Hi all,

After months of plugging countless LEDs and resistors into breadboards to do crude diagnostics of my
circuits, I finally took the smart option and created a PCB which allows me to snap 8 LEDs at a time into
the breadboards quickly and easily. I call it LEDSnapper, 'cos it snaps into the breadboard.




It is not the most sophisticated of PCBs, but it is massively useful for me and saves me a lot of time.

I made it open source and released the Gerbers. There are 3 different types of board to
choose from. Hope you like it.

Mod: deleted link.E

--Mario Gianota

 

You deleted a link to an open source project. I am closing the account and leaving the web site. I want to see everything that the electronics community has to offer and that includes links to open source hardware. Goodbye!

 

You deleted a link to an open source project. I am closing the account and leaving the web site. I want to see everything that the electronics community has to offer and that includes links to open source hardware. Goodbye!

1) That is standard practice for new posters. It's an anti-spam defense.
2) No offence in implied. Amazingly, some people post their personal email accounts. (Maybe, they are lonely?)
3) A lot of us use LED's to troubleshoot code in hardware. While I don't see the need for a plug-in, I see nothing wrong with your project. BTW, I stopped using solderless breadboards for anything MCU related a few years ago.

 

The suppression or prohibition of open source projects is unacceptable. Everyone has made use of open source hardware and software. Some have gone on to make very tidy sums of money out of these projects. It is unfair of you in the extreme to decide that my new post was spam when it so obviously wasn't.

 

I have an SMD version I can’t find a picture so I’ll edit with a pic when I get upstairs... it can be useful but it’s not exactly rocket science.

 

Welcome to AAC!

Anyone who had the need has already built something similar. I made this one in 2006.


larryd on the Arduino forum made these:

 

Here's mine - I may have been inspired by larryd for a bunch of great ideas... I like that one it takes less real estate.
I believe I used 0603 SMD LEDs and 0603 1KΩ resistors... it's ok for up to about 12V then it gets annoyingly bright would be fine for up to about 20V with sunglasses. Works well for 3.3 and 5V logic levels. The picture below is at 5V.

 

OK, so it's a plug-in bank of LED's with resistors. Great. What voltage are they set for? 5V? 12V? 24V? I would assume you would have to build a couple boards to handle the range of voltages - or build a current mirror to prevent blowing out LED's when I accidentally hit 48VDC. Or AC.

I have a plug-n-play 555 timer circuit built with several different capacitors on a dip switch arrangement. I can switch capacitance fast and easy. I can combine caps to create different time bases and such. Such a project requires very little skill and just a little time to bang one out. The plug-n-play comes in the form of being able to plug it onto a breadboard. Quick and easy. As for your LED board - that's a good idea, one that many have already made. Me? Haven't made one. Not yet anyway. Perhaps I'll make an SMD board version.

Assuming I want a max current of 25mA, with a 24V source, I would need a 960Ω resistor. If I found that exact resistance then testing circuits with 12V I would have 12.5mA, which is still plenty bright. But with 5V circuits, the current would fall to 5.2mA. Not sure in a well lit space you'll be able to see them right off the bat. Maybe so - but I've never run an LED at that low current.

Know what? - - - I'm going to check it out with a superbright LED. Just for my own edification.

 

Welcome to AAC!

Anyone who had the need has already built something similar. I made this one in 2006.
View attachment 224302

larryd on the Arduino forum made these:
View attachment 224307

I like the two versions: common anode and common cathode. I may add a common anode board. Thanks.

 

OK, so it's a plug-in bank of LED's with resistors. Great. What voltage are they set for? 5V? 12V? 24V? I would assume you would have to build a couple boards to handle the range of voltages - or build a current mirror to prevent blowing out LED's when I accidentally hit 48VDC. Or AC.

I have a plug-n-play 555 timer circuit built with several different capacitors on a dip switch arrangement. I can switch capacitance fast and easy. I can combine caps to create different time bases and such. Such a project requires very little skill and just a little time to bang one out. The plug-n-play comes in the form of being able to plug it onto a breadboard. Quick and easy. As for your LED board - that's a good idea, one that many have already made. Me? Haven't made one. Not yet anyway. Perhaps I'll make an SMD board version.

All of the information is in the GitHub repository to which the moderator won't allow me to post the link. Which is a little unfair, I think. The board is rated for 5 volts.

 

Using a clear 5mm Red LED and a 1KΩ resistor I get a barely visible light. Oh, it's visible, just barely. Plenty bright at 12V and nicely bright at 24V. I would opt for the brightest giving that I want to use it as a piece of test equipment. At 5V, not so much so.

As an added test, I went with 3.3V just to see how bright. Not very!

 

a little unfair

Happens to the best of us from time to time.

 

All of the information is in the GitHub repository to which the moderator won't allow me to post the link. Which is a little unfair, I think. The board is rated for 5 volts.

No one is not allowing you specifically to post a link. We are a community and as such restrict the actions a new member is allowed. Generally, a new member is someone with less than ten posts.

For example, a new member cannot send a private message. Nor can they post ANY links.

So, it isn’t directly about you. Nor is it about Open Source. It’s the same treatment given to any new member until they have proved that they are not a spammer, troll or bot.

 

I like the two versions: common anode and common cathode. I may add a common anode board. Thanks.

My board is used as a logic level indicator and places one standard HCT load on the driving circuit.

 

I think the moderator saw your post as being promotional. If GitHub permits it, you should feel welcome to post the complete design so that if accepted, it can be placed in the (almost) permanent Completed Projects Collection. Just start a new thread, then then use the Report button (lower-left when the post has been posted) all tell the moderators your project is being offered for the Completed Projects Collection.