[Help Wanted] The ArduWatch - A Simple, Low Cost, Take Anywhere Platform

Maybe that term wasn't correct, I'm not shooting any ideas down purposely, I'm explaining my thought process behind the troubles in each idea. Every idea has a drawback or problem that needs to be overcome. I would love to implement every one of everyone's ideas, but by "reinvent the wheel" I mean "to go to extreme and elaborate lengths to do something not entirely and absolutely necessary."

I am a single person who is doing design, prefab, fabrication, procuring of resources, time management, redesign, editing, and brainstorming, construction, etc.... Yes I realize it's a "welcome to the real world thing"

Anyway, I'll keep working ahead.

Any reason for a 5V rail instead of 3.3? Wouldn't the smaller voltage mean you could use a single-cell LiPo?

3.3v is what it looks like everything is coming down too, the case I am working on will most likely not have enough room, but the battery is now a non-essential and future revision. Now is 3.3v going to limit the usability of the device? many sensors (such as the parallax PING sensor) require 5v, and a ping sensor would be very handy on this watch...

Anyway, again revisions are made. The jumper solution hit me square in the face today... The breadboard I want to test... IS THE JUMPER LOCATION. Make the board bigger, house 26 pins in that small rectangular space and BAM! everything is solved.

I spent this past day working on the band, nothing special, but sturdy. It's 4mm thin, and 40mm wide. This is the smallest, lightest, and cheapest ($20 to fab) version yet. I still need to get a model fabricated to see what my true limits are, for all I know the band can be 1mm thin.

Again another picture of the revision, this thread is nowhere near dead...

Oh, sidenote:

If there is anyone out there saying "Man, I really wish there was something I could do to help this poor, overworked man out, I would love to design a custom PCB for them,"
then I would love the assistance
Currently I want to combine the Micro-Ftx board (files here: MicroFTX

as well as combine the femtoduino files somewhere in all of this mess here: varesano.net -
into a pcb that will fit snugly into the attached picture.

I can do the final editing, but it would be an immense help if someone could connect the needed traces, add any needed parts, and size out the pcb for surface mounting.

So you've designed the band is that right? And the enclosure for the PCB? You just need someone to actually design the processor circuit that's going to go inside it?

How is the PCB attached to the watch?
What display will it be using?
How does the display seal to the watch?

The pcb would have to be either tacked with an adhesive, or have a very small bolt or screw through it. The case can and will morph to any needed design, so there is some leeway with everything.
Small, light, strong, comfortable, functional. That's what I'm going for. I am currently focusing all my effort onto the housing and a pcb that was custom would be awesome, I could build it, i just need an eagle file.

The gimmick with the arduino, and all MCU's for that matter, is there simplicity. An arduino is nothing special until you start adding on to it. Making it into a SWRF comm set, or a clock, etc.
The same should apply with this device. If you want to add a screen, go ahead, but one will not be included in the base model. A special shield, however, would be a great idea, the ArduWatch's cap is removable, and a new cap (shield) can be replaced. That was the idea at least.

All of the Femtoduino's pins are being breadboarded out onto the watch itself, so you can develop on-the-fly with just a computer and the device that's always on you. With a bluetooth module on the board, a smartphone could be used. Again, trying to make it as easy to develop sketches on-the-go as possible.

I plan on releasing multiple sizes, with different versions. The final product will include a battery of some sort, there will be a bluetooth version, as well as a USB only version. "Caps" will be released as well for added functionality.

Have you seen the lilypad? Search Results for lilypad - SparkFun Electronics

Or just use these: http://tiny-circuits.com/products/tinylily/

The normal lily-pad is too big, and the mini is pretty much the exact same as the femtoduino, I want a custom board that I have glory rights over. I can do it myself, but it will take me an extra week of solid work.

SilentDemon555:
The normal lily-pad is too big, and the mini is pretty much the exact same as the femtoduino, I want a custom board that I have glory rights over. I can do it myself, but it will take me an extra week of solid work.

Just to clarify: you want someone reading this thread to design the PCB for this Arduwatch. A custom PCB that you have glory rights over.

Is that right?

And the lilymini can do exactly what you want, in a form factor that fits right into the watch case you have designed (easily), but you won't use it because you didn't design it.

Is that right?

Hadn't seen this before, had you?

I found the other thing I thought would be useful for this project: Seeeduino FILM - DEV-10181 - SparkFun Electronics

Has a charger built in and comes with a LiPo battery.

To clarify,
The ArduWatch is not a watch in the normal sense. The watch from Sparkfun tells time, this is a MCU on your wrist.
The Femtoduino is a bare-bones Arduino system that i want to upgrade for the functionality and form factor I need. The lily-pad is something i'm not familiar with and currently I want to focus on what I have.
Yes I would love to have assistance in designing a PCB for use exclusively with the ArduWatch (that's what I meant by glory rights).

