Apeks
About the Apeks PCB
Apeks is an open source PCB design by MiguelDeTrool, published on GitHub under the MIT license. It is a 2-layer board measuring 40 × 102.5 mm, with 72 components from 34 distinct parts.
Other key parts include the BLUEPILL_STM32F103C, TO-92_INLINE_WIDE, DIP-14_W7.62MM_SOCKET_LONGPADS, DIP-8_W7.62MM and TO-220-3_HORIZONTAL_TABDOWN. By type, the board carries 26 resistors, 13 capacitors, 9 connectors, 9 diodes, 5 ICs and 4 switches.
It belongs with the test & measurement designs in this gallery.
From the project
12-bit through-hole adaptation of Mutable Instruments Peaks
Apeks is a DIY 12-bit through-hole adaptation of Mutable Instruments Peaks. Peaks was discontinued in 2017, but it's still pretty useful, and you can still see it in modern racks. For a starter system, it offers lots of functionality, so we made a version that's cheap and easy to fabricate, build, and modify.
The output stage needed to be modified slightly, as Peaks' output swing is 16V, which at 12 bits means the resolution would only be at almost 4mV. That's almost 5 cents at 1V/Oct, which is too much, as we could hear the steps in the output.
Main components on the Apeks
Apeks bill of materials (BOM)
72 components, 34 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLUEPILL_STM32F103C Bluepill | BluePill_STM32F103C | U1 |
| 1 | TO-92_INLINE_WIDE LM4040LP-10 | TO-92_Inline_Wide | U2 |
| 1 | DIP-14_W7.62MM_SOCKET_LONGPADS TL074 | DIP-14_W7.62mm_Socket_LongPads | U3 |
| 1 | DIP-8_W7.62MM MCP4822 | DIP-8_W7.62mm | U4 |
| 1 | TO-220-3_HORIZONTAL_TABDOWN LM7805 | TO-220-3_Horizontal_TabDown | U5 |
| 2 | TO-92_WIDE 2N3904 | TO-92_Wide | Q1, Q2 |
| 1 | in1 | Jack_3.5mm_QingPu_WQP-PJ398SM_Vertical_CircularHoles | J1 |
| 1 | in2 | Jack_3.5mm_QingPu_WQP-PJ398SM_Vertical_CircularHoles | J2 |
| 1 | IDC-HEADER_2X05_P2.54MM_VERTICAL Eurorack Power | IDC-Header_2x05_P2.54mm_Vertical | J3 |
| 1 | out1 | Jack_3.5mm_QingPu_WQP-PJ398SM_Vertical_CircularHoles | J4 |
| 1 | out2 | Jack_3.5mm_QingPu_WQP-PJ398SM_Vertical_CircularHoles | J5 |
| 1 | PINHEADER_1X11_P2.54MM_VERTICAL Conn_01x11 | PinHeader_1x11_P2.54mm_Vertical | J6 |
| 1 | PINHEADER_1X10_P2.54MM_VERTICAL Conn_01x10 | PinHeader_1x10_P2.54mm_Vertical | J7 |
| 1 | PINSOCKET_1X11_P2.54MM_VERTICAL Conn_01x11 | PinSocket_1x11_P2.54mm_Vertical | J8 |
| 1 | PINSOCKET_1X10_P2.54MM_VERTICAL Conn_01x10 | PinSocket_1x10_P2.54mm_Vertical | J9 |
| 4 | B10k | Potentiometer_Alpha_RD901F-40-00D_Single_Vertical_CircularHoles | RV1, RV2, RV3, RV4 |
| 2 | SW_PUSH_6MM SW_Push_Dual | SW_PUSH_6mm | SW1, SW2 |
| 1 | LP4OA1PBCT SW_TRIG1 | LP4OA1PBCT | SW3 |
| 1 | LP4OA1PBCT SW_TRIG2 | LP4OA1PBCT | SW4 |
| 2 | D_DO-41_SOD81_P10.16MM_HORIZONTAL 1N5817 | D_DO-41_SOD81_P10.16mm_Horizontal | D1, D2 |
Show 14 more
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | LED_D3.0MM LED | LED_D3.0mm | D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9 |
| 1 | C_DISC_D3.4MM_W2.1MM_P2.50MM 0.47uf | C_Disc_D3.4mm_W2.1mm_P2.50mm | C1 |
| 4 | C_DISC_D3.4MM_W2.1MM_P2.50MM 220p | C_Disc_D3.4mm_W2.1mm_P2.50mm | C2, C3, C4, C5 |
| 2 | CP_RADIAL_D5.0MM_P2.50MM 22uf | CP_Radial_D5.0mm_P2.50mm | C6, C7 |
| 1 | CP_RADIAL_D5.0MM_P2.50MM 0,33u | CP_Radial_D5.0mm_P2.50mm | C8 |
| 2 | C_DISC_D3.4MM_W2.1MM_P2.50MM 39p | C_Disc_D3.4mm_W2.1mm_P2.50mm | C9, C10 |
| 3 | C_DISC_D3.4MM_W2.1MM_P2.50MM 100n | C_Disc_D3.4mm_W2.1mm_P2.50mm | C11, C12, C13 |
| 4 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 100k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R1, R3, R14, R15 |
| 2 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 10k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R2, R5 |
| 1 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 3.3k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R4 |
| 6 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 39k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R6, R7, R8, R9, R25, R26 |
| 2 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 200k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R10, R12 |
| 9 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 2k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R11, R13, R18, R19, R20, R21, R22, R23 +1 |
| 2 | R_AXIAL_DIN0204_L3.6MM_D1.6MM_P7.62MM_HORIZONTAL 1k | R_Axial_DIN0204_L3.6mm_D1.6mm_P7.62mm_Horizontal | R16, R17 |
Apeks design files
The KiCad project lives in the MiguelDeTrool/Apeks repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.
Apeks: common questions
How big is the Apeks PCB?
The Apeks measures 40 × 102.5 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.
How many components are on the Apeks?
72 components, from 34 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.
Where can I download the Apeks design files?
From the MiguelDeTrool/Apeks repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.
Can I use the Apeks design in my own project?
Yes, under the terms of its MIT license, which MiguelDeTrool chose for the repository.
Similar boards
LevelShifter
gusmanb
28.3 × 39.8 mm21 parts2LGPL-3.05.0k
StackLink
52.3 × 10.5 mm5 parts2LGPL-3.05.0k
AnalyzerBoxPCB fork
52.7 × 47.9 mm54 parts4LGPL-3.05.0k
EleLab v2 Bus100
Chrismettal
100 × 100 mm37 parts2LGPL-3.0528
EleLab v2 Bus150
150 × 50 mm37 parts2LGPL-3.0528
EleLab v2 PowerFeed
68 × 50 mm11 parts2LGPL-3.0528