Povilas Dumcius' BrodBoost-C Delivers Simple USB Power for Any Standard-Width Breadboard
Switchable between 5V and 3.3V supplies, this open-hardware board gives breadboards a USB power input.
Lithuanian electronics specialist Povilas Dumcius has opened crowdfunding for hjs company's latest creation, designed to make it easier to power breadboarded prototypes over USB: the Axiometa BrodBoost-C.
"BrodBoost-C is an ideal breadboard power supply for makers, designed to do precisely what it should — no more, no less," Dumcius claims of his company's design. "With it, you can power your breadboard directly through a USB Type-C connection without messy wiring, cable cutting, or oversized bench power supplies. BrodBoost-C is super useful for prototyping—from powering breadboard circuits directly via USB Type-C to enabling portable prototyping and field testing with USB battery packs, it's an invaluable tool. In the classroom, it provides educators with a safe and simple way to explore circuit design. And for the students, BrodBoost-C's straightforward controls make it a breeze to use."
The idea behind BrodBoost-C is simple: it's sized to fit across a standard-width solderless breadboard and make contact with the twin power rails at either side. A USB Type-C connector links it to any USB power supply, and delivers the user's choice of 3.3V or 5V at up to 1A. There's short-circuit protection, power filtering, and a physical switch to cut the power without disconnecting the cable.
It's a relatively simple design, but one that makes wiring up a breadboard project easier. It's not the only game in town, though: EIM Technology's rival MEGO 2.0 provides additional features and truly wireless power from an internal 2Ah battery, while pseudonymous maker "Curious Scientist" recently released a similar board, which works with USB Power Delivery (PD) compliant supplies — making up to 20V available for high-power devices off the breadboard.
Dumcius is funding production of the BrodBoost-C, which is made available as a KiCad project under an unspecified open source license, on Crowd Supply, where the boards are priced at $32 including worldwide shipping with fulfillment expected to begin in mid-July; more information, including links to download the schematic, KiCad project, and a 3D model of the part, is available on the Axiometa website.
