Why it was made
A perfboard has no printed circuit pattern, which makes it free, but it also means you have to decide for yourself where each part goes and how to connect it. If you start soldering straight from a schematic, you run out of parts or the wiring gets tangled, and because soldering is hard to undo, you often have to start over. You can sketch a layout diagram with pencil and paper, but the component and copper sides are mirrored, which makes flipping and checking awkward, and it is hard to verify that the connections are right.
Patterndo moves this process into the browser. Place parts and draw wiring and it works out the connections automatically, lets you flip between the component and copper sides, and finds connection mistakes before soldering with live simulation and diagnostics.
What it offers
- Editor: a tool for drawing part placement, wiring, and jumpers on a perfboard and checking them in 2D and 3D (open the editor). Its features are listed on the features page.
- 58 guides: soldering basics, reading parts, circuit design, buying equipment, connecting microcontrollers, a study roadmap, and how to use the editor (see the guides)
- 7 calculators: resistor color code, LED resistor, Ohm's law, voltage divider, 555 timer, RC, and series/parallel resistance (see the calculators)
- Glossary and FAQ: the glossary and frequently asked questions
Operating principles
- It is free and needs no sign-up. The editor opens right away with no login.
- Your data is processed in your browser. Editing and simulation all run in your browser, and the server stores only the board data of links you create by pressing [Share].
- Ads appear only on reading pages. Google ads may be shown on guide and calculator pages, and there are no ads on the editor screen. Ads are labeled separately from the content.
- No articles are written to sell a particular product. The equipment and buying guides explain the criteria and points to check when choosing irons, multimeters, and parts, and are not meant to sell for any particular vendor.
How the content is made
The guides are written by hand in an order a person new to electronics can follow, and where calculations are involved, the formulas are written out and the example values were worked out and checked. The calculators turn formulas into code and verify representative examples and edge values (zero, negatives, extremely large values) with automated tests. When content is changed, the "Last updated" date at the top of the article is refreshed.
If you find something wrong, please tell us on the contact page. Once confirmed, we fix the text and update the date.
How it is built
The editor and the site are built with SvelteKit (Svelte 5) and TypeScript, and the 3D view uses Three.js. The site is served from Cloudflare, and share-link data is kept in Cloudflare KV for 180 days. Circuit analysis (simulation) and auto-rewire are both our own implementations that run in the browser.
Limits and notices
Simulation is for learning and pre-checks based on ideal component models, and does not reflect the variation, temperature, and noise of real parts. Electrical and soldering work carries risks such as burns, electric shock, and inhaling fumes, so read the safety sections of the guides before working. The full disclaimer is in the Terms of Service.
Operator
The Patterndo operator runs it as an individual. Questions and suggestions are received on the contact page.