Fritzing to create circuit diagrams
I am using software known as Fritzing (https://fritzing.org/) to create the circuits depicted in this book. It is not mandatory software for the demonstrations, as all the circuit diagrams are already printed in the book. However, if you wish to create your own circuit diagrams with Fritzing, you must procure them separately for 8 euros from https://fritzing.org/download/. I have included the Fritzing diagram files (with the .fzz extension) in the code bundle of the book. You can open them using the Fritzing software and modify them. It is very convenient software, and many hardware hackers (including us, the book’s authors) use it to design and visualize their projects.
Fritzing has a library of many routinely used electronic and electrical components that include various boards. Also, users can create their own custom components such as boards and add them to their Fritzing setup. Many of them make such components available to other users for free. These components are stored in files with the .fzpz extension. You can find the component files for the BBC Micro:bit and many edge connectors at the following URLs:
- https://tech.microbit.org/docs/hardware/assets/Microbit.fzpz.zip
- https://forum.fritzing.org/t/improved-micro-bit-part/7288
Download the part files. Open the Fritzing software. In the Parts panel (the top-right panel), right-click on an empty gray space to show a dropdown, as shown in Figure 1.16:
Figure 1.16 – Importing a part to Fritzing
The first option is Import…. Click on that, and it opens a standard file selection window of the OS. Select the downloaded component files for the Micro:bit and edge connectors (those with the .fzpz extension) and import them. We can import only one component at a time. Once imported, all the components will be visible in the tab labeled MINE (refer to Figure 1.16). The following figure is a screenshot of those components added to a circuit diagram under development:
Figure 1.17 – Using the BBC micro:bit and edge connector parts in circuit diagrams
This is how Fritzing can be used to visualize the circuits we will build for the demonstrations throughout this book. You will find similar and more detailed circuit diagrams in the upcoming chapters of the book.