Let me just start by saying this is about one of my favorite type of blogs out there. I love reading and watching others learn, while sharing their own experiences and tips with software and/or the lessons they learn along the way. This post by Allan Schwartz for the whatimadetoday blog has all of the above, using one of the maker community’s prized pieces of open-source software, Fritzing.
I have been having loads of fun designing boards and having these boards fabricated for next to nothing. Let me explain how.
In a previous blog post — My First Homemade PCB (or: Why Next Time I’m Ordering My PCB Online) — Amir wrote about his experience learning Eagle, the preferred ECAD tool for professionals. Since Eagle requires an expensive licensing fee, I researched other options.
Because it’s free and designed for hobbyists, I decided on Fritzing. Fritzing lets you go all the way from breadboard design, to schematic design, to board layout, and even to board fabrication. In addition, I’ve found a board house that fabricates 10 small boards for $5 — pcbway.com.
With this new found knowledge, I now am ready to take many of my breadboard designs and “complete” them by fabbing a PCB.