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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Mini Maximite - brilliant
| Author | Message | ||||
| McLaren Newbie  Joined: 28/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 11 |
Simple, elegant, intuitive, and brilliant. Thank you Geoff. Prices for a PCB still seem a bit steep for those of us with little or no budget (me) in the USA. Would anyone mind if I took a stab at trying to fit the Mini' design into a 50x50mm footprint (see below) to take advantage of the Seeed Studio Fusion PCB service (10 boards for $13 USD)? I'd love to hear your comments, even if you're one of the many people here with a monetary interest in the Maximite. Cheerful regards, Mike 
Mike McLaren, K8LH |
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sparkey Senior Member  Joined: 15/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 819 |
if you dont already know geoff was the origanl designer of the maximite he publishes the firm ware up dates and publised through silicon chip magazine if yo want the orig art`s its march april may and also his second publishing the mini maximite in nov "all 2011" regards sparkey and you would not be the fist person too come out with a prototype board its getting very popular '''' :welcome to the back shed hope you find it a good place to visit and get into warmest regards sparkey .....///.../// technicians do it with least resistance |
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elproducts Senior Member Joined: 19/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 282 |
Mike, I really like this but I would suggest adding the Keyboard, VGA, SD card connections back in but on the sides as seen below. This way we could create another board that stacks on top with those connectors (similar to the way a shield board plugs into Arduino). This way the square Maximite board could be plugged into a breadboard or even built into a permanent design but for those that don't want to program with a USB/terminal program, they can plug a VGA/Keyboard/SD board on top to develop. When their done, unplug the top board and run the project or leave it in to drive a display. I also moved the holes out to the corners as an option as well. If I use metal standoffs to hold the stacked boards together then having them further out reduces the chance of shorting to components. 
Beyond this we could make stackable boards (like Arduino shields) to plug in on top such as an RS232, relay or LCD board. A Maximite tower of electronics. www.elproducts.com |
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| McLaren Newbie Joined: 28/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 11 |
Hi El, That's almost exactly what I had in mind. I just got ahead of myself and posted early because I was so excited to see how the mini' will fit inside a 50x50mm footprint. I've got mid-terms starting Monday so I can't do much with this now but I think I'd like to try doing this sometime soon. Regards, Mike Mike McLaren, K8LH |
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donmck Guru  Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
50mm is just a whisker short of an actual Arduino shield foot print. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Hi Mike, EL, I really like the idea of small Controllers. Your idea is not too far away from my idea of a PIC32 Stamp. See my idea ... Last post on the page here Note the tracks were just to see how they would flow given the size of just under 36mm x 36mm.. I still needed boot switch XTAL and Caps and VDD Caps etc. NO USB or other just the engine. The Idea of the plug in modules is one concept I really love, And if you wish to go that way I applaud you, I do however think I agree with Don that for the size you are talking about an Arduino footprint `might' be a better way to go as your PCB is nearly there in size and the Arduino family has many ready made plug in boards avaiable for that standards.. Saves re-inventing the wheel Also you can fit an Arduino footprint on a PCB 52mm x 42mm Good luck with what ever you decide. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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RawMicro Newbie Joined: 29/10/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 4 |
Hi All, I'm new to the forum but have caught wind of the exciting things going on with this development and felt compelled to chime in. I think Chuck is right on the money with regards to being able to stack modules with additional functionality. The Arduino/Chipino/ChipKit gives you that and I've found it to be one of the super cool things about that platform. Rich Fuel Efficient Cars HQ |
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| McLaren Newbie Joined: 28/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 11 |
Hi Mick, Great idea. Sorry I missed it before. Just came across this PIC LQFP100 Breakout Board ($3.69 including shipping) that looks similar to what you're contemplating... Cheerful regards, Mike 
 Mike McLaren, K8LH |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2914 |
Hi Mike, Wow, Someone else out there has a similar idea to mine.. infact the only thing I was going to add that doesnt seem to appear there is an XTAL ... it is of course for the 100pin chip but I would assume they have a 64 pin version as well. Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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VK6MRG Guru Joined: 08/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 347 |
And for those wanting an SD card for the MiniMaximite...... CD Card holder  Its easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission! ............VK6MRG.............VK3MGR............ |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
However you are starting to bring the price of the total of the items up past the cost of a DuinoMite mini. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| VK6MRG Guru Joined: 08/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 347 |
Maybe, but if all you are doing is prototyping and you need something to just plug in….. Its easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission! ............VK6MRG.............VK3MGR............ |
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| donmck Guru Joined: 09/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1313 |
Sure, if you final goal is a mini-MaxiMite design, then you may need an SD card to reach that goal. Cheers Don... https://www.dontronics.com |
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| McLaren Newbie Joined: 28/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 11 |
Hi Mick, Not sure if there's a 64 pin design around somewhere. Sorry. I sampled both 'L' and 'H' parts so I'm a bit flexible. Here's another 100 pin board design (including Eagle files) that fits in the 50x50mm footprint for the Seeed/iTead "10 boards for $10 deal" ($13 landed in USA). This design appears to have a crystal and a regulator (yippee!)... Cheerful regards, Mike  Mike McLaren, K8LH |
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| VK6MRG Guru Joined: 08/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 347 |
Well folks! here is the UBW32 stamp! 
Now will me get a 64 pin version? AKA Maximite stamp! Its easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission! ............VK6MRG.............VK3MGR............ |
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Xiongmao Regular Member  Joined: 25/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 48 |
Bear in mind that the board in Mclaren's link is 0.5mm spacing. AFAIK the 100 pin PIC32 are all 0.4mm. Fortunately, if you go to their webstore, they also have a 0.4mm version. |
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| elproducts Senior Member Joined: 19/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 282 |
The data sheet shows both a 0.5 pitch version and 0.4 pitch version. So I assume this is using the 14x14mm version. 
www.elproducts.com |
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| McLaren Newbie Joined: 28/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 11 |
Thank you for bringing this to my attention guys. I apologize for not catching that fact... Mike McLaren, K8LH |
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| elproducts Senior Member Joined: 19/06/2011 Location: United StatesPosts: 282 |
I finally got all the pieces together to build a Maximite-Mini. After finding and fixing a USB connector solder problem I have it running successfully. I also added a 3.3v LDO to the design so I can power it directly from the USB port. This is an easy addition since the circuitry already has all the output filter caps required(a 5v filter cap may be required if you run this off the USB port). I used a Microchip Part Number MCP1700-3302E/TO You can get these at Digikey, Mouser or MicrochipDirect.com for under $0.50. It picks up USB 5v from CON1 pin 2 and ground from CON1 pin 1. The 3.3v output connects to the 3.3v bus at the ICSP connector pin 2. The leads are just bent to line up with those pins. Hopefully these pictures tell the story. 
www.elproducts.com |
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