Hi all,

As an electrical engineer, I don't like perfboards that much anymore, but sometimes they are simply the fastest way to test an idea or build a prototype. But how do you get all the modern SMD parts onto them?

Since I often found myself fighting standard perfboards when prototyping, I built a small web tool called **GridGen** that generates custom prototyping PCBs in just a few minutes - it outputs Gerber files, ready for ordering at your favorite PCB manufacturer.

Current features:

* Custom board size (15×10 mm up to 200×200 mm)
* Optional power rails on any edge
* Mounting holes
* Row/column labeling
* Virtual dev board outlines (ESP32, ESP8266, Arduino Nano, etc.) for size estimation
* Drag & drop SMD adapter footprints (SOIC-8, TSSOP-16, SOT-23, etc.) that integrate into the 2.54 mm grid

It’s not meant to replace KiCad or real PCB layout software – the goal is fast and clean prototyping boards with predictable spacing and/or your favorite SMD adapters right on board - or as an alternative for makers who are not familiar with ECAD design.

I’d really appreciate technical feedback, especially on:

* Whether integrated SMD adapters are actually useful in practice
* What common footprints I might be missing
* Any perfboard pain points I overlooked

Link: [macgizmo.com/gridgen](http://macgizmo.com/gridgen)

Curious what you think 🙂

I built a parametric perfboard generator with integrated SMD adapters – feedback welcome