demo board design input

kelvin james

I realize you guys have pretty full plates to deal with on a number of issues, but if the demo board is being redesigned, this may a thought worth going back to. As just a simple idea, if you want to free up some real estate on the demo board, why not eliminate the db9 serial connector ? Go with usb, and since there is going to be a usb port anyway, it could see double duty for programming or peripheral, by means of a switch. Unless someone is using a very old computer, they should have a usb port. And, a possibility is to add a usb to serial adapter with the demo board package( at a reasonable cost ), if someone really requires it . I know the serial port interface has been a standard for many years, but it may be time to put it in the past. And another thing i would like to see is the power switch setup changed to a right angle, facing to the outside of the board , so it is easier to find and use. And for the just dreaming part, interchangable breadboard area. Two headers on each side of the board, that a breadboard could be " plugged " into, saving time and possible damage of components by redoing circuits. And a plugin solderable proto board could be used instead also. Yeah, i know, expense is a big issue, but what the hay, never hurts to make a suggestion.

kelvin

Jon Williams

There is no DB-9 on the Propeller demo board -- there is a DB-15 for connecting to a VGA monitor. The programming is done through a USB2SER-like device called the Propeller Clip; it attaches to pads at the edge of the board. If you "roll your own" you can use the USB2SER, or incorporate those components on the board.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax

Paul Baker

The Propeller clip is very cool, the board's interface to it is nothing more than 4 holes spaced 0.1" (standard DIP spacing) that have been filled with solder so there are 4 small indentations in the board that the clip hangs onto. The clip itself is tiny, about 1" long and 1/2" wide. The great thing is you can attach it when you want a USB interface, and detach it when you dont, plus its like the SX-Key in that you only need one, any boards you produce only have to replicate the 4 solder filled holes and you can use the clip to program the board, saving you the cost of including the FTDI chip, USB connector and the board real-estate that goes with them.

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