PCB Rulers are not only practical and useful things to have but most times they also look really cool which is more than enough reason to have one. Lets take a look at some cool rulers on Tindie and some from the r/electronics subreddit.
The Ultimate PCB Ruler:
This PCB ruler claims to be the PCB ruler. You’ve got to admit it’s definitely a pretty good one. You’ve got pad pitch, trace sizes, smt sizes, diode and transistor packages, via drill size and a whole host of conversions on the back side of the ruler.
This ruler gets a solid 8.5/10 for being so comprehensive but is it the ultimate ruler? I think not.
Maker’s Rule – The DIYer’s PCB Multitool:
This one gets some bonus points for being a bit mad. So it’s got the common stuff like IC packages, 0.1″ grid, via hole sizes and of course, a ruler. Also included is a continuity tester. You touch your probes off the battery holder which is ground and another point on the on PCB, touch the other end of the probes to the circuit to be tested, if there is continuity, an LED lights up. You’d need four hands to actually make this work but who cares. On the backside of the ruler, just beside the conversion tables, there is a strip of sandpaper glued on just in case you want to remove some rust or make smooth some other surface at a moments notice. There is also an LED tester included.
This ruler gets 7.5/10 for being original.
Rulers From Reddit
This ruler is made by Digikey. It’s a good attempt but too many numbers and not enough pictures. 5.6/10
This ruler was posted to reddit by user alexlitz under the title ‘pretty cool ruler’. We’re gonna have to agree with alex on this one, it is indeed a pretty cool one. The black PCB with gold-plated pads gives it a great aesthetic. 8.5/10 for looks.
Not sure who made this one but it’s got lots of RF black magic stuff on it like a “wideband dipole”, a “Directional coupler” and a “guard loop”. Don’t know what any of that means but it sure does look real pretty. 9/10 for looks.
Have a cool PCB ruler you made or bought? Tweet me a picture of it @shanebot3000 and it’ll be included in part 2 of the cool PCB ruler collection.
