Your Prototypes Should Look Bad

Don't get hung up on how good your prototype looks, you just need to prove stuff works or doesn't before making the next version. Fanttik is running a summer Prime Day sale! Get an extra 15% off on the Fanttik T1 Max and E1MAX with code FLUXT1MAX and FLUXE1MAX EU T1：https://amzn.to/4vNyW9x E1：https://amzn.to/3SmGXnl US T1：https://amzn.to/4v62teA E1：https://amzn.to/43V6hUh Your prototypes should look bad. Mine sure do. The point is to move fast and get answers. Does it work? Should I increase that resistor value? How does this part work compared to that? No need to make Internet grade show-off-able electronics to get answers, you just need to get things connected enough to test it out. Really want to make it more durable? Add hot glue over your janky wire to board connections to act like strain relief. Pick your poison, all these have pros and cons: Breadboard (quick + most janky), perfboard (solder blob hell), crappy CNC PCB (super quick but no through-hole plating), factory made PCB (the best but wait 2 weeks). You can make a PCB at home using the many methods out there or wait 2 weeks and pay $10 to get one from China. I made a circuit board that can turn on a small light when I open the door to my garage because the light switch is like 10 feet inside and I don't want to step on a rattlesnake here in Phoenix, AZ. Yeah, move the switch right? I'm renting. Use a motion activated light? I bought like 4 and they all triggered when I was working and needed recharging too much. So I made this "door physically opens and hits a trigger switch thing" I want to be able to sell on Amazon and then realized it was way too overly complicated and started hacking off whatever I could to trim down the number of components and complexity. Instead of fancy timers, why not just use the "gate" pin that turns on/off a MOSFET as the timer? Sometimes we all overthink things and do dumb stuff, I did. So instead of waiting 2 weeks for another PCB I made a few on my CNC machine in a couple hours. Didn't even coat them with solder mask (the green stuff) or add a silk screen (the text and printed stuff on the PCB) as I just passed the PCB GERBER file to a little Python3 script I made to add extra margins around the traces. You can't just plug a surface mount component into a breadboard, this is the next best thing. I make tons of little breakout boards like this. Anyways, move fast, build and test your prototype, and move on to the next version. Then lock down the design with a PCB. Machines and tools used if you are wondering, affiliate links if you wanna throw me a bone ;) Carvera Air CNC machine https://makerainc.sjv.io/fluxbench $100 off Voucher: FluxBench100off Copper Clad Single sided PCBs (10x sized 4 x 2.7 inch for like $7) https://amzn.to/4aGk4Sr Fumeclear FC-100A fume extractor https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinm... Fanttik T1 electric screw driver 15% off using Amazon code FLUXT1MAX Fanttik E1 soldering Iron 15% off using Amazon code FLUXE1MAX This video was sponsored by Fanttik