4 layers160 × 99.5 mm
Low Current Driver
Strathclyde-EQOP/Vernier-Current-Driver
The Vernier Current Driver is an ultra low noise, programmable, bi-polar current source. It comes in two flavours:
194 parts9CC-BY-SA-4.0
4 layers160 × 99.5 mm
High Current Driver
Strathclyde-EQOP/Vernier-Current-Driver9The Vernier Current Driver is an ultra low noise, programmable, bi-polar current source. It comes in two flavours:
- Size
- 160 × 99.5 mm
- Copper layers
- 4
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 248
- Nets
- 138
- Pads
- 745
- Tracks, vias
- 1,385, 781
- Pours
- 40
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 5 (file 20171130)
- Created
- 11 Mar 2020
- Updated
- 4 Sep 2025
Overview
High Current Driver is an open-source printed circuit board by Strathclyde-EQOP, from the Strathclyde-EQOP/Vernier-Current-Driver repository on GitHub, published under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence. It is a 4-layer board of 160 × 99.5 mm with 248 parts on 138 nets, routed with 1,385 tracks and 781 vias.
It is built around the TPS7A470X, OPA2210ID and LM393, with the 1206L020YR, SMBJ16A and 2SA2013-TD-E among its other parts. Its parts include 60 capacitors, 58 resistors, 14 ICs, 9 diodes and 9 connectors. It belongs with the AVR (ATmega, ATtiny) boards of this library.
Main components
12
TPS7A470X
36 V, 1 A, 4 µV RMS , RF LDO Voltage RegulatorTexas InstrumentsUncategorised
OPA2210ID
SOIC-8-18V~-2.25V、2.25V~18V -40℃~+125℃ 100nV/℃ 100pA 132dB 18MHz 2 2.2nV/√Hz@1kHz 2.5mA 300pA 4.5V~36V 5uV 6.4V/us 65mA ESD protection、Reverse-phase input protection Rail-to-rail output SOIC-8 Precision Op Amps ROHSTexas InstrumentsOperational Amplifier
LM393
SOP-8-16V~16V 0℃~+70℃ 2 2.5mA 250nA 2V~36V 36V 5mV 5nA Fail-safe function Open-drain SOP-8 Comparators ROHSMSKSEMIComparators
1206L020YR
1206-40℃~+85℃ 100A 100ms 2.6Ω 200mA 24V 420mA 600mW 650mΩ 1206 Resettable Fuses ROHSLittelfuseResettable Fuses
SMBJ16A
DO-214AA(SMB)16V 19.7V 23.08A 26V 5uA 600W@10/1000us IEC 61000-4-2 TVS Unidirectional DO-214AA(SMB) ESD and Surge Protection (TVS/ESD) ROHShongjiachengESD And Surge Protection (TVS/ESD)
2SA2013-TD-E
SOT-89-55℃~+150℃ 1 PNP 105mV 1uA 200 3.5W 360MHz 4A 50V 6V PNP SOT-89 Bipolar (BJT) ROHSonsemiBipolar (BJT)2SC5566-TP
SOT-89-31 NPN 100nA 30MHz 35mV@0.5A,0.05A 5.2A 500mW 520 5V 60V Independent NPN SOT-89-3 Bipolar (BJT) ROHSTECH PUBLICBipolar (BJT)
BAV99
SOT-231 Pair Series Connection 1.25V@150mA 100V 215mA 250mW 4A 4ns 500nA@80V SOT-23 Switching Diodes ROHSNexperiaSwitching Diodes
MBR0520L-TP
SOD-123-65℃~+125℃ 1 Independent 20V 385mV@0.5A 5.5A 500mA 75uA@20V SOD-123 Schottky Diodes ROHSMicro Commercial ComponentsSchottky DiodesIRF8707PBF
SO-8-55℃~+150℃ 1 N-channel 11.9mΩ@10V 11A 170pF 2.35V 2.5W 30V 6.2nC@4.5V 760pF 82pF N-Channel SO-8 MOSFETs ROHSInfineon TechnologiesMOSFETs
RJ45
TH-12PTH-12P SMT ROHSJLCPCB AssemblyUncategorisedSI4447ADY
SO-8-55℃~+150℃ 1 P-Channel 1.2V 11.8nC@10V 2.5W 40V 45mΩ@10V 5.5A 970pF SO-8 MOSFETs ROHSVishay IntertechnologyMOSFETs
README
README.mdVernier Current Driver
The Vernier Current Driver is an ultra low noise, programmable, bi-polar current source. It comes in two flavours:
- Low Current Driver (LCD): designed to output current up to ~50 mA
- High Current Driver (HCD): designed to output currents from ~50 mA to ~250 mA
Releases
Checkout the latest release to download the latest verified version of the design. Releases include PDF schematics and gerber files, so there is no need to install/understand KiCAD in order to make a board.
