Survey - XBee USB Adapter Offering

Bump

Survey - XBee USB Adapter·- http://www.parallax.com/XBeeUSBSurvey/tabid/864/Default.aspx

We would like your input on how we offer the XBee USB Adapter. This simple survey will be used to gauge your header-pin configuration preference. Your input will help us provide exactly the product you want.

At present, our XBee USB Adapter includes (2) 0.1" male/male headers and (2) 2mm male/female headers that are not installed by Parallax Inc. They are put in a bag with the product and the customer decides whether or not to install them.

Survey available:
http://www.parallax.com/XBeeUSBSurvey/tabid/864/Default.aspx

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Ken Gracey

Thanks Bump.

To our friends: we need your input on this particular issue. Not only for this product, but these questions often apply to other products we manufacture (i.e., other XBee adapters).

If YOU tell us what YOU WANT, we will do it!

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Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.

Follow me at http://twitter.com/ParallaxKen for some insider news.

Microcontrolled

I took the survey. I think that you should have things like this on other products. I think that it would also be a good idea to have where you could leave a review on products.

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Wildatheart

No matter how you end up offering your product, I'd like to suggest that you silk screen the adapter board such that the pin number corresponds with the pin description on the top side of the adapter board. If we solder the adapter board into a perf board the labeling is lost and we're left to do a mirror image thing.

Or at least identify the pin desctiption by pin number in the literature. Sure would help.

Chris Savage

Hello,

I went back and looked at the documentation and I can see what you mean. The schematic does not show the pin numbers next to each pin descriptor. I will revise the documentation to add a diagram next to the module dimensions that makes the pin assignments more clear from a top-down perspective.

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Chris Savage

Parallax Engineering
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Wildatheart

Thanks Chris. And while your doing that, would you also consider removing the numerical references to pins 31, 32, 33, and 34. Those numbers may serve some purpose to those of you in the Engineering Department, but it causes us to wonder what we're missing.

Also, having read some of the Forum posts it seems some users are having difficulty connecting these boards to their Stamps. Another suggestion would be for you to add some graphics showing those connections - as a minimum... those similar to what you show for connecting the Memsic 2125 Dual-axis Accelerometer. (It takes a while to sort through all of the references to the DOUT's, the DIN's, and the I/O's.)

We all end up getting it in the end, but I find that its not on par with Parallax's very, very user friendly standards for presenting documentation.

Post Edited (Wildatheart) : 5/7/2010 3:57:08 PM GMT

Chris Savage

Fair enough. I have been writing much of the documentation for over 5 years here and sometimes when we get into a new product, such as XBee, it can be difficult to get everything the way it needs to be the first time. So we are accepting feedback in the hopes of filling in the blanks on certain products. I will provide a wiring diagram as well for using a microcontroller then.

As for the numerical references to pins 31 through 34, I was unable to locate those references in the documentation. Could you please clarify for me where these exist?

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Chris Savage

Parallax Engineering
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Wildatheart

Note the highlighted areas in the attached.

Actually, it'd good to leave the revised schematic in the docs, but for a quick and clean setup it might be clearer if you simply displayed the adapter board pins without the adapter board components and their connection to the Xbee - again, similar to what you did for the Mesmic docs.

Post Edited (Wildatheart) : 5/7/2010 5:12:13 PM GMT

Chris Savage

Oh those aren't pin references...J1, J2, J3 & J4 are the sockets and headers being mounted to the PCB. These are common reference designators used to show where a socket or header mounts. This would be no different than R1, R2, etc. for resistors or C1, C2, etc. for capacitors. They also keep consistency with our current schematics in other documentation as well. I hope this helps clear that section up a little for those who didn't know.

Best Regards,

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Chris Savage

Parallax Engineering
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Wildatheart

Ooooooops... Yes, I'm very familiar with schematic notations - and when I was younger, my eyes were a lot better.

You didn't comment on my second suggestion.

hover1

I couldn't figure out what Wildatheart was referring to, but at a fast glance, I guess you could mistake a "J" for a "3". Mystery solved!

Survey is tied at 2 options! This may make it harder for Parallax to decide!

Jim

Oldbitcollector (Jeff)

Does the PCB notation on everything have to be the same 6 point text?

I'm turning 40 in January I've got to admit that reading the PCB notation is a challenge.
(Granted I had my vision set for distance when I had cataracts removed...but...) [noparse]:)[/noparse]

OBC

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Chris Savage

I'm sorry, I didn't mention anything about your second suggestion because that was covered in my first reply with a pin out diagra for the board which will appear next to the Board Dimensions image.

Best Regards,

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Chris Savage

Parallax Engineering
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