Electrical engineer John McNelly has revolutionized the process of drilling precise holes in homemade printed circuit boards (PCBs) by enhancing a drill press with a digital periscope featuring crosshair targeting. McNelly, known for his tinkering and problem-solving skills, sought to improve the accuracy and ergonomics of drilling small holes in PCBs. Traditionally, this task required squinting and careful alignment of drill bits with tiny pads. Seeking a more efficient solution, McNelly devised a bomb site-like setup that projects a digital display with crosshairs precisely indicating the drill bit's impact point. By integrating this system into a manual drill press, McNelly ensures consistently centred holes.
McNelly's motivation for creating his own drill press camera system stemmed from specific design preferences and requirements. He aimed for a stand-alone microscope with its own screen, eliminating the need for an external PC. Additionally, he wanted a setup that would not permanently modify his drill press and could accommodate multiple types of microscope cameras. To fulfil these criteria, McNelly adopted a mirrored periscope arrangement, positioning the microscope camera horizontally on top of the drill table. A 45-degree mirror provided a view of the underside of the PCB. By utilizing his existing Andonstar ADSM201 HDMI microscope camera, McNelly could conveniently monitor the display while operating the drill press. The entire setup, including addressable RGBW LEDs for illumination, is powered by a custom PCB drilled using the same press, which incorporates a buck converter, colour and brightness controls, and a Raspberry Pi Pico running MicroPython. A 3D-printed chassis holds all the components together, while magnets secure it to the drill press. The crosshairs are drawn on the display using a removable marker and a steady hand. More information on the project is available on GitHub repo.
