New dev board

[ciseco]

A few weeks ago, a few people had commented on what they'd like to see on a proto board if I did one.

I hadn't forgotten you all, I'll get round to it shortly, I'm thinking it'll be a larger 28x1 board than our current one with space for XBee, RTC & EEPROM, also thinking it'll should be able to self power off too (well almost via enable pin on the vol reg)

Would anyone like me to leave space for anything else?

I usually use SMD stuff, I'm assuming people would like DIL instead?

Miles
________
cheap vaporizer

 

[Texy]

A few weeks ago, a few people had commented on what they'd like to see on a proto board if I did one.

I hadn't forgotten you all, I'll get round to it shortly, I'm thinking it'll be a larger 28x1 board than our current one with space for XBee, RTC & EEPROM, also thinking it'll should be able to self power off too (well almost via enable pin on the vol reg)

Would anyone like me to leave space for anything else?

I usually use SMD stuff, I'm assuming people would like DIL instead?

Miles

I assume you'll have a patch area?
Would you be selling this as a pcb only, ie no components fitted, as a kit, or as a complete ready built populated card?
...now lets see if I can find your 'current one'
Texy

 

[Texy]

OK couldn't find it - do you sell an existing 28X1 dev pcb?
Incidently, you spelt 'receives' wrong on your homepage

Texy

 

[ciseco]

oooops, I'll change it, cheers for being eagle eyed

The DB002 has a 28x1 on it

It might be best to be almost PCB only, don't really want to stock stuff that can be purchased from tech supplies, I've no wish to be a competitor, happy being a customer.

By patch do you mean a 2.54mm grid of holes aka vero with just pads no strips, sorry not very familiar with the lingo yet if so how many, should it be easily boxable (if thats a word)

Miles
________
Edsel Ford specifications

 

[Texy]

By patch do you mean a 2.54mm grid of holes aka vero with just pads no strips, sorry not very familiar with the lingo yet if so how many, should it be easily boxable (if thats a word)

Miles

Yes, but I would like to see small strips of maybe 3 or four pads, plus easy access to 0v and +V.

Texy

 

[ciseco]

cool, lets call it 4 then, anything else anyone can think of? should it be a specific size overall, have spaces for switches, headers ,sockets?
________
Alto

 

[westaust55]

wrt the patch area that Texy has mentioned, here is a photo of a protoboard that I use which has short strips each with 3 holes plus the power supply rails around and across the board.

A small area like this would likely be an advantage to many.

 

[moxhamj]

Onboard 78L05? Max232 and D9?

 

[BeckettM]

Guys
Without trying to dampen anyones enthusiasm for improvement here.

http://www.kiwacan.co.nz/products.php?group=Microchip PIC
Produces some very good boards for PIC and PICAXE, at very reasonable rates.

As the site states, the man has shifted to the USA, but still has distributors here in NZ, and Australia, and was meant to be reopening the website by now.

The quality of finish was very good. along with a very good price (for here in NZ anyway)

Cheers
Mark

 

[BCJKiwi]

Only issue with the KiwiCan dev boards is that they are set up for Pic and in circuit programming (ICSP). I have used their KPIC-2840P 28/40 pin board and made up a download cable with an RJ12 plug on it. Modded the board just a little to incorporate the enhanced download circuit - works a treat.

 

[BeckettM]

BCJ
I purchased a number of these boards, for future stuff, and also gathered some more when he had a big sale before leaving (at about $5 each)
I hadn't actually wired the downloading, but your idea of using the RJ12 is worth considering, rather than not putting anything on, or some other hack.

Cheers
Mark

 

[Texy]

wrt the patch area that Texy has mentioned, here is a photo of a protoboard that I use which has short strips each with 3 holes plus the power supply rails around and across the board.

A small area like this would likely be an advantage to many.

Spot on Westy

 

[hippy]

One thing with prototype areas is that it will never be enough for some and unwanted for others. I don't know what the ideal is and that perhaps depends on price of board. With what it will support already that may not be an issue.

For those who want to use it as a development board rather than a prototyping board, prototyping area isn't as necessary, but a means of easily connecting to strip-board, bread-board or other PCB is.

My ideal development board is a souped-up breakout board; easy access to signals and connectivity with the common / complex stuff already included, I'll build the rest on strip-board. I do however tend to build one-offs, dismantle them, and build something else. Build on a prototyping board and that's sealed its fate forever.

Another alterantive to having prototyping area is to leave enough space for a bread-board to be stuck on.

 

[roscos]

New dev. board

Hi Ciseco,
Could you make it modular so as to use only what you need with the idea
that it could become permanent?
Roscos.

 

[Dippy]

Nice idea. A nice development board is a good step.

I haven't looked at what's on offer, so I'm probably going to suggest something already done. So with that in mind, may I tentatively suggest:-
1. A small patch area as discussed above. I'm not too keen on too much patch area where components may be in and out esp if the board is a pth. PTH desoldering can be a bitch!
2. A connector so that most of the connections can be taken out to breadboard.
3. Two isolated regulators so that patch and/or breadboard can be powered separately.
4. Any MAX232 or transistor interface (easier) for PC has jumpered selection to give user a choice of PICAXE pins.
5. A few LEDs DIL Switched to enable/disable.
6. A few push-buttons with jumpered selection of ground/V+ selection.
7. A position for a pot for ADC.
8. Holes big enough so that a crystal can be socketed.
9. SIL res network on PICAXE ports with a jumper so that they can be held high or low.
10. A SIL socket for a character LCD connection plus contrast pot.
11. Maybe holes on the power in(s) lines so that some form of fuse can be included or linked out?
(Extra Luxury: Make it compatible with a few PICAXEs)

If it's a kit then people can choose which components they want to leave out. The board costs for an extra square inch or so would be trivial.