Checkout the dev branch for the most up to date (but probably untested!) design.
Performance
Three sample devices have been tested. For full details, see the companion paper or take a look a look in the Testing folder.
The headlines results:
| Configuration | CH1 | CH2 | CH3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCD@10 mAMAX (10 ± 5 Hz average noise) | 151.1 pA√Hz | 147.4 pA√Hz | 146.3 pA√Hz |
| LCD@2.5 mAMAX (10 ± 5 Hz average noise) | 37.6 pA√Hz | 38.2 pA√Hz | 37.7 pA√Hz |
| HCD@250 mAMAX (10 ± 5 Hz average noise) | 4114.2 pA√Hz | 4125.3 pA√Hz | 4124.1 pA√Hz |
| LCD@10 mAMAX (10 ± 5 Hz relative average noise) | 15.05 ppb√Hz | 14.68 ppb√Hz | 14.57 ppb√Hz |
| LCD@2.5 mAMAX (10 ± 5 Hz relative average noise) | 15.06 ppb√Hz | 15.29 ppb√Hz | 15.10 ppb√Hz |
| HCD@250 mAMAX (10 ± 5 Hz relative average noise) | 16.46 ppb√Hz | 16.50 ppb√Hz | 16.50 ppb√Hz |
Manual
For more information checkout the Getting Started Guide.
Publication
If you're the academic type, lots more detail on the design and testing of the Vernier Current Source can be found in our open-access paper, available as a pre-print on arXiv.
Citing
When citing this work in an academic context, please cite the paper as you normally would.
Outside of academic work, please link directly to this GitHub repo.
Lastly, if you make one and you like it (or don't like it), we would love to know!
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors
This work was created by Marcin Mrozowski and Iain Chalmers from the Experimental Quantum Optics and Photonics group at the University of Strathclyde.
Parts
248| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | TestPoint_Probe | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D1.0mm | TP1, TP2, TP10, TP11, TP12, TP13, TP14, TP15, TP16, TP17, TP18, TP19, TP20, TP21, TP22, TP23 +50 |
| 29 | 100n | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | C1, C2, C3, C14, C15, C16, C17, C18, C19, C20, C30, C31, C32, C33, C34, C35 +13 |
| 25 | 10k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R1, R2, R11, R12, R15, R16, R17, R18, R19, R20, R21, R22, R23, R24, R25, R26 +9 |
| 21 | 1u | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | C21, C22, C24, C25, C26, C27, C43, C44, C45, C46, C47, C48, C49, C50, C51, C52 +5 |
| 7 | 3k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R40, R41, R42, R43, R51, R52, R56 |
| 6 | 10k | Potentiometer_SMD:Potentiometer_Bourns_3224W_Vertical | RV1, RV2, RV3, RV4, RV5, RV6 |
| 6 | 1206L020 | Fuse:Fuse_1206_3216Metric | F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8 |
| 6 | 1k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R32, R33, R34, R35, R36, R37 |
| 6 | OPA2210 | Package_SO:SOIC-8_3.9x4.9mm_P1.27mm | U9, U10, U11, U12, U13, U14 |
| 5 | MountingHole_Pad | MountingHole:MountingHole_3.2mm_M3_Pad_Via | H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 |
| 4 | 0.47R | Resistor_SMD:R_1206_3216Metric | R44, R45, R46, R47 |
| 4 | 10u | Capacitor_SMD:C_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.42x1.75mm_HandSolder | C4, C5, C6, C28 |
| 4 | 47u | Capacitor_SMD:C_1210_3225Metric_Pad1.42x2.65mm_HandSolder | C11, C12, C13, C23 |
| 4 | SMBJ16A | Diode_SMD:D_SMB_Handsoldering | D3, D4, D5, D6 |
| 3 | 13R | vernier_current_driver:WSM2_13R0_FTR-LF | R48, R49, R55 |
| 3 | 2SA2013 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-89-3_Handsoldering | Q4, Q6, Q8 |
