand apart. A small bite revealed the expected firm outer skin surrounding a crystallized sweet flesh and a supple inner core. I found the bean to be big, bright, and complex: definitely fruit-forward in character. A second taste showed a not unpleasant jammy flavor - this is an opulent candy. I'm not an expert at jelly bean tasting, but I would guess this is a fine example of the Wild Blackberry style - probably from California.

I'd like to be able to compare these to the candies sent with boards from other fabs - but alas, no other fab has ever sent any. Therefore, I declare these to be the absolute best candy of any batch prototype PCB fabricator (by default).

Oh, and the PCBs were excellent as usual. but that's not really news.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I received a package of jelly beans from OSH Park in a recent order. However, they asked for nothing in return.

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Discussions

Dan R wrote 04/28/2017 at 15:54 point

Backwards one mixed in?  That just ain't right.

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Dylan Brophy wrote 04/28/2017 at 01:02 point

What? I didn't get any with my PCBs!  Do you have to get a certain quantity or something?  I see you bought what, 12 boards?  So nice to include candy :D

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Dan R wrote 04/27/2017 at 19:30 point

Nice prize included!

Where did you get the Chanzon LED eagle library file from for the footprint?  I'm currently in search of that.

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Ted Yapo wrote 04/27/2017 at 19:52 point

I made the footprint myself.  I just uploaded the TiritLED library to the project here; I haven't been great about finishing up that project, although I consider it basically done.  You can grab the library from the #TritiLED files section, or with this direct link:

https://cdn.hackaday.io/files/11864507589376/tritiled.lbr

I made everything in that library; consider it released under the MIT license.  The LED footprint doesn't have a heat sink/slug pad in the middle - I didn't need/want one for my low-power uses.  You will want to add one with a bunch of vias to remove heat from the package.

Oh, also double-check the polarity on your particular LEDs.  I got a bag of no-name brand LEDs in the same package that were backward :-(

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Dan R wrote 04/27/2017 at 20:11 point

Much appreciated. I've got ideas, but I'm not so good at making Eagle footprints/libraries.

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