OP
OP
I've added one panel's worth of order capacity to the online store, but I'm still waiting for a few of the more expensive parts to head my way (mainly the I2C isolation chip). Expect those orders to start making their way out in 1-2 weeks.
As for the RevE board, here are my current plans. Currently naming it the PicoModular.
Smaller tweaks:
- Removing the 5V buffered I2C port. While its nice to have up to 10m or so of I2C using the HDMI driver chip, I think the most compelling use case was to add a PCA9685 chip.
- Fixing the 0-10V pinout to match 1:1 with a Kessil cable.
- Fixing the pull-down resistors (from 2.2k to 100k) on the digital input to support the DFrobot level sensors more directly without other external tricks.
- Adding another pair of digital inputs where the I2C header used to be.
- Removing the 5V digital output current limit chip. In RevD this used a 500mA USB active current limiter. Its cheap, but I don't think most people ran into it and not having to load another one-off chip is actually a big time saver.
- Make a BOM variant which does not populate the pH circuit section (TBD). Saves some money on an entry level side.
- TBD: Remove the SMC / power on circuit and beeper chip. Its currently unused except to beep at startup, mainly since we never released any change to Reef-Pi to make it beep locally :-D
Larger tweaks:
- Add two "module slots" which are on 0.1" headers sitting above the existing board section, using the same or similar spacers as the RPi Zero (TBD: clearance around the DB9 connector - I might have to move this to a board-edge connector). Tweak the case design to accommodate connector positions on the modular slots
- Each module slot will have 12V, 5V, I2C, and a few dedicated Raspberry Pi GPIO lines running to it (whatever is left after the existing I/O).
- Design a "protoboard module" which is just strip-board or circular pad board for prototyping circuits, brought out to terminal connectors. Build your own circuit on this easily
- Design a PCA9685 PWM output board
- Design a 12V DC pump / doser output board (with PCA9685)
Other module ideas?
As for the RevE board, here are my current plans. Currently naming it the PicoModular.
Smaller tweaks:
- Removing the 5V buffered I2C port. While its nice to have up to 10m or so of I2C using the HDMI driver chip, I think the most compelling use case was to add a PCA9685 chip.
- Fixing the 0-10V pinout to match 1:1 with a Kessil cable.
- Fixing the pull-down resistors (from 2.2k to 100k) on the digital input to support the DFrobot level sensors more directly without other external tricks.
- Adding another pair of digital inputs where the I2C header used to be.
- Removing the 5V digital output current limit chip. In RevD this used a 500mA USB active current limiter. Its cheap, but I don't think most people ran into it and not having to load another one-off chip is actually a big time saver.
- Make a BOM variant which does not populate the pH circuit section (TBD). Saves some money on an entry level side.
- TBD: Remove the SMC / power on circuit and beeper chip. Its currently unused except to beep at startup, mainly since we never released any change to Reef-Pi to make it beep locally :-D
Larger tweaks:
- Add two "module slots" which are on 0.1" headers sitting above the existing board section, using the same or similar spacers as the RPi Zero (TBD: clearance around the DB9 connector - I might have to move this to a board-edge connector). Tweak the case design to accommodate connector positions on the modular slots
- Each module slot will have 12V, 5V, I2C, and a few dedicated Raspberry Pi GPIO lines running to it (whatever is left after the existing I/O).
- Design a "protoboard module" which is just strip-board or circular pad board for prototyping circuits, brought out to terminal connectors. Build your own circuit on this easily
- Design a PCA9685 PWM output board
- Design a 12V DC pump / doser output board (with PCA9685)
Other module ideas?