| 3 | 2SC5566 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-89-3_Handsoldering | Q3, Q5, Q7 |
| 3 | 49.9R | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R38, R39, R50 |
| 3 | BAV99 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23 | D7, D8, D9 |
| 2 | 0.47R | Resistor_SMD:R_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.30x1.75mm_HandSolder | R53, R54 |
| 2 | 100k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R8, R10 |
| 2 | 10n | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | C10, C29 |
| 2 | 133k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R9, R58 |
| 2 | 1A | Fuse:Fuse_1812_4532Metric_Pad1.30x3.40mm_HandSolder | F1, F2 |
| 2 | LM4040DBZ-5 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23 | U1, U2 |
| 2 | MBR0520LT | Diode_SMD:D_SOD-123 | D1, D2 |
| 2 | TPS7A470x | Package_DFN_QFN:QFN-20-1EP_5x5mm_P0.65mm_EP3.35x3.35mm_ThermalVias | U4, U5 |
| 1 | 102k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R14 |
| 1 | 120k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R7 |
| 1 | 2M | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R57 |
| 1 | 549k | Resistor_SMD:R_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.05x0.95mm_HandSolder | R13 |
| 1 | Arduino_Nano_Every | Module:Arduino_Nano | A1 |
| 1 | Channel 1 | Connector_Coaxial:BNC_Amphenol_B6252HB-NPP3G-50_Horizontal | J7 |
| 1 | Channel 2 | Connector_Coaxial:BNC_Amphenol_B6252HB-NPP3G-50_Horizontal | J6 |
| 1 | Channel 3 | Connector_Coaxial:BNC_Amphenol_B6252HB-NPP3G-50_Horizontal | J5 |
| 1 | Conn_01x02 | vernier_current_driver:PinSocket_1x02_P1.00mm_Vertical_CUSTOM_CYD | J1 |
| 1 | Conn_01x02 | Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm:PinHeader_1x02_P2.54mm_Vertical | J9 |
| 1 | Conn_02x07_Odd_Even | Connector_IDC:IDC-Header_2x07_P2.54mm_Vertical | J4 |
| 1 | DAC8814 | Package_SO:SSOP-28_5.3x10.2mm_P0.65mm | U8 |
| 1 | DPDT_Hirose | Connector_IDC:IDC-Header_2x03_P2.54mm_Vertical | SW1 |
| 1 | IRF8707PbF | Package_SO:SO-8_3.9x4.9mm_P1.27mm | Q2 |
| 1 | LM393 | Package_SO:TSSOP-8_4.4x3mm_P0.65mm | U3 |
| 1 | LTC6655-2.5 | Package_SO:MSOP-8_3x3mm_P0.65mm | U7 |
| 1 | Net-Tie_3 | NetTie:NetTie-3_SMD_Pad2.0mm | NT1 |
| 1 | RF_Shield_Two_Pieces | vernier_current_driver:MS570-10S | J8 |
| 1 | RJ45 | Connector_RJ:RJ45_Amphenol_54602-x08_Horizontal | J2 |
| 1 | Screw_Terminal_01x04 | TerminalBlock:TerminalBlock_bornier-4_P5.08mm | J3 |
| 1 | Si4447ADY | Package_SO:SO-8_3.9x4.9mm_P1.27mm | Q1 |
| 1 | SolderJumper_2_Open | Jumper:SolderJumper-2_P1.3mm_Open_Pad1.0x1.5mm | JP1 |
| 1 | SolderJumper_3_Open | Jumper:SolderJumper-3_P1.3mm_Open_Pad1.0x1.5mm_NumberLabels | JP2 |
| 1 | TPS7A33 | Package_DFN_QFN:QFN-20-1EP_5x5mm_P0.65mm_EP3.35x3.35mm_ThermalVias | U6 |
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Questions
How big is the High Current Driver PCB?
It measures 160 × 99.5 mm and has 4 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the High Current Driver use?
248 parts, built around the TPS7A470X, OPA2210ID, LM393 and 1206L020YR. 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 High Current Driver KiCad files?
From the Strathclyde-EQOP/Vernier-Current-Driver repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is Hardware/PCBs/High_Current_Driver/High_Current_Driver.kicad_pcb. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the High Current Driver design in my own project?
Its repository publishes it under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).