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[on:]

So after buying my first Arduino, I picked up a couple of Modern Device's BBB's to put into projects.  And then I discovered my first Arduino love, the dorkboard (http://dorkbotpdx.org/wiki/dorkboard).

Designed by dorkbotpdx'er Don Davis, the Dorkboard is small, cheap (found locally for about $6 + cpu or for $10 from Wulfden) and works well with a breadboard.  I bought six over a period of time, and was very happy.  

The only problem I had with the Dorkboard is the non-standard TTL-serial interface (5pins vs. the normal 6).  This was ok for a time, but when I have 3 TTL Serial/USB adapters just sitting around I couldn't use (vs. a single clumsy adapter board), it became a pain.

So I decided to create my own Dorkboard "clone", which was essentially added a FTDI connector (and I adapted the parts to suit what I had).  My board is slightly larger but does have labels for each of the pins.  I did a "Rev B" and slightly moved the FTDI connector away from the 28pin socket (so I could use a vertical header if I wanted).  Oh yeah, I moved the design credit to the back of the board so it could be seen when the board is assembled.

The attached pic shows my first run prototypes flanked by a headless Dorkboard.

Brad (KF7FER)

[Reply #1 on:]

Could you explain, why the pins are not arranged in a line? I think that the pressure on the pins is not very convenient for the solder joints.

[Reply #2 on:]

Could you explain, why the pins are not arranged in a line?

Sure.  The staggered pin layout comes from the Sparkfun library and is a trick to help hold the pins secure before you solder them.

I think that the pressure on the pins is not very convenient for the solder joints.

I think it looks worse than it is.  The pins are still straight.  See http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/114 for details on how it works.

Brad.

[Reply #3 on:]

Sorry for the noobish question, but when connecting the ftdi and uploading the sketch, does this duino self-reset?

[Reply #4 on:]

Yes - it will - look at the diagram ;-)

[Reply #5 on:]

The staggered pin layout comes from the Sparkfun library and is a trick to help hold the pins secure before you solder them.

I've seen those in the library but have not tried them. How did they work for you?

[Reply #6 on:]

Yes - it will - look at the diagram ;-)

And if you look closely at the picture you can see the 0.1uF cap used for auto-reset adjacent to the right-angle FTDI pins.

The staggered pin layout comes from the Sparkfun library and is a trick to help hold the pins secure before you solder them.

I've seen those in the library but have not tried them. How did they work for you?

They work perfect - the size is right on and they hold the pins very securely.  I don't use anything else if I can avoid it.

Brad.

[Reply #7 on:]

Are you willing also to share the Eagle files?

[Reply #8 on:]

Are you willing also to share the Eagle files?

Sparkfun is willing to share:
https://github.com/sparkfun/SparkFun-Eagle-Library

[Reply #9 on:]

Are you willing also to share the Eagle files?

Sure.  I typically mark my boards as CC-BY-SA but I don't think these have anything on them so feel free to use them as you see fit.

And thanks to Jack for posting a link to the Sparkfun library - it's a great resource.

Brad.

[Reply #10 on:]

Thanks!