Modular Electronics -- Looking for alpha testers/Early adopters! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2017, 06:47:07 am
content: Hi folks,I've been working on an exciting modular electronics system for some time. It's quite novel and distinguished from anything you'd see out there, but it's still in a very rough shape.I'm looking for some brave early adopters / alpha testers (preferably in the US) to provide valuable feedback, contribute their ideas/projects and be the core of a future community. High expertise in hardware / embedded systems is not required. A good experience is enough but what's important is passion and drive. I'll provide all the tools/hardware you need to start tinkering with the system. You will be among the few dozen people trying this and the hardware quantity I have is very limited so it'll be first-come-first-serve (if you're a suitable tester)Below some teaser pictures! If you're excited about this please PM me introducing yourself and why you're the best tester on planet

author: Geerant101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2017, 07:26:54 am
content: Nice concept, I really like it. I have been looking at something very similar for a while now. I have found (Google) that solder blobs might not be as good in practise as they appear in theory. I can see you have built many actual prototypes so I would be interested in how the connections go physically.Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2017, 08:06:42 am
content: Thanks! Soldering is not optimal but it worked really well. It's a compromise between reliability and reconfigurablity.Soldered edges are more rigid and more reliable. They're smaller, lighter and cheaper than most connectors and wires. So if you have a size/weight-constrained application (e.g., a drone) they do much better job. Of course, if you abuse them, you can pull the traces off but this is the case with any SMD connections. You can still use connectors instead. It does not change the main design concept.

author: Geerant101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2017, 09:49:35 am
content: Well that's good to hear I might have to give it a goperhaps using vias aswell would minimise the traces peeling back? You are right tho, connectors in general are expensive!Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 02:40:16 am
content: Yep using vias definitely helps if you have same signal on both sides.

author: Geerant101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 02:43:25 am
content: Even just for added mechanical strength.Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

author: MechEng87
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 03:39:52 am
content: Looks like a great idea. Id definitely be willing to do some testing for the product. What are the different modules that you have made so far? I see some power modules maybe in the third picture, and a whole bunch of micros. What else have you put on the boards?

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 05:08:45 am
content: Quote from: MechEng87 on August 21, 2017, 03:39:52 amMechEng87 please PM some information about yourself and I'll share with you more details about the project if you're interested to give it a try. Currently I have 6 modules ready and about 10 in the work. There's RGB LED, uSD card, DC power supply, batteries, solid state relay, digital serializer, Ethernet, BLE, audio amplifier, USBs (standard, mini, micro) and sensor hub among others. I'm hoping to have some free time to finish about 25 modules by the end of the year. Most development goes to APIs and the embedded operating system.

author: hendorog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 06:37:27 am
content: Quote from: Asaad on August 20, 2017, 08:06:42 amSolar tab wire would be perfect for making those solder blob joins more robust - if I understand what you are doing. It has a solder coating already so would take about 2 seconds to apply. Easy to desolder without solder wick - if you leave a little extra folded up to grab with pliers.Edit: This stuff:http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-9-14m-x-2mm-w-solder-solar-cells-TAB-tabbing-WIRE-/180531128629?hash=item2a087e6935:g:TBMAAOSwYmZXIiQM

author: firehopper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 11:17:02 pm
content: I have some of that solder tab stuff.. it might make it a little harder to reconfigure the modules though.

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 01:59:17 am
content: The solar tabs are a nice idea although I don't think you need it in most applications. The array (as I call these boards) rigidity and reliability are quite good for typical applications and light loads. For really large arrays (like the big one showed above with 37 modules), it's better to have some structural support and protection. Since I was aiming for an extremely lightweight design in one particular application, I 3d printed lightweight structural flat and spherical frames to provide physical support.Reconfigurability is key here. I can reliably use the array for months and years and then add or remove modules (or change shape) in 10 minutes with a solder iron. You don't even need to remove the solder completely. Just heat it up and it'll split into two smaller blobs. Heat again and they will merge.

author: Geerant101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 02:10:37 am
content: If reconfigurability then solder blobs connecting the modules to each other may not be ideal. Any connector would option would add cost but makes it very easy to reconfigure..Just another 2cSent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 02:18:03 am
content: Quote from: Geerant101 on August 22, 2017, 02:10:37 amTrue, it's not plug and play level but that's not the requirement here. I was looking for something more flexible than a custom made PCB that can never be changed or re-purposed and more reliable and compact than development boards connected with wires, connectors, etc.Giving said that, nothing prevents you from using special connectors as long as you can find cheap genderless ones. If you use males and females then you'll lose some modularity in the design but it might be OK. All these variables can be optimized for different applications.

author: Geerant101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 02:29:52 am
content: "more flexible than a custom made PCB that can never be changed or re-purposed and more reliable and compact than development boards connected with wires, connectors, etc"I actually missed this.. This is a very good concept, I like it alot and it will be very powerful. You could have a standard interface between the modules eg. power, I2C ADC etc aswell.Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 03:32:17 am
content: It's like mini solar roadways!

author: Geerant101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 03:49:36 am
content: A mini solar roadways which is only for R&D and not trying to be for production..Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

author: dnwheeler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 04:12:18 pm
content: Just adding through-holes to each pad would allow the optional use of a small jumper wire for structural support (but still allow just a solder blob). I'm also wondering if it might be possible to get some sort of "H" shaped connector (just a bare metal spring clip) that the two boards could slide into. I've seen similar clips with a pin on one side, but haven't seen a dual clip design.

author: trophosphere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2017, 06:37:25 pm
content: Have you looked into using theRotaConnectconnectors to attach the PCBs to one another. They are (for the purposes of your BOM) essentially genderless and can connect to one another at different angles thus allowing you to keep the overall shapes you've made.

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2017, 03:29:11 am
content: Quote from: dnwheeler on August 22, 2017, 04:12:18 pmThere are different signals on top and bottom side of each solder joint thus a through-hole solution is not really feasible. Usually if I want to get external access to the array I solder the ultra-cheap 2.54 male header connectors and connect them to jumper wires. They're a bit wider than board thickness (~1.6mm) but with solder they stick there really well.

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2017, 03:43:48 am
content: Quote from: trophosphere on August 22, 2017, 06:37:25 pmActually I haven't heard of those before! The board-to-board ones are really nice. Might be good for some fancy plug-n-play applications. For most practical applications though, it's an overkill. They're almost more expensive than the modules themselves. If you want to replace all solder joints for a hexagon that's 24 x $0.5 (cheapest wholesale price) = $12! You will need also a bit larger modules. The ones I have are really tiny: 30mm side-to-side.

author: Asaad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 10:40:31 pm
content: More weird shapes and configurations!