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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Proto Board for the uMite 28
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| JohnS Guru  Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4044 |
Interesting Maxim article, but I was a little surprised to see it keeps referring to mini-A etc rather than micro-A etc. John |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2950 |
Gday Zonker, I was reading an earlier link and saw a post from Geoff about PCB prototyping and their prices look really interesting. See: Prices You can get 10pieces of 5cm x10cm (enough for 1 uMite proto) for $14.90 or 10pieces of 10cm x10cm (enough for 2 uMite proto) for $19.90 That means 20 PCBs would cost just under $20... I am not sure of the freight costs though. Regards, Mick EDIT**** I just noticed there might not be enough clearance between the 26pin header and the 3 pin header to its immediate right hand side. Mik Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
I use itead studio often. They are the best (price and quality) for low volume and ship reasonable fast. (About a week to Thailand) Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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| WhiteWizzard Guru Joined: 05/04/2013 Location: United KingdomPosts: 2944 |
Hi All, I am about to place an order with iTead for the 44pin Eval PCB. I will update you with costs, quality etc as soon as I have the info. I am getting 5 boards (currently 68mmx23mm) per 10cmx10cm panel so hopefully have close to 50 pcbs available in a few weeks time! Not looking for production quality until fab house has confirmed Gerber files. Have built 11 MicroMites so far so I know the design is ok (will leave Pin 4 on USB floating going forward). Zonker: Let us know when you expect delivery of your PCBs! |
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Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 767 |
Good Morning Mighty Mick..!! Yep, I think you are correct... Damn, It's a full house this one is..! I guess we could go with solder bump type jumpers since the SV5 and SV3 jumpers are "set-it and forget-it" type things. I wanted to give the user a choice of 3 or 5 volt 485 parts was the idea here... But, if you wanted to fit up a regular IDC connector to go to the next board up, there will be the space problem... I could move the connector to the left more toward the left mounting hole... If I bump it over .100 it should be enough.. Since we added the mounting holes, I was laying out a plug-in top board for it as an expansion for use as a prototyping area and user circuit build add-on... If so, you could just use the female header strips on this board and male headers on the top board. I think that it should work OK if you build it that way... The other way was to be a vertical mount where you would use a right angle IDC connector for the interface site, which would be tight, but OK, I think... I kept trying to add-in everything everyone wanted to have on this thing, but it kept getting fatter and tighter as we went on... 
Anyway, nuff babbling... I think I will just bump the interface connector over to the left and call it good if you think that would solve the problem... I got a start on the 44 pinner layout last night and will be using all SMD parts for that one... I was hoping to keep the same basic size as this one... we will see how it falls out soon... Thanks Mick for your feedback on this..!! |
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| JTR0701 Regular Member  Joined: 10/07/2013 Location: AustraliaPosts: 71 |
It was written in 2002 and before the USB-OTG revision 1.4 (2006) that deprecated the mini-A connector. |
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| Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 767 |
Hey Mick... I was looking at ITEAD Studio and had already modified the gerber file CAM generator to produce files with there unique filoe types.. There prices look awesome..! One thing I also like is that I think they are offering a backside silk in there too..! So, what I'm a thinkin... If we could put a message of Geoff's website or something that leads board users to the place to get downloads, info ect.. I got the "bump-con" spin to do yet this weekend, so tacking something on back would be no problem... BUT, I'm not sure what to put back there... Maybe Geoff could say what he wants back there... Anyway, if we go ITEAD, I think we should do something for the backside... What do ya think Mick..? |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2950 |
Hi Zonker, That has made me smile more than I have in the last month or two... but I now cant get the damn `Mighty Mouse' theme song out of my head... Most of the chinese PCB Fab companies do both top and bottom silk screens (just be sure the text is not back to front for the bottom layer (It should be back to front when viewed from the TOP of the PCB) Its only my opinion but I believe that Geoff should be given credit there (Geoff what would you like there?) I think as a minimum the MicroMite name (Large Font) and a link to Geoffs website and this forum and of course your credits as the designer of the PCB.. All my PCBs simply say "By MBG" even though most have been Dontronics products and have Dontronics web links etc prominently displayed.. Also ITead offer you two more PCBs (other peoples design) if you allow it to be Open source... what that actually means I am not sure but I think you can select two other boards that you are interested in for free and others can freely order your boards in return... thats up to you of course.. You can retain copyright of the PCB design and sell them solely or throw it into the Open source (where anyone can do as they wish ... INCLUDING selling for profit).. It is an interesting concept.. Regards, Mick PS.. One way or the other I MUST have a few of these boards ... My mouth drools every time I look at it... I am sick of building little proto boards... Messy ... Yuck Mik Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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Geoffg Guru Joined: 06/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 3292 |
I am not too worried about the silk screening. After all, the circuit or board is not mine. If you can squeeze in a pointer to my website (for firmware updates) that would be good. Geoff Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net |
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| Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 767 |
