Announcing CPUModule: A simple tiny Propeller board - fits on breadboards!
Bill Henning
Posts: 6,445
There have been manu threads in the forums requesting a very simple, small, Propeller module. WBA Consulting and I discussed this back in March, then again in May last year... but I had not yet decided on a feature set. Part of me wanted to cram it full of features, and make it SMT.
I discussed it with Sapieha. He wanted a *REALLY* simple module, not SMT, that could plug into a standard breadboard.
Sapieha and I kicked it back and forth... he convinced me to drop the ADC and SMT construction, I convinced him to make it have at least three EXPansion connectors compatible with 10 pin modules.
Thus, CPUModule was born...
I had prototypes at UPEW 2010, and now I have production boards in hand for UPEW 2011
CPUModule features:
- 2.575"x1.160" - same form factor as the I/O modules, with the same mounting footprint
- extremely nice PCB layout by Sapieha
- can be mounted on standard .1" spacing breadboards using simple male headers
- can take EXP1 (P0-P7), EXP2 (P8-P15) and EXP3 (P16-P23) standard -or- stacking connector
- has on-board LM1117-3.3 (or compatible) SMT voltage regulator
- optional power LED and current limiting resistor
- supports up to three 33uF SMT/throughole tantalum capacitors and two 100nF ceramic bypass capacitors
- EXP1/2 can have optional 11'th +5VDC pin if the module is powered by +5VDC
- has my standard H-COMM connector for PropPlug, SerPlug or 485Plug
- can take TWO EEPROM's (pullups on both SCA and SCL)
- one EEProm socket defaults to address 0, the other can be strapped to address 0..7
- has two screw terminals for power input
- has two screw terminals for power input
Did I mention CPUModule is tiny?
Or that it runs fine at 100MHz?
miniPro works great on it, as do all the 10 pin modules I will be showing at UPEW!
I am attaching some shots of the CPUModule below.
Note: the next production run will be blue.
MSRP for the bare PCB is:
1 for $7.95+s/h
3 for $22.00+s/h
I discussed it with Sapieha. He wanted a *REALLY* simple module, not SMT, that could plug into a standard breadboard.
Sapieha and I kicked it back and forth... he convinced me to drop the ADC and SMT construction, I convinced him to make it have at least three EXPansion connectors compatible with 10 pin modules.
Thus, CPUModule was born...
I had prototypes at UPEW 2010, and now I have production boards in hand for UPEW 2011
CPUModule features:
- 2.575"x1.160" - same form factor as the I/O modules, with the same mounting footprint
- extremely nice PCB layout by Sapieha
- can be mounted on standard .1" spacing breadboards using simple male headers
- can take EXP1 (P0-P7), EXP2 (P8-P15) and EXP3 (P16-P23) standard -or- stacking connector
- has on-board LM1117-3.3 (or compatible) SMT voltage regulator
- optional power LED and current limiting resistor
- supports up to three 33uF SMT/throughole tantalum capacitors and two 100nF ceramic bypass capacitors
- EXP1/2 can have optional 11'th +5VDC pin if the module is powered by +5VDC
- has my standard H-COMM connector for PropPlug, SerPlug or 485Plug
- can take TWO EEPROM's (pullups on both SCA and SCL)
- one EEProm socket defaults to address 0, the other can be strapped to address 0..7
- has two screw terminals for power input
- has two screw terminals for power input
Did I mention CPUModule is tiny?
Or that it runs fine at 100MHz?
miniPro works great on it, as do all the 10 pin modules I will be showing at UPEW!
I am attaching some shots of the CPUModule below.
Note: the next production run will be blue.
MSRP for the bare PCB is:
1 for $7.95+s/h
3 for $22.00+s/h
Comments
Any chance you could post a schematic ?
I'd be interested in a kit with all the parts. Any chance you will offer that ?
Bean
I added the schematic to the first post - so I guess there was a chance :-)
Sure, after UPEW I can offer a kit including parts. I will have some bare PCB's with me at UPEW.
It doesn't look like there are any hard to find parts, either.
I'll be back with you after UPEW.
Rick
No, there are no hard to find parts; and if you don't want to use SMT tantalum caps, you can use through hole electrolytics.
I'll be here after UPEW
I have a question. There looks like a 1N4xx rectifier in the picture but I don't see it on your schematic?
I am glad you like the board, and yes, I can ship 3 bare PCB's to Singapore
You are correct, that is a 1N4004 (or 4007, I forget which one I used) diode!
The schematic I posted is slightly out of date, and is missing the diode - sorry.
Oh, just saw your URL
Email or PM me your snail mail address, and what email address I can send a PayPal invoice to.
I am afraid I won't have a shopping cart set up on my site until sometime in June.
Paul
OK, just sent you a PM.
Cheers.
I look forward to seeing you at UPEW..
Corrected SCH to this module
Here is a teaser pic of CPUModule with three miniProp's stacked on top, plugged into a big breadboard holding unannounced educational mini boards
Thanks Sapieha.