Summary： Taking a design from a bread board to a working PC Board.
I recently began designing circuit boards using KiCad and I currently have a share project on PCBWay "Note Sequencer." This circuit can play up to nine musical notes by using CMOS 555 timers and a 4017-decade counter. Both the Gerber files and project documentation are available for download.
During my first prototype, the footprints for the 555 timers were oversized. I managed to assemble a board by stretching the pins.
Prior to placing production orders with PCBWay or other vendors, I highly recommend printing your PC board on paper at a 1:1 scale to verify all part footprints are correct. When on a breadboard, expect to revise your design before finalizing your schematic. While I use KiCad for this purpose, other tools are available. KiCad offers an Electrical Rules Checker for schematics and a Design Rules Checker for PCB layouts, both of which help ensure design is correct.
To confirm that your schematic corresponds correctly to your breadboard, consider reconstructing the circuit from scratch following the printed schematic, after removing all existing connections. Alternatively, if resources allow, build a second prototype guided exclusively by the schematic as verification.
Although this may seem labor-intensive, meticulous validation at the breadboard stage helps prevent errors when translating your design into a formal schematic.
PCBWay also provides assembly services for your circuit boards, though I have not yet used this option. For early prototypes, manual assembly is often preferable to accommodate any necessary modifications.
Currently, I am awaiting delivery of PCBs for a game I named "Rainbow Match," which features two tricolor LEDs. In operation, one LED randomly lights up blue, green, or red, while the second cycles through these colors at least once before both turn off after approximately four seconds, repeating the process. Designed for two players, the aim is to press a button when the colors match.
I received the PCBs for this project on July 2, 2025, and successfully built a working prototype, and made design changes after the first assembly. One modification involved disconnecting a capacitor from its original position and reconnecting it via a jumper wire soldered elsewhere. I am now awaiting delivery of the redesigned PCBs. Once assembly and testing are complete, I plan to share the project on PCBWay.
