Hobby electronics workflow. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 10:57:31 am
content: I made the below block diagram to try and work out just how much stuff I can do in parallel and then think about how I manage all the parallel flows.It's trying to show that quickly parallel, but not quite independent work streams appear. You can for example be spending Saturday morning soldering up a protoboard prototype and ordering that last DIP socket you needed and the evening laying out SMD components on a PCB. At the same time, you can be designing, or sourcing the specs for the case/enclosure/front panel.Not shown in the diagram is the soft/firmware aspect which is another project full of parallels and concurrent prototypes in many "things" I make these days.How do you do yours?Efficiencies.... The whole "double sourcing" both TH and SMD is obviously expensive in both time and money. So I typically blur that line now and go ahead and use TH items on the final board or use SMD components on adapters for prototyping. Just trying to cut down on wasted components used once in a prototype and immediately reordered in a different package.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 11:45:02 am
content: Quote from: paulca on June 10, 2025, 10:57:31 amI do almost all development on solderable breadboards with TH (when available), and SMD almost entirely on any manufactured PCB. When ordering, I typically order chips in 3's of both versions. (Like buying wines.) I do firmware tweaks on finished boards, if necessary, and always add something to allow programming (e.g., a header).The most common TH adapter I use is for SOT-23-6 and similar variants (e.g, SOT-23-3, SOT-346T). Version 1 of my solderable breadboard includes footprints for that group between the middle two rows (attachment). They can be adjusted to fit almost anything in that range. I haven't decided whether to make all 6-pin or a mixture of 6-pin and 3-pin (both are shown). For Version 1, I went with square pads for TH to make soldering of SMD 2-pad devices easier in theory but am not convinced that helps (capture 1).

author: bookaboo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 12:26:05 pm
content: I usually skip the breadboard stage, unless I'm unsure of the concept or validating easily swappable sensor devkits. The time saved going straight to the PCB stage is worth the risk.Very occasionally I get caught out with the "can't use that IO for that purpose" trap, but that's easily solved with a quick strap wire, and a 2nd PCB is always expected anyway.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 12:47:59 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on June 10, 2025, 11:45:02 amIf you rotated the SOT-23-3 package 180°, you'd have much more clearance around the tracks, and could use thicker tracks too.SOT23-3 and SOT23-6 = SC-74 are my favourite SMD packages: tiny, but large/spacious enough for me to hand-solder with an iron.As to work flow, mine is analogous to "treacle" or "tar". Lots of plans and planning, though!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 12:58:56 am
content: In practice:

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 01:23:54 am
content: Quote from: paulca on June 10, 2025, 10:57:31 amIn an ADHD manic blur fueled with coffee and booze.

author: Kosmic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 01:31:54 am
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on June 11, 2025, 01:23:54 am

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 01:46:53 am
content: My Hobby workflow. flows on to the floor and into the other room with shelf space going up the walls.I estimate only 10% of my electronics will ever become a completed project. the rest will remain as therapy until it becomes deceased estate.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 04:03:35 am
content: Quote from: jonovid on June 11, 2025, 01:46:53 amWow, that high?

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2025, 05:49:18 am
content: Simple: Same for professional and consulting....j

author: Vovk_Z
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 10:59:03 am
content: Most of my projects workflow is: "Idea" - > "Next".

author: BadeBhaiya
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 11:49:37 am
content: I have singled out the two kinds of projects that actually reach to completion. These lie on the extremes of effort and time interestingly.1. Quick and dirty hacks that take 20 min to a couple of hours. No design, no overthinking, just doing whatever makes sense. Mostly consists of disposable code (if MCU based), off the shelf modules etc.2. Comprehensive projects which span weeks to months with actual engineering work. Design, DFM, enclosure design, all done before anything is actually made. Pretty good for more complex projects.Its the middle ones which never materialise. The ones which have a bit of design but not too much. You overestimate the amount of engineering and underestimate the amount of time. You try to use existing solutions, but not enough of them to have the plug-and-play advantage.Yes, I am aware this is not how the bell curve works but you get the idea

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 12:02:32 pm
content: Yea I have a tolerance especially at the early stages to "rework required".Like you want to use a "ThingieIC" to talk to a "DufferIC" and ultimately drive a display. However, your MCU only has SPI left to use, and you can find a thingieIC with SPI, but it doesn't have the right interface for DufferIC.You go around and around again on datasheets and parts searches and conclude you need to do it differently or add even more ICs as glue.At some point the predicted effort drains the bucket of hope and the bucket of interest along with it."Sod that, sounds like effort."Respect to those for those who's day job this is and you don't get to say, "Nah, lets just drop that requirement altogether, maybe work on it next month.". I know in software day job a lot of work falls into the category, "You know, I'd rather not right now, but ... it is work, can't say "Nah. Can't be bothered, sounds difficult.""Electronics hobby is different. You do get to push the pain aside when a project stops yielding the "YES!" moments, the rewards. Profressionals don't. They just get asked more often and more sternly - How long? How much?