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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Silicon Chip MM. Explore 40
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palcal Guru  Joined: 12/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1873 |
A new MM in the same form factor as a picomite. Silicon Chip "It is better to be ignorant and ask a stupid question than to be plain Stupid and not ask at all" |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 4222 |
Hi Pascal, They ask 35 AU dollar for the kit. Quite expensive compared to a RP2040 pico. But for the people that love the PIC32 series (which has it's merrits), it is THE solution.... Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| palcal Guru Joined: 12/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1873 |
I will just order a couple of PCBs, I have all the other parts. "It is better to be ignorant and ask a stupid question than to be plain Stupid and not ask at all" |
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| palcal Guru Joined: 12/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1873 |
After a better look it seems to be nothing more than the old E-28 a Robert Rozee/Grogster design, with a USB-C connector. So not worth the effort, I've got E-28 boards I can build up. Edited 2024-09-25 17:39 by palcal "It is better to be ignorant and ask a stupid question than to be plain Stupid and not ask at all" |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
it is rather odd that they didn't use the 44-pin MX170. i also see they forgot the 10k pullup required on pin 11 of the MX170 to prevent the 16F1455's UART from receiving garbage when in firmware upload mode. if building this board i would strongly recommend including this pullup. cheers, rob :-) E-28 (1D) diagram.pdf |
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| PhenixRising Guru Joined: 07/11/2023 Location: United KingdomPosts: 856 |
Are there any 44-pin MX170 boards produced anywhere? |
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Grogster Admin Group  Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 9305 |
I have used the 44-pin 170 in some PCB designs, but I don't THINK a "MicroMite" type module with the 44 was ever done. Not by me, anyway. Peter or Mick might have done one, but I can't remember. Perhaps I need to do a new version of the E-28 with a USB-C socket!  EDIT: I seem to recall that Phil(WhiteWizard) did a 44-pin MicroMite module back in the day.... Edited 2024-09-26 16:01 by Grogster Smoke makes things work. When the smoke gets out, it stops! |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
these days, the trick to creating an E-44 would be to get the schematic and PCB into a format that JLCPCB can manufacture for you. use QFN versions of both the MX170/44 and 16F1455, and place them along with all the other components on the top side of the PCB - so you can then have JLCPCB also do the assembly. my suggestion would be to create it in the shape of a 44-pin DIP (mapping pins 1-1 with the MX170/44), along with a couple of extra pads across the short end of the board for 5v supply in/out. how much would this cost if manufactured and assembled by JLCPCB? cheers, rob :-) |
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Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6768 |
About three-five times more than it costs for a Pico unless you are going to order by the hundred? Multi-layer PCBs (even only 4 layers and smaller than 100x100mm) cost over twice as much as two sides for the same area. You aren't going to manage to lay it out on a 2-side board, I don't think. It'll be pretty cramped. Then, how much for the components? The RP2040 costs less than US$1 and the RP2350 (if you can get them yet) probably not much different to US$1.5. The 48-pin RP2350 I dunno... maybe a couple of $ in quantity? Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
is anyone in a position to feed PCB dimensions and parts list into JLCPCB's website and get an actual $ number? yes, 4 layers would most likely be needed. but the extra cost of that is not prohibitive. we were able to get TEN E-28 boards within 100mm x 100mm; an "E-44" would likely only manage SEVEN (5 in a row then 2 more at 90 degrees) cheers, rob :-) |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 6768 |
If you want them V grooved you can't put any at right angles. It also costs extra! The 4-layer board I last priced (the breadboard-friendly PGA) was $7 for 5 empty boards. There were 3 to a 100x100 area arranged to cut it myself. https://www.thebackshed.com/forum/ViewTopic.php?FID=16&TID=17194#225664 Have you seen the tour video of JLCPCB? It's an incredible place! . Edited 2024-09-26 21:48 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2350 |
5 per PCB, $7 for 5 sets --> 30 cents per E-44. a 64-pin 32MX170F512H TQFP costs about $9 each via JLCPCB, while a 16F1455 QFN is about $2 each (but not in stock). and that particular MX170 variant has 64 pins and 512k of flash! but on top of this you need to add all the smaller parts + assembly cost. so you are right Mick. cheaper and easier to get a pico/pico2, or an MX170 28-pin DIP. cheers, rob :-) Edited 2024-09-26 22:54 by robert.rozee |
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