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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : PicoMite Multi - nuff said.
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Mixtel90 Guru  Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7852 |
If you only ever build one PicoMite compatible system it may well be this one. :) PicoMite Multi Construction Pack.zip This is the result of an idea from one of my previous posts. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 625 |
Hm, Though I really love that idea, I see a huge problem with all those modules since the manufacturer (99% China!) can pull them of the market at any time. For the Adafruit DVI / HDMI Breakout board, there are at least gerbers @ their website to reproduce them if out of stock or obsolete. Greetings Daniel |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7852 |
Oh, I agree completely. The alternative is to surface mount everything or to have your own modules made. I don't think most home constructors are too happy with either of those alternatives. I for one have problems if resistors get down to 0805, never mind anything else. Of course, it's equally likely that the rest of the hardware will be out of date before the modules become unavailable anyway. Electronics has a relatively short commercial life but the Chinese are happy to produce their el cheapo modules so long as there is a demand for them. The only module I had any difficulty in getting was the Adafruit one. The Chinese ones were no trouble, but for some reason that particular one is not that easy to find in the UK. That's why I included the option of on-board HDMI. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 625 |
Haha! Same here! I only use "1206" SMD package for caps and resistors. This is really no problem to solder, when it comes to ICs "SOP" is the only thing for my PCBs. So I am not a fan of smd-soldering either. You are right, most people don't design their own PCBs / modules, this way your design is the best approximation to an ideal "one fit's all" design, which is cool. For my own designs I try to not use any modules at all and only the above mentioned packages. But yeah, as said you're right, not everyone can do this. Another reason I like this forum / community; you can find almost for every need the perfect PCB and Peter even supports all kind of picoMite versions. What a dream come true. So thanks for all this cool input and ideas. But another thing: I have read that in the U.S. there is now really high taxes (fees?) for importing from china... this may be another problem. I am glad in germany this isn't the case. It would be a huge disaster for small people if JLCPCB isn't an option anymore. I hope for the best. Greetings Daniel |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7852 |
Yes, I read about that. Apparently the US post won't carry packages originating in China now. I've no idea if there are ways round this in the US. Unfortunately it rather clobbers most hobbyist electronics as most of it originates from China. In spite of Trump the US can't possibly feed even the hobbyist market with home-manufactured components. I don't really use that many modules, it just seems a lot. :) Mostly the RTC - usually the little self-contained one for the RPi. This one has been around for ages now. With the advent of HDMI it's a case of either find a module or make it so that the user has to use a hub. It's a bit of a toss-up. The module I chose has been around for some time (it's USB2.1) and is based on a shareware design, I think. For audio PWM is fine, but the digital modules are very attractive, if only for the reduction in noise. I make no apology for picking the ones that I did. VS1053 and PCM5102 are both way too small for me to solder. :) The I2C 12-bit DAC is a good compromise and sounds rather good. One of the few approaches still available in DIL. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| EDNEDN Senior Member  Joined: 18/02/2023 Location: United StatesPosts: 139 |
There is a very real imbalance on trade with China. I buy a lot of electronics from China via eBay. What happens is the seller gets to mail their item in China with tracking information provided for super cheap. And then if the item is faulty or not up to spec... The buyer has to pay to ship the item back to China with tracking to prove the item was returned. Even the smallest item such as an SD-Memory card is going to be over $10 to ship back with tracking. Not to mention almost every memory card from China is fake. It looks like I'm going to lose my 'free shipping' for items from China. But the truth is, they are taking advantage of us and it needs to stop. |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7852 |
It works the other way too. :) If I order something from the US the postal charges are horrendous if it is sent by US Post. Interstate their prices are ok, I believe, but they make back any losses by upping international prices. Usually US Post charges way more than the cost of a small item so I simply don't bother, especially as we often have to pay VAT on the total cost, including postal charges. If Chinese companies are willing to take the risk on technology (as they get better government support) who can argue? Is it that China is taking advantage or that other countries are simply not willing to take the same risk and support their own businesses to the same extent? Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| EDNEDN Senior Member Joined: 18/02/2023 Location: United StatesPosts: 139 |
