A short trip away from the development bench to see what is happening elsewhere in manufacturing and engineering.

A practical look at trying EasyEDA for PCB design, weighing its smooth JLCPCB/LCSC workflow against concerns about vendor lock-in and long-term project control.

Final testing of the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough building block board, including higher-speed RS485 communication tests over approximately 20 metres of Cat 6 cable.

Thinking through the next stage of the Protoworks building block board roadmap, including RS485 communications, isolated RS485, digital I/O expansion, low-side driver outputs, 48 V distribution, USB to serial, and future prototype board ideas.

Reflecting on the first RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough board and why the next revision may split RS485 communication and 48 V distribution into separate building block boards.

Thinking through how to position Protoworks’ small-batch open hardware building block boards, who they are for, and why open hardware makes sense.

Load testing the USB-C and 3.3 V regulator building block board, including short-circuit behaviour, PPTC protection, and sustained 500 mA output testing.

The first assembled batch of my USB-C and 3.3V regulator building block board arrived from JLCPCB, ready for inspection, bring-up, and load testing.

Refining an RS485 breakout board with 48V passthrough by removing the RJ45 connector, switching to screw terminals, and separating the 48V and logic ground regions.

Designing a small USB-C breakout and 3.3V regulator building block board for future embedded and prototyping projects.