2 layers19.4 × 30 mm
Vacuum Tweezers LED holder
ARENARobotics/MiniPic
Open-source benchtop vacuum tweezer engineered for SMD soldering, rework, and precision part handling
8 parts3CERN-OHL-S-2.0
2 layers86 × 36 mm
Vacuum Tweezers
ARENARobotics/MiniPic3Open-source benchtop vacuum tweezer engineered for SMD soldering, rework, and precision part handling
- Size
- 86 × 36 mm
- Copper layers
- 2
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 31
- Nets
- 14
- Pads
- 76
- Tracks, vias
- 85, 52
- Pours
- 1
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 10.0 (file 20260206)
- Created
- 28 Aug 2026
- Updated
- 5 Nov 2026
Overview
Vacuum Tweezers is an open-source printed circuit board by ARENARobotics, from the ARENARobotics/MiniPic repository on GitHub, published under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 licence. It is a 2-layer board of 86 × 36 mm with 31 parts on 14 nets, routed with 85 tracks and 52 vias.
It is built around the S1A, AO3401A and BLM21PG221SN1D, with the ESD5B5.0ST1G, SMAJ6.0A and USB4135-GF-A among its other parts. Its parts include 7 capacitors, 6 connectors, 5 resistors, 4 diodes and 1 transistor.
Main components
6
S1A
SMA(DO-214AC)1 Independent 1.1V@1A 1A 30A 50V 5uA@50V SMA(DO-214AC) Diodes - General Purpose ROHSDiodes IncorporatedDiodes - General Purpose
AO3401A
SOT-231 P-Channel 14nC@10V 30V 47mΩ@10V、60mΩ@4.5V、85mΩ@2.5V 4A 55pF 645pF 80pF 900mV SOT-23 MOSFETs ROHSAlpha & Omega SemiconductorMOSFETs
BLM21PG221SN1D
08051 220Ω@100MHz 2A 45mΩ ±25% 0805 Ferrite Beads ROHSMurataFerrite Beads
ESD5B5.0ST1G
SOD-523-55℃~+125℃ 1 15pF 5V 6.8V 70W@8/20us 70nA 8.6V 8A@8/20us Bidirectional IEC 61000-4-2、IEC 61000-4-5 SOD-523 ESD and Surge Protection (TVS/ESD) ROHSTECH PUBLICESD And Surge Protection (TVS/ESD)SMAJ6.0A
DO-214AC(SMA)-65℃~+150℃ 10.3V 38.8A 400W@10/1000us 6V 7.37V 800uA IEC 61000-4-2、IEC 61000-4-4 TVS Unidirectional DO-214AC(SMA) ESD and Surge Protection (TVS/ESD) ROHSLittelfuseESD And Surge Protection (TVS/ESD)
USB4135-GF-A
SMD-30℃~+85℃ 1 3A 48V 6P Black Female Surface Mount, Right Angle Type-C SMD USB Connectors ROHSGlobal Connector Technology (GCT)USB Connectors
README
README.mdMiniPic: Benchtop Vacuum Tweezers
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Open-source vacuum tweezers built for repairability. Engineered for SMD soldering and precision rework, with a robust design adaptable to any application requiring controlled suction and handling of small parts.
Features
- Two operating modes: foot pedal starts or stops the vacuum motor
- Solenoid valve for instant component release
- Heat-resistant pen rated up to 160°C
- Full set of precision needles and suction cups for all sizes of SMD components
- Handles components down to 0201 (0.6 x 0.3mm) and up to 100g
- Flexible silicone vacuum tubing
- MX hot-swap mechanical switch in the foot pedal
- Slip-resistant rubber feet
- Inline filter to protect the vacuum motor
- LED status indicator for vacuum engagement
Documentation & Source Files
- Assembly Manual - Step-by-step kit assembly Instructions & quickstart guide
- BOM - Bill of materials including reference links for purchase
- Electronics Source - KiCAD projects for PCBs
- CAD Exports - CAD export files (step)
- CAD Source - CAD source files (FreeCAD)
Our Story
Last summer, we founded a company developing advanced electronics for robot combat competitions. We were inexperienced and didn’t understand the market so the project didn’t work out. Throughout the project, we spent a lot of time designing and assembling PCBs on a tight budget. Like many others, we found that tweezers were cumbersome tools for placing SMD components. The search for a better alternative led us to vacuum tweezers, tools designed to pick and place SMD components using controlled suction. The plan was to buy something off the shelf, but all of the products that were in our price range were not usable. On the other hand, the existing professional tools would have drained our bank account. We were stuck between cheap, low quality options and expensive industrial tools, most of which lacked all the features we were actually looking for.
Out of this frustration, one of our team members got to work, and in a few days, we had a functional tool that made assembly faster and easier than before. After using it ourselves, we realized we could provide a better alternative to others facing the same lack of options. Using our prototype as inspiration, we redesigned our vacuum tweezers from the ground up. Highly functional while still remaining simple and repairable.
See MiniPic in action at: arenarobotics.store.
Licensing
- Hardware & CAD files (
/electronics,/cad): Licensed under CERN-OHL-S-v2. - Documentation & Media (
/docs): Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. - Branding & Trademarks: "MiniPic" and "ARENA Robotics" are trademarks of ARENA Robotics LLC. All rights reserved.
Designed & Built by ARENA Robotics.
Parts
31| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 100nF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric | C1, C2, C5, C6 |
| 2 | 100uF | SamacSys_Parts:865080343009 | C3, C4 |
| 2 | 5.1k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R1, R2 |
| 2 | S1A | SamacSys_Parts:DIOM5127X261N | D1, D2 |
| 1 | 10nF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric | C7 |
| 1 | 1k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R4 |
| 1 | 470 | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R5 |
| 1 | 47k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric | R3 |
| 1 | AO3401A | SamacSys_Parts:SOT95P280X125-3N | Q1 |
| 1 | BLM21PG221SN1D | SamacSys_Parts:BEADC2012X105N | FB1 |
| 1 | ESD5B5.0ST1G | SamacSys_Parts:SODFL1608X70N | D5 |
| 1 | Foot Pedal | SamacSys_Parts:SJ3523SMTTR | J2 |
| 1 | LED | SamacSys_Parts:B3BPHKLLFSN | J6 |
| 1 | Pump | SamacSys_Parts:B2BPHKS | J4 |
| 1 | SLW-158562-5A-RA-N-D | SLW-158562-5A-RA-N-D:SW_SLW-158562-5A-RA-N-D | S1 |
| 1 | SMAJ6.0A | SamacSys_Parts:DIOM6626X229N | D4 |
| 1 | Solenoid | SamacSys_Parts:B2BXHAGU | J5 |
| 1 | Switch | SamacSys_Parts:B3BXHALFSN | J3 |
| 1 | TestPoint | TestPoint:TestPoint_Keystone_5000-5004_Miniature | TP1 |
| 1 | USB4135-GF-A | SamacSys_Parts:USB4135GFA | J1 |
The 26 most common of 31 parts.
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Questions
How big is the Vacuum Tweezers PCB?
It measures 86 × 36 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the Vacuum Tweezers use?
31 parts, built around the S1A, AO3401A, BLM21PG221SN1D and ESD5B5.0ST1G. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the Vacuum Tweezers KiCad files?
From the ARENARobotics/MiniPic repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is electronics/main/Vacuum Tweezers.kicad_pcb and its schematic electronics/LED/Vacuum Tweezers_LED_holder.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the Vacuum Tweezers design in my own project?
Its repository publishes it under the CERN-OHL-S-2.0 licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).