Viewing it from another perspective: The US Postal Service has become uncompetitive. Both the shipping times and the cost of shipping an item are too high. Many companies ship their products via UPS or Fed-Ex instead of the US Postal Service. The reason is both cost and shipping times. And of course, this doesn't even address the fact that Amazon Prime really does give good delivery times at no extra cost (if you are a member). The US Postal Service needs to become competitive again. Edited 2025-02-15 03:05 by EDNEDN |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 625 |
Completely disagree. You are complaining about the return policy upon your country! In Germany there is no such thing. If something here is faulty we must also send it back to china, but all return shipping costs will be reimbursed. You government could fix this by a law, too. And PLEASE let's be really honest here, I think WE take more profit from China than the average Chinese man / women has when we buy their cheap stuff. To prove this claim: try and get your PCBs made in the U.S.A. good luck with that for this price... We DO profit from China more than you think (it seems). And also keep in mind how many "made in USA / made in Germany" things are produced there. Why is China cheap? Right, people have almost no rights. Do you think China is the evil? Because it sounds like you are searching excuses for home made problems (which germany has also to suffer from, a lot things here are outsourced too....). But to say China profits more than western country seems a bit odd to me. Greetings Daniel Edited 2025-02-15 03:16 by Amnesie |
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| lizby Guru Joined: 17/05/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 3357 |
Not true quite yet. After the administration imposed tariffs on Chinese imports and declared that the "de minimus" exemption from tariffs for packages worth under $800USD would be void, the U.S. Postal Service said that it would start charging the appropriate tariff (which might not be all that high on JLCPCB imports), but realized that it had no way to collect those charges and said it would continue to make deliveries until there was a way to collect the tariffs. Again, not yet true. I've received several packages since the changes were first bruited (but they were probably already in the U.S. postal system). I am hopeful that I will receive a JLC order of PCBs that I placed about 3 weeks ago. I have also placed a small Aliexpress order to see what happens now. It may be severely damaging to U.S. electronics hobbyists, or it may turn out to be a bit more paid to Aliexpress (which I would not find unreasonable, since getting PCBs shipped from China for under $1 seems ridiculous), or it may be more intrusive. If I had to go to a Post Office to pay a tariff, it would throttle my use of Chinese modules. But since I spend 5-1/2 months in the U.S. and 6-1/2 months in Canada, I may still be able to make my purchases while I'm in Canada. Canada might follow the U.S. lead, since there are considerable CanadaPost expenses with its own de minimus procedures, but however angry Canada now is (for cause) with China, it's a lot angrier at its neighbor and erstwhile friend and ally. PicoMite, Armmite F4, SensorKits, MMBasic Hardware, Games, etc. on fruitoftheshed |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7852 |
@ Daniel I tried a few UK companies to get PCBs made here but they all wanted to charge silly money for just a few boards. They are unwilling to set up plants to do small orders as they can charge a premium for prototypes. £106 for five 100x100mm boards? Plus postage! You're kidding! Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Amnesie Guru Joined: 30/06/2020 Location: GermanyPosts: 625 |
@ Mick, same here in Germany, of course there are PCB manufactures here but exactly the same huge amount of money. So this is my point; One should be thankful, that it is so cheap in China... Otherwise all this wouldn't be possible. Edit: I think the local PCB manufacturers are only worth it for some top secret military PCB stuff, for example. Or if you're a big company which has to protect intellectual property etc. Greetings Daniel Edited 2025-02-15 05:20 by Amnesie |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7852 |
Perhaps I didn't say e-nuff....  Yeah, same old Pico on a 100x100 board. Yawn. This on gives you a choice of just about any pin-compatible Pico clone, a choice of display and audio systems and the opportunity to create your own of either. Throw in a 4-port USB hub, PS2 keyboard socket and IR receiver and it just gets a bit mad. :)  It makes an interesting test rig too. Just plug together the system that you want at the time, load the appropriate firmware and off you go. Doesn't matter if it's just a Pico or a Pico 2 with HDMI, the same board can be reconfigured at any time to do both. Of, the padboards have the pads linked into strips bt thin tracks underneath. Treat them like stripboard with the advantage that you break the strip between the holes instead of at them. The strips aren't connected to anything, that's up to you. Have fun. :) . Edited 2025-02-15 18:31 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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