HackEDA – powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328 – gives Makers the ability to automatically design complete and manufacturable circuits.
“At it’s core, HackEDA is a collection of reusable-sized pieces of electronic designs, along with the knowledge necessary to reuse them in new designs,” HackEDA creator Ben Wilson explained in a recent Kickstarter post.
“The library is available to browse online, you can download the individual bits, as well as create custom circuits by simply selecting the features your project needs. Think of it as a mashup tool for electronics. Now the next time inspiration strikes, there’s that much less between you and the hardware you need to make it a reality.”
Although HackEDA isn’t a tool capable of facilitating a completely original design, it can help to recreate classic projects and arrange them in a unique way.
“[True], there are many circuit designs already on the internet, but they can be difficult to use for a host of reasons. It can be hard to find what you need. They come in varying file formats, some more reusable than others,” Wilson continued.
“Many are incomplete, leaving out part numbers, using components that aren’t available any more, or don’t include good documentation. There may not be a way to give feedback or directly edit the design for the benefit of others. And even if all that weren’t the case, hooking a bunch of circuits together is still an error prone process that can take a while to get right. So here we are. That’s what we want to fix.”
According to Wilson, HackEDA all starts with a library of designs – cool stuff like wireless radios, sensors and motor drivers.
“Then our smart software knows how to make it all work together. Next, integrate with manufacturing to seamlessly transfer the designs to reality,” Wilson noted.
“Designs are [based on] three ingredients, a processor, a power supply,and up to 6 peripherals. Creating a design is as easy as going to HackEDA, dragging a few circuits onto a target board and letting us take care of the rest.”
Additional information about HackEDA can be found here on Kickstarter.
Atmel | Bits & Pieces 