# Alex's tips n' resources
Here's a quick braindump of useful stuff that I've found useful over the years. Will be continuously added to as highway goes on!

## Generally useful stuff
- Search stuff up! Again and again and again. You'll have to do a *lot* of the learning yourself so its on you

## Software
- For 3D modelling, use either Fusion360 or Onshape!
- For PCB design, use KiCAD! It's free, open source, and works on any platform.
- [Excalidraw](https://excalidraw.com/) is an awesome site for making really quick **sketches** that look good

## Project design
- Adafruit projects give you a really good idea of how different hardware projects might fit together.

## Tips
- If you're stuck picking between a bunch of passives that are all functionally the same (i.e 30 different types of capacitors), start with the CAD and work backwards - it'll help you get an idea of which one would physically look the best.
- If you're building a 3D printer, [infill](https://infill.hackclub.com) was a 3D printer YSWS that ran recently. There's a TON of resources on the website!

## Technical resources
- Adafruit projects are extremely good for looking at what's behind-the-scenes of hardware projects

## Software

## Other communities

### General

- reddit!

### 3D printing

- VORON discord
-

### Battlebots
- Botrumble

### Keyboards

- QMK discord
- r/mechanicalkeyboards

### Discords
### Subreddits
- Keyboards
- Mechanical 
