What happened to prototyping areas? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: fake-name
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 06:52:09 am
content: Does anyone make microprocessor eval boards with prototyping areas anymore?I've been throwing together some slightly silly one-off weather logging sensors recently, and they're all turning into horrible multi-PCB disasters because I can't find any decent low-effort micro-controller boards which have a decent amount of prototyping area.I remember in the early 2000's basically every MCU eval board seemed to be half prototyping area, but I'll be damned if I could find *any* boards with any space for implementing any of your own circuitry anymore.

author: jbb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 06:55:31 am
content: Olimex does some, I think.(Oh my, the autocorrect on my computer kept trying to change that to 'climax.')

author: fake-name
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 07:01:00 am
content: Quote from: jbb on April 02, 2017, 06:55:31 amThey all seem to be oddball MCUs, or have a bunch of useless peripherals though.I'd kill for a really simple board with a ATmega328, a voltage regulator, and a bunch of prototyping area.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 07:59:07 am
content: Quote from: fake-name onTodayat 07:01:00isn't it what an arduino mini on a breadboard is ? yes some kind of upside down but ?

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 08:02:45 am
content: http://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/tinykitlist/74-atmegaxx8?https://www.olimex.com/Products/AVR/Proto/In general, an arduino clone plus a mating proto board or shield is cheaper and easier.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 09:23:22 am
content: Quote from: fake-name on April 02, 2017, 06:52:09 amMCU board, plus 0.1" header pins, plus stripboard of your choice.Beyond the issue of finding a "hobbyist" board with sufficient well-distributed ground connections, you'll have to explain what more you want.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 10:21:41 am
content: https://www.freetronics.com.au/collections/arduino/products/kittenIts a stripped down through hole ArduinoDiecimilaclone kit with a header for a FTDI cable instead of the on-board FTDI USB serial chip, a socketed ATmega328P and a 6x14 0.1" pitch proto area.Currently out of stock, but you may get lucky with one of their distributors.

author: radar_macgyver
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 02:38:25 pm
content: With Arduino, you can also get a protoshield like this:https://www.sparkfun.com/products/7914Or sometimes other shields that don't take up the entire shield footprint have proto areas:https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12761https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13158https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13750

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2017, 03:08:00 pm
content: Quote from: fake-name on April 02, 2017, 07:01:00 amGet a Pro Mini and some of these:http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=4x6+protoboard+pcb&_sacat=0Join the Pro Mini to the PCB using the supplied header pins.It looks really neat and tidy if you wire wrap the Arduino pins to the other stuff underneath the board. The top only has the Arduino and jumper wires visible.

author: fake-name
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2017, 04:09:17 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on April 02, 2017, 03:08:00 pmQuote from: tggzzz on April 02, 2017, 09:23:22 amSee original post about a multi-pcb disaster. Also, all those PCBs with only single-pad lands make things a lot more annoying.Something like the permaduino (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/permaduino) with more prototyping area, and without the silly battery stuff would be ideal.

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2017, 05:03:44 am
content: Not the cheapest ones around but you could take a look at the MikroE range of "Ready boards":https://www.mikroe.com/ready/- or perhaps not, now that I'm looking at it the prototyping area on the AVR version is tiny.

author: mac.6
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2017, 02:58:48 pm
content: Take NXP Kinetis freedom boards, slap a cheap prototype arduino shield.You have your proto board, even if you can't use all I/O of the board.This applies to all arduino form factor compatible boards...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2017, 11:02:31 pm
content: Most of the little modules have pins on standard 0.1" spacings. You can stick all the little modules you're using onto one larger piece of perfboard and you've got as much prototyping area as you want. Personally I never found much use for the built in prototyping area, usually my dev boards are used for multiple things and I don't like to solder project specific parts to one.

author: jklasdf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2017, 11:34:37 pm
content: What about Atmel's xplained boards?http://www.atmel.com/tools/mega328p-xmini.aspxOnly $10 at digikey:https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/microchip-technology/ATMEGA328PB-XMINI/ATMEGA328PB-XMINI-ND/5338500

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2017, 02:59:08 pm
content: Quote from: jklasdf on April 03, 2017, 11:34:37 pmNeat, I might pick one up. I like the on-board debugger (via a ATmega32U4 running mEDBG FW), and the proto area with 2 or 3 interconnected holes.I've noticed that many/most manufacturers now offer very inexpensive, basic dev boards that incorporate an on-board programming and debug interface and require nothing more that a USB port. This is nothing like when I first played with PICs and had to build my own serial port based programmer (no ICD of course), or when I rebooted my interest in them years later and spent nearly $100 on a PICKit and a dev board and still had no ICD. These days you can get into microcontrollers with just $5 or $10, and that's using manufacturer's dev boards, not cheap ebay junk. Of course, asfake-namehas implied, most of these boards don't come with a solder-able prototyping area any longer. Pin headers for I/O pins is often all you get. The above board is an exception, even if the proto area is small.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 07:32:40 am
content: Quote from: evb149 on April 02, 2017, 08:47:14 PMWow. I'm sure all of that would be wonderful if it were free and took up zero space. But I observe that people don't actually tend to be willing to pay the price for such boards, and in fact the switch to "bare minimum" boards like an Arduino nano or Cypress Prototype kits is a pretty good thing for everyone. I own a lot more $30 minimalist "eval boards" than $150 "highly expandable development kits", and I really don't want to see a return to $300 "official demo board" days...QuoteWell, yes. Exactly. It has become MUCH easier and cheaper to make a custom PCB than it used to be, whether that's some sort of "shield" (Idon'tlike that term, but it's stuck...) that attaches to a minimalist board or a full custom PCB.It's a little surprising that you don't see more "modular reference designs" where you can pick and choose features and get an "almost" PCB design. (Hmm. THERE'S an interesting idea for a OSSW project...)QuoteI'm really not seeing how "generic proto pcb" plus "MCU Core board" (two PCBs total) turns into THAT much more of a disaster than a single PCB with similar prototyping area. Yeah, if you start to use a separate "breakout board" for each of those neat little peripheral chips that are only available as fine-pitch SMT, things can get out-of-control, but ... they wouldn't have fit on a proto area anyway.QuoteHeh. The general lack of agreement on a "useful" prototyping layout is another problem... Almost all of the eval boards that I've seen that have a "significant" prototyping area seem to use that pad-per-hole layout, and ... I don't see the point!

author: DBecker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2017, 04:14:01 am
content: Yes, what's the point of pad-per-hole? How many projects have zero connection per pin? And what about parts that aren't on a 0.1" grid?It would be far more useful to have a handful of common designs (8 pin dual opamp with feedback and +V/GND pull-up/pull-down connections), and at least three holes and an rectangular pad for other nodes.

author: Rolo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2017, 09:50:54 am
content: I used these a few times for prototypes, the are cheap, good quality and have a practical layout. Bought at DX.COM, SKU 138294.

author: fake-name
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 12, 2017, 03:44:33 am
content: Well, uh, seeed is having that 10 PCBs for $5 thing, and this happened. Boards have a SAMD21 on them, with the required support bits, and a big 3.3V reg. Every single pin is broken out, too.Since the boards are so stupid cheap, I also made up some solderable protoboards. For $0.50 each, it's way way cheaper to design my own, then buy commercial ones.I also ordered one of the OSHStencils stainless stencil things. It was only marginally more expensive then the kapton option, and I was curious. There are three different projects on this one stencil.Parts are here tomorrow.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 12, 2017, 04:07:10 am
content: Nice one!Makes me want to do something similar for an STM32F0