Build It Yourself

If you have a decent understanding of Basic Electronics and enjoy experimenting, this guide is for you. Here, we will show you how to build Bread Modular modules from scratch.

Open Source

Bread Modular is open source under the MIT license, and we share everything with the public. This includes schematics, PCB layouts, and code. We also show you how to source parts so you can get the optimal components.

PCB Assembly

We design our modules to use SMT components to save space and cost. We typically use components with the size "0402", which can be a bit difficult to solder by hand.

Since you have access to KiCad files, feel free to change PCB footprints and layouts as you wish.

We recommend using a PCB assembly service like JLCPCB to fabricate and assemble modules. Watch the following tutorial on how to do that:

Base

We recommend using our base to stack modules and patch them, as it handles power and audio output. However, you don't need to use it. You can use a simple breadboard as a primitive base. Make sure to power it as follows:

• +3.3V - Use the top rail +
• 0V - Use the bottom rail +

(The "-" of none of the rails contains either +3.3V or 0V.)

Sometimes, we have Vactrols at the bottom of the module. In such cases, stacking a module on a breadboard can be challenging. But we think you'll figure something out.

If you find any issues or need feedback, feel free to join our Discord and chat.