Worky worky worky…

After feeling kinda crappy about my current project last night I ended up going to bed and laying there for a while thinking about things. As a result of talking to a friend online about some electronics stuffs, I decided this is what I need to do:

Breadboard the whole damn thing, so that changes and new features are easy to implement, and I can work around the inverted data problem more easily. It really is the “proper” way, as opposed to what I did before: come up with what I think should work and spend time hand-etching a PCB.

So, today I went ahead and ordered a batch of new parts, including some I’ll need for assembling the final boards, some I want to try (different FETs, dual optoisolator) instead of the current design, and a few other things. When the parts arrive I’ll breadboard it all, get it working, ensure that my schematic matches, then order the prototype boards.

That same friend also helped me out a bit with the use of FETs for current reversal protection, triggering LEDs, and a few other things. That was really, really helpful.

Advanced Circuits credits one back the price of bare-bones prototype PCBs (no soldermask or silkscreen) when production boards are ordered, so this should work out well. I also won’t have to deal with etching a board by hand.