If you have a Raspberry Pi with internet access you can install Fritzing. To be able to do this with free software is AMAZING!

It was an interface for a WiFi module called the ESO8266 ti connect it to a USB to Serial FTDI adapter. The author has used Fritzing to make the white circuit board in the illustration above. This is what PCB CAD(computer-aided drafting) developers do with schematic capture hardware. The wiring is aptly named a ‘rats nest’ and there is an art to doing it well. The PCB (printed circuit board) view allows you to lay out the physical locations of your components and adjust their wiring. You can click and drag these components into order though it might be easier to just start over beginning with the schematic view. A schematic is a symbolic representation of the electrical circuit. You should see a jumble of components that you added to the breadboard view. On the tool tab select the schematic view. You can rotate components through right clicking on them and also change their values. Click on the wire (or right click) and change the wire color. Click on the ends of components or on holes on the breadboard and drag wires to connection points. Just make a fantasy circuit to get some experience (it does not have to actually work or be electrically sound).

This is the size of the breadboard in our project kit.Ĭlick and drag some components from the Core Parts on the right hand side and attach them to your breadboard. Go to the ‘Inspector’ box on the bottom right and change the size of the breadboard to half+. Go to the Raspberry icon to open your main menu and open the Fritzing application.Ĭlick on the Breadboard tab to open the breadboard workspace. It is used to illustrate and document projects as well as a tool to have actual PCBs manufactured at low cost. This activity will will focus on one of the apps I have found to be most useful (besides the Arduino IDE already covered).įritzing is an application that lets you design circuits, printed circuit boards (PCB) and popular hardware. Many more apps can be downloaded and installed from the Web just look for Linux and particularly Debian compatibility. The Raspbian Stretch distribution comes with dozens of apps installed like the Libreoffice Suite for documents, spreadsheets, drawings and presentations. The Raspberry Pi as a personal computer can run literally thousands of applications (apps).

Raspberry pi camera fritzing