Is there a database for product designs?
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... or any other good way for searching PCBs for sensor projects? I just started with a few things, and by now, I found it easier to click something together in KiCAD, than to look for other peoples contributions. Mostly searches drown in "question threads", libraries, "I want to make" threads that do not lead to anything, or in projects on prototyping boards (but given todays PCB prices, I rather save the time for that and get a neat, small sensor with SMD components that I do not have to place in a shoebox for space ...). Of course, all of these are fine, valid and even helpful, I am just missing a good way to find what I am looking for. Keywords like "pcb" or "KiCAD" didn't help much. The best thing I could think of are filtered searches in the MyProject subforum, but they didn't really help me: MQTT - nothing like I was looking for, Wemos - a guy basically just saying that the Wemos exists and he uses it. BME280 returns something in the way I am looking for, but people seem to post pictures of their PCBs. Can't really send those to a manufacturer, are you kidding me? (Or did I overlook the link?)
I built a keyfob, an MQTT gateway and an RFM69+SMA-antenna-connector/ATSHA204A breakout like that, though I am SURE that stuff is around already. I mean come on, SOMEONE must have used the obvious way of connecting MySensors to the network and not have bothered with wireing all the connections themselves ...
So, next things are supposed to be door sensors with reed switches and BME280 temp/hum sensors. Just so big that the sensor, RFM69HCW, SMD ATMEGA, ATSHA and battery fit on the two sides of the PCB. Pretty much like the keyfob linked above. Is there anything, and especially, is there a structured way to find it?
Don't misunderstand me, this is not a rant. Depending on what the actual situation is, this is:
- A question
o how to properly contribute (because how I did it with the keyfob is apparently not the usual way, so perhaps there is a better one?
o how to properly search for contribution.
o if so few people actually use manufactured PCBs to get space and work efficiency. Seeed just dropped the price for 10 10x10cm^2 PCBs to 5$, there isn't really any thinking twice for me. (Okay, there is shipping time, but I have enough stuff to do.) - or an encouragement
o to the community to contribute in a reusable way.
o to the admins to provide a better platform. Searching in MyProject is a start, but searching in the title often misses stuff that is written in the text, and searching in text and title spams all answers that contain the keywords, not just the initial presentation posts. Perhaps tags would relieve it. Like "Here is my new temp/hum sensor node [SMD] [RFM69] [ATSHA204A] [BME280]". Or just a possibility to search in title and initial post text, maybe?
- A question
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The correct way of contributing is to port your project on www.openhardware.io. A corresponding forum thread will automatically be created here. We'll publish links to it on both facebook and twitter.
Make sure tag your project to make it more easy to find.
You can also enable other community members to buy your design through our manufacturing partners (more instructions available when you create the project).
A few times a year we will also go through MySensors related projects on openhardware.io and add a few relevant of them to the MySensors hardware section.
You should also check out the MySensors Contest.
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Oh, cool! That seems to be exactly what I was looking for. I'll add my projects as soon as I received them and tested them working. Thanks!
Can you link me to what the Github import function expects?
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It will try to identify files in the gihub project automagically. So make sure to keep only one project per repository to avoid confusion.
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@hek Ok, awesome. I am doing that. Does it update automatically?
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No, not yet. You have to press the update button when you push new/updated files to your github project.