If I have a PCB design that is tailored exactly for my needs, it speeds up production time greatly. I plan on mass producing these watches, so buying pre-assembled anything greatly increases the overhead cost.
For example, a Femtoduino costs about $25 to order and ship, but the parts list only contains about $8 worth of parts (Cheaper if they are purchased in bulk.)

I can probably speak for everyone when i say that no one will do that for free, especially since you want the rights to the design. My advice to you would be to seek a professional design and assembly firm.

Everything I am doing will be open source, no one gets rights.
I'll do it, It'll add extra work, but I thought I'd ask.

SilentDemon555:
To clarify,
The ArduWatch is not a watch in the normal sense. The watch from Sparkfun tells time, this is a MCU on your wrist.

In fact the watch from Sparkfun is an Atmega328, and is decidedly hackable. It also has a case. And a circuit design. And a display. I think you are dismissing it too quickly.

The Femtoduino is a bare-bones Arduino system that i want to upgrade for the functionality and form factor I need. The lily-pad is something i'm not familiar with and currently I want to focus on what I have.
Yes I would love to have assistance in designing a PCB for use exclusively with the ArduWatch (that's what I meant by glory rights).

Lilypad mini is a barebones Arduino system too. And it fits right into the case and has shields to do everything you have talked about in this thread.

And the PCB designed for the Arduwatch won't be used exclusively for Arduwatch if you open source it as you have said you would. It's possible you are not communicating your intent clearly, but so far it sounds like you want to own the design. "Exclusive use" and "glory rights" or just "rights" are the antithesis of open source.

SilentDemon555:
If I have a PCB design that is tailored exactly for my needs, it speeds up production time greatly. I plan on mass producing these watches, so buying pre-assembled anything greatly increases the overhead cost.

What are you going to do with a bunch of mass-produced watches? Sell them? For money? Make a profit? But you want someone to design the PCB for free. Hmmm. Interesting.

And why is it important to speed up production? You are going to be second or nth to the market with a hobbyist designed product, competing with multinational companies producing professional grade devices.

I think you're better off relaxing and enjoying the journey. This seems to be your first foray into creating something and you are going to learn a lot. This isn't a get rich quick scheme :wink:

SilentDemon555:
For example, a Femtoduino costs about $25 to order and ship, but the parts list only contains about $8 worth of parts (Cheaper if they are purchased in bulk.)

The femtoduino is also put together. How long would it take you to solder a femtoduino together, with all its surface mount pieces? And how much to get the board manufactured, let alone designed?

The lilypad mini is $9.95 but you dismissed it because "it's not mine" and "I am not familiar with it".

When you mass-produce your watch, how much are you going to sell it for? $25? Or are you going to sell it for $60? With the same $8 of parts and $2 of plastic for the watch case.

And when someone looks at that watch and says what you are saying here, ie: "I can't do anything with that, I'm not familiar with it", they're not going to buy it, are they?

To be honest, I am really struggling to see how you sell this idea without a screen. When I asked what you are going to do for the screen, you dodged the question entirely. Why on earth have this on your wrist if you get absolutely no feedback from it?

I want you to succeed. By success I mean survive the process and produce something you can be proud of. Even if it's only one prototype or a couple of them with minor fixes. I understand the excitement of what you're going through. I have 10 folders numbered of ideas of things I would / could use that I could / would make to potentially put on the market. It's intoxicating.

What I am struggling with is the whole "I am so over worked won't someone do it for me" slant in your posts, the (attempt at) emotional manipulation, immediately followed by the attitude you can't hide - that you want to own this. I understand that. It's your idea, and you feel protective of it, but you gotta ease up, let go of it a bit, and consider all possibilities.

And I think you will find the circuit design you want is going to take a bit more than a week full-time.

You're far better off grabbing stuff (eg a Lilypad mini) that already exists and works and putting it in a watch case and seeing how your idea works, or buying something like the Sparkfun watch and messing with it. Learn from other people's designs and mistakes. Far cheaper in terms of time and money.

How are you going to make it water and electrolyte proof?

Your idea is not entirely disimular to mine, the only difference being the scale. Read my post The Magic Candle. Basicaly it is a system that rotates around the versatility of an enclosure which can be extended or reduced according to need. Mine is not specificaly for development, though it would certainly aid my developing my projects if I didn't have to keep sorting out a brand new case everytime I wanted to try out a new circuit "in the field" so to speak.

Have you thought of enclosing your project in a pocket watch size case? My idea for a versatile enclosure would allow this to happen. A short tube with an end cap and a bezel either side. The bezel supports the glass under which you have the display. It would be threaded so would be very easy to assemble and disasemble. The PCB's would be circular and could be internaly stacked and gripped via threaded spacers.

I think my idea would help me imensley. I am unable to work as fast as you. So far I've struggled for 6 months and am still at the drawing stage. There is nothing easy about making a practicle flexible enclosure. I would definately appreciate help and suggestions. Being Open source anyone is free to use the ideas I have thus far offered.

My post is under Gigs and collaborations and is entitled The Magic Candle.