chris1howell
Well-known member
mitch672 said:I can answer for Chris, until he sees your question. The pre assembled version uses surface mount components on the underside of the PCB, those are difficult if not impossible to install with a soldering iron. The DIY kit uses ALL though-hole components, so it's easy to assemble for the DIY builder.
Thanks, Mitch is exactly correct. The two versions are exactly the same as far as the circuit goes. But the non-DIY version is very small due to both the tiny surface mount components and utilizing both sides of the Circuit board (top for through hole parts bottom for the surface mount). I spent many hours routing each trace at 45 degree angles on the board manually to optimize the size. Pictures do not do the OpenEVSE Plus justice. Many have commented that this board is not an EVSE controller but a work of art.
The DIY version is a lot larger because it uses just the top surface for parts and is designed not for size but for easy assembly. The PCB is very high quality with a silk screen layer for labels and solder masking to help prevent solder bridging (much more forgiving for beginners).