Thanks Gent's for getting back on this...! Rite now I have "mmbasic.com" logo on the front, but should it point to your projects site..? You guys tell me what I should have there... We could also mention the Shed as the forum / info site.. should we say "firmware copyright Geoff Graham"... not sure.. BUT I did get the connector moved over and a reset line brought down to pin 1... Just waiting on the final touches on the silk layers... I Would like to order 30 boards from ITEAD to start with... I already have 30 of the FTDI chips and USB connectors on the way... And, hey, how about if I send Mick a group of boards and you guy's can spread them around... how many would you like..? I could get 50 if you want to... I well be posting the updates with the "ITEAD" file-set names so anyone could order them after that anyway... Anyway, nuff bablin from me... Let me know what you guy's want on the silk.. Thanks Gents..!!  (can't wait to get the 44 pinner goin)
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| JohnS Guru Joined: 18/11/2011 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4044 |
JTR - thanks. John |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2950 |
Hi Zonker, I am happy to be the `receiver' and `distributor' but postage in good old AUS is now 70c for a letter.. I could fit a few PCBs in a letter for that but chips and sockets would need a small packet which is around the $3 mark.. and to send to our NZ cousins will not be super cheap either.. A check of AUS POST would give an accurate costing.. If people want me to resend I can. OK lets get numbers rolling here, I want, ideally, at least 6 to start with, and am happy to buy the connector and FTD chip (and any other specials you bought in bulk) to save me hunting them up locally.. Any other takers? I would assume Geoff would want some.. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9610 |
I would be happy to be one of the NZ distributors of the PCB's at no mark-up cost or anything like that. Only cost would be PCB cost itself(as purchased from Zonker) and standard NZ post cost for envelope rate(single board only, no parts). All in the best interests of generating a following of the micromite. Kits(if offered by Zonker) would be fatter, and so could not be sent at letter rate, but the cost for postage would be $5 or so in New Zealand dollars, I would expect. Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209 |
Time for a kickstarter! I would like a few too. About 10 if possible. Microblocks. Build with logic. |
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| Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 767 |
Good eve Gent's.. Just got back from an enjoyable day spent at Lou's house, goofing of with... what ease... uMites...  Lou got the 2x20 LCD hooked up an seems to work OK. I did notice that during the time that you were editing the program, the display shows a white screen... I think this is a valid character in the 44780 but not sure if this is correct behavior.. Anyway, great day... So, now home, I can get this board posted with all the last minute changes needed.. Mick, I got the main interface connector bumped over to the left for more clearance and routed the MCLR line to pin 1 instead of connecting it to ground. Take a look Grogster, and see if you like the new backside silkscreen. I put mention of Geoff's website as well as the Shed's forum. I setup the gerber fileset to use Itead's naming convention, but you can always rename them to anything you want...
Wow, with such a nice response, maybe I need to order a hundred of these...
2014-02-16_022538_MicroMite_Prototype_Board_28_ITEAD_fileset .zip EDIT: I got a price at Itead of $132 for 100 pieces + $31 shipping = $163, not to bad... I could order them tomorrow if everyone thinks this release of the layout looks OK.. EDIT: Ok.. ok... I just couldn't stand it anymore.. 100 ordered..!
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9610 |
Can't find a back silkscreen file in that ZIP, or Sprint Layout cannot work with it. What is the filename? Does not matter - you are getting the boards done, not me!  Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 767 |
Morning Grogster... The backside silk is in the "GBS" file.. I don't have a gerber file viewer installed anymore... (lost it with the last hard drive) What is this Sprint Layout program you have..? Is it a free viewer... Maybe I should search it up.. Thanks for trying to check the files Grogs..!! EDIT: I did find an online gerber viewer... I messed up the back silk file not using a "vector font" so the text leaves the board area I little... Will fix it and hopefully send an update file to Itead after church... |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9610 |
The GBS file is the bottom layer soldermask, as far as Sprint Layout is concerned - not a silkscreen/overlay. Top overlay/silkscreen is the GTO file, so using your naming concept, I would expect a GBO file for the bottom overlay, but that does not exist. I use Sprint Layout 6, which has a Gerber importer, which is really handy for checking other files. Please post the link of the online viewer you are using - that could be really handy to know. It is NOT free, but there is a free demo version, which lets you do everything but save and print files, so you can use the free demo version, just as a Gerber viewer if you like. Sprint Layout 6 (demo version) Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| Zonker Guru Joined: 18/08/2012 Location: United StatesPosts: 767 |
Sorry for the mess-up Grogster.. I had made a mistake in the files that I sent to the board house..! 
I didn't notice I had used a proportional font when placing the text on the backside silk layer. When I finally found a website based Gerber file viewer, I saw the text running off the end of the board... (bummer) So, I got it fixed and resent the files to the board house. I just hope they haven't started the work yet..! I found this Online Viewer and was looking at the updated files... Take a look and see if you think they are OK.. 2014-02-16_224448_uMite-28_PCB_Update_itead.zip Thanks Grogs..! |
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| Grogster Admin Group Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9610 |
It's these kinds of things with filenames, where I much prefer a single all-in-one filetype for the board, and a production house which can accept that type of file. Gerber's are common to everyone, as far as I know, but Sprint Layout creates .LAY files, which is one single file, that describes the whole board - no need for six or seven individual gerber files, which OFTEN get confused! 
Eagle PCB and other programs do the same kind of thing - pack all the gerbers into one single file, which you can then send to the PCB house. But I digress - again...... Will download the latest ZIP and check them out. EDIT: Nice on-line gerber viewer - will bookmark that one. Bottom overlay there in the new ZIP, and it looks fine apart from the fact that the "MMBasic user forum:" is below the link - probably looks best above the link. My 2c only.
Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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