Mini +P8 module available
Peter Jakacki
Posts: 10,193
Some of you who have read the IoT5500 thread will know that I have a stack-on Propeller module to match the Ethernet module. Well of course the +P8 Propeller module can just as easily be used as a general-purpose stamp like CPU module with a couple of advantages. First off it's designed with an on-board microSD socket or high-capacity SPI Flash (typically 16Mbytes) and can of course be loaded up with whatever software the user wishes but I will have them preloaded with Tachyon with all the support for multiple virtual-memory FAT32 files.
I can see this module being used during breadboarding or on simple single-sided pcb prototypes and it's very small at under 1" square and due to the 0.8mm substrate it is less than 0.1" thick or 0.138" with the microSD socket. Like practically all my modules I don't try to stick USB onto it as I prefer keeping the USB side of it with the USB cable as I normally allow for an enhanced Prop Plug style connector on most boards.
D.P. is awaiting a shipment from me of the IoT5500 modules so I'm sure that anyone who is interested in either or both or the combo part should be able to order these off David locally as he is based in the nether regions of Washington state
Until the forum gets fixed up properly I can only give you links to the picture:
Datasheet document link: http://goo.gl/ZAN3ht
I can see this module being used during breadboarding or on simple single-sided pcb prototypes and it's very small at under 1" square and due to the 0.8mm substrate it is less than 0.1" thick or 0.138" with the microSD socket. Like practically all my modules I don't try to stick USB onto it as I prefer keeping the USB side of it with the USB cable as I normally allow for an enhanced Prop Plug style connector on most boards.
D.P. is awaiting a shipment from me of the IoT5500 modules so I'm sure that anyone who is interested in either or both or the combo part should be able to order these off David locally as he is based in the nether regions of Washington state
Until the forum gets fixed up properly I can only give you links to the picture:
Datasheet document link: http://goo.gl/ZAN3ht
467 x 419 - 66K
Comments
The SPI Flash shares lines with the SD card but has it's own chip select so they can both can be used as the Tachyon FS treats these as "drives". The SPI Flash is mounted under the module so that adds a little to the thickness then.
When I trim a board so as to expose the two rows of 10 pins as half-holes then it is very easy to hand solder this module flat to a matrix board and it looks very neat.
As for price I still need to check but the P8 will be around $25 USD one off but teamed up with the IoT5500 it won't cost too much more. I need to check my figures but pricing will be good. It may be that for shipping that the Ethernet and CPU modules are not soldered together so this makes it easier to stock and gives the user the option if they want to stack solder it or else place the modules separately.
I'm using a 6MHz oscillator on this one because I wanted to be able to overclock the Prop to 96Mhz for that bit of extra edge.
http://au.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=ASFLMB-6.000MHZ-LR-Tvirtualkey52750000virtualkey815-ASFLMB-6-LR-T
Normally I just use small 10Mhz crystals like this one at 5x3mm:
http://au.mouser.com/ProductDetail/ABRACON/ABM3C-10000MHZ-D4Y-T/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsBj6bBr9Q9aW3fnIfHiibJL%252bcKEBpVCss%3d
Around 87 cents one off.
But for the same price here is one slightly smaller at 3.2 x 2.5mm:
http://au.mouser.com/ProductDetail/AVX/CX3225GB10000P0HPQCC/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMsBj6bBr9Q9aSMajaFx5yeOGy%2fm7dnpeAS0gr2fgdECCg%3d%3d
Sounds good, I'll be ready with a simple way for people to pay by CC, only need to mark up module just to cover costs of a padded envelope, first class postage and CC card "discount rate" (that's the rate a CC processor charges for the transaction)
D.P. is just down the road from you in Olympia and he will be distributing these after he gets the shipment I should be sending this week from a production run I'm just doing.
As for a comparison to the mini Prop perhaps the main difference is that this is designed for mass storage so it has a microSD socket as well as the option for a 16MB Flash plus it runs at 96MHz. But there are no regulators on-board.