I would need to be convinced about making a small board like this modular as the space-waste and connectors required would pobably outweigh any cost savings.

Sorry, got a bit carried away there. I was staring at an EasydsPIC4 board whilst typing

PS:- And if the board was going to have regular screwing/uncrewing PCB terminal blocks may I seriously recommend the use of Camden style rising-clamp connectors. Far higher quality than those screwy bent metal things which sometimes need a poke up the hole so you can get a wire in.
But, sorry, they will cost an extra tuppence. Oh Goodness I swore.... and extra tuppence... Gosh maybe an extra 5 pence compared to Ebaygum.

 

[rbright]

Stackable development boards

I like the idea of all of the main fruit like the PICAXE chip, programming cable connector, maybe a voltage regulator etc all being on a motherboard with a header socket to make the PICAXE I/O etc all available to simple plug in daughter boards where you do all of the prototyping.
Cheers

 

[atharvai]

hey, i haven't used dev boards yet but is it possible to have additional functionality so that other PICAXE chips can be used as well? so like instead of 28X1 one might be able to use 28X/14M/20M etc.

P.S. i don't really see a point of Proto area cos u can always attach a breadboard as big as u wish

thanks

 

[Technical]

New product preview.

Posters in this thread may be interested in this new product.
It's actually what we have been using for a few years to test developments, but we will also shortly be released as a normal product.

- Support for all 8,14,18,20,28,40 pin PICAXE chips
- On board download circuits, reset switch and resonator.
- Up to 3 separate PICAXE chips can be connected at once.
- Connection points to every PICAXE pin.
- 5V Regulator for use with either 9V DC or 4.5V batteries.
- Power indicator LED

Inputs:
- 10k preset resistor with eay to use 'knob'
- LDR
- DS18B20 temperature sensor
- 3 push switches

Outputs:
- 3 LEDs
- 7 segment display
- Servo header

Other features:
- Infra-red - both LED and receiver
- Keyboard - mini DIN connector
- Serial - MAX232 and both 9D/3.5mm sockets (for both N and T polarity baud settings)
- Socket for DS1307 RTC with battery backup
- Socket for 24LCxx i2c series EEPROMs
- Socket for 25LCxx spi series EEPROMs
- Socket for UNIO series EEPROMS
- Oscilloscope grounding point
- Breadboarding area with 'stripboard' PCB tracks underneath.

Part AXE091 - kits in production and available soon!

 

[atharvai]

Excellent! this should be quite good... looking forwrd to this

 

[Michael 2727]

Here's my version of a 20M Experimenter.
Will program, 08, 08M, 14M and 20M chips.

Onboard - IR Detector, DS18B20, 7-Seg Display
or RFM 433.92 MHz Transceiver.

 

[ciseco]

Excellent tech, that should be enough to satify most requirements

rbright, thats similar in description to our existing design, available pins come out on a 20 way header so you can use, a breadboard, vero etc.

Miles
________
digital vaporizer

 

[Texy]

I think we are moving away from the OP's subject slightly, but this is all I am after - a 28X1 based pcb with provision for just the essentials - 28pin socket, resonator, regulator plus 2 pin connections for power source, download circuit including socket, reset switch of the pic, LED for power, and a large patch area with power tracks as Westy showed. Now Rev-Ed supply
a kit with all the parts, but not the pcb on its own which is a shame as I have access to the components I need. There are plenty of 18X pcbs with the above description around (well at least 1 that I got of ebay for only £1.50), but not for 28 pin devices that I can find (at a reasonable price).

Texy

 

[papaof2]

Have you looked at the Olimex boards?

http://www.olimex.com/dev/index.html

PIC-P28/PCB ONLY EURO 6.95

PIC-P28-20MHz development board for 28 pin PIC microcontrollers EURO 12.95
http://www.olimex.com/dev/pic-p28.html

Peter Anderson ofers the 28X dev board (with slight modifications) on Ebay for $22US plus $2US for shipping in the US. Check the link for shipping to other countries.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Prototyping-Board-for-a-PICAXE-28X1-Assembled_W0QQitemZ360033328507QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

John

 

[Michael 2727]

No matter what you make there will always be an application where
there is not enough of something you want/need, then you will always
have the sensors, devices, gizmos yet to be invented or priced to be
practicle for the hobbyist. You can't win. Just do the best you can
with what is available. If you wait 6 months there will always be a
bigger, better, faster, cheaper, smaller, simpler, unless the French
have an unfortunate accident

I'd rather have a a few smaller dedicated experimental/proto boards which
could be linked, than a giant 2' foot square monster that does everything.

 

[Dippy]

Absolutely right Michael. You can't win.

And, ironically, I'd sooner have a 2 foot monster which does everything.
For me, prototyping is made so much easier when you can chuck a chip in a board to get something working rather than trying to find a board which is nearly right. Then transfer to pcb and Bob is your Unc.

But that's just the way I work and certainly if I were a student trying to put together a project a 'Development' board would be a Godsend. Its the way a lot of Pros do it.

And i would have thought that there were enough PICAXE project boards around to do most things. A full size Development board is, in my very humble and inexperienced opinion, the only (general purpose) thing missing from the range.

The only omission I can see from Technical's board is a SIL socket for LCD work. Maybe they could take a leaf from MikroElektronika Dev Boards and have plug-in Dev Daughter boards??

 

[stocky]

i LOVE my microelektronica board