DIYino - an Arduino compatible board for prop electronics

[Protonerd]

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Buying a DIYino Stardust v3 (new!!!), V2 and DIYino Prime V1 board:

Simply follow the link to my website. All information regarding order, payment, shipping and specs you can find there:
Buying a DIYino board


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Hi fellow Arduino forum members,

I proudly and happily announce my Arduino compatible family of boards, the

DIYino Stardust V3 (NEW!!!)

and

DIYino Prime v1

and

DIYino Stardust v2

Technical data at a glance:

The DIYino Stardust v3 board integrates:
- USB charging circuitry on board to charge a single Li-Ion 3.7V battery
- an Atmega328P-AU (based on the Arduino Nano)
- MPU-6050 6-axix accelero- and gyrometer for gesure/motion detection
- YX6300-24SS Wav/MP3 decoder (same chipset as on the DFPlayer Mini)
- (NEW) SD-card to hold the sound files
- 3W audio amplifier
- 3 Low Side drivers capable of handling ~2.4A each, to drive loads like RGB LEDs, small motors etc.
- very small size (only slightly larger than a Nano but with a lot more functionality)
- (NEW) can be charged via USB and via Recharge Port, you have the choice
- (NEW) includes on-board wiring for interrupt triggered, low latency clashes

The DIYino Stardust v2 board integrates:
- USB charging circuitry on board to charge a single Li-Ion 3.7V battery
- an Atmega328P-AU (based on the Arduino Nano)
- MPU-6050 6-axix accelero- and gyrometer for gesure/motion detection
- YX6300-24SS Wav/MP3 decoder (same chipset as on the DFPlayer Mini)
- 16MByte SPI-Flash for music/sound files storage
- 3W audio amplifier
- 3 Low Side drivers capable of handling ~2.4A each, to drive loads like RGB LEDs, small motors etc.
- very small size (only slightly larger than a Nano but with a lot more functionality)

The DIYino Prime v1 board integrates:
- an Atmega328P-AU (based on the Arduino Nano)
- MPU-6050 6-axix accelero- and gyrometer for gesure/motion detection
- YX5200-24SS Wav/MP3 decoder (same chipset as on the DFPlayer Mini)
- SD card slot for music/sound files storage
- 3W audio amplifier
- 6 Low Side drivers capable of handling ~1A each, to drive loads like LEDs, small motors etc.
- User Manual: LINK



- User Manual: LINK


A size comparison of the Prime v1 (rigth) and Stardust v2 (left) to a single Arduino Nano can be see on the picture below:


It all started with this thread: Arduino Lightsaber for LED string blades. After a while, seeing how much interest and enthusiasm this project created, I decided to take it to the next level: create a board integrating all the features of my original prototype, with obvious advantages for everyone who wants to build similar replica items:
- small size: the DIYino measures 22mm x 65mm, target was the same or smaller size as a 18650 type battery, which is mostly used for similar battery powered applications
- integrated solution: no need to solder modules on a breadboard, all interconnects on the PCB. This makes it ideal to build it in into models where the acces to the internal electronics is difficult at best and comes with a lot of effort in case of wires going a-stray.
- proven architecture: already quite a large community is using the same circuitry for prototype builds

The field of application is by no means limited to lightsaber electronics. You can use it universally for all DIY projects needing a programmable Light/Sound/Motion combo. I will use it for educational projects in my area to teach kids that programming electronics is fun! I already have a lot of crazy ideas in mind which children and also "Big kids" will love, waiting to be made!

My goal was to make it easier for people who plan to embark on building an item requiring programmable Light/Sound/Motion detection a start in the world of Arduino programming. While it is feasible to put together the architecture designed by me from the constituent parts (Arduino Nano, MPU6050 breakout board, DFPlayer Mini, transistors, breadboard etc.), for comparison you can check the size difference.


I would like to thank to following guys on this forum without whose inspiration, support and work this project would not have been possible:

JakeSoft for showing that it's possible (see his thread: Arduino Lightsaber) and for building a community on this forum
neskweek for his superb work on the code (see here: LSOS)
racemaniac for his idea of using neopixels (see rgb ledstring lightsaber)

[JakeSoft]

Do these ship with an SD card?

[Protonerd]

Do these ship with an SD card?

No. If there is a public outcry for them, I can look for a cheap source of suitable SD-cards, but since they are such wide-spread, I currently do not see the need to provide one.

[xl97]

nice job..

I didnt the same thing a while back for my S.C.A.B board..

(Arduino compatible board for props)..  I use the wave shield approach vs the YX5200-24SS Wav/MP3 chip.


where are you getting your boards assembled at/through?

I do my by hand/re-flow.. and am looking for a cheap assembly solution/company.

[dannyc09]

Add me to the list please!

[Protonerd]

nice job..

I didnt the same thing a while back for my S.C.A.B board..

(Arduino compatible board for props)..  I use the wave shield approach vs the YX5200-24SS Wav/MP3 chip.


where are you getting your boards assembled at/through?

I do my by hand/re-flow.. and am looking for a cheap assembly solution/company.

I have them manufactured and assembled in various EU-countries. So if you are based in the EU, I gladly give you the names of the companies.

[xl97]

I dont think it matters... does it?

I get my boards made/shipped from China..

was just looking to find a nice/cheap ASSEMBLY portion of it..

[occidere]

Add me to the list please!

[xl97]

I'm not sure who you are talking about...

but the best sound board in the community/scene doesnt even cost that much RETAIL..

(thats multiple sound fonts...tons of effects...  bluetooth params/options setting..  and the list goes on and on)..

from the same place.. there are other 'cheaper' modules.. that may offer less sound change options..etc..

so either they have no idea what they are talking about.. or didnt want the business?

[AardvarkSagus]

My most humble apologies. Posts deleted. I can't seem to get anything right.

In the mean time, excellent work on these Proto. I can't wait to see how will they do, and what everybody makes with them. I love that they're not limited to one particular project.

[Protonerd]

My most humble apologies. Posts deleted. I can't seem to get anything right.

In the mean time, excellent work on these Proto. I can't wait to see how will they do, and what everybody makes with them. I love that they're not limited to one particular project.

I did not mean your post, so please feel to put it back. I've meant the last post from xl97, I'm not sure I understand what he wants to tell with his post, but it seems definitely out of place and inappropriate.

[AardvarkSagus]

I did not mean your post, so please feel to put it back. I've meant the last post from xl97, I'm not sure I understand what he wants to tell with his post, but it seems definitely out of place and inappropriate.

OK. The gist of what I said was I'd anyone is wondering about the value in these little DIYino boards, compare my recent conversations with another reputable saber manufacturer about obtaining an electronics-only kit. His electronics has many similar features to these, multiple sound fonts, RGB control, etc. The difference is that I don't believe it used an accelerometer for swing detection and I'm pretty sure it didn't support a string blade. I was told I needed to buy their proprietary RGB module for lighting.

All told, the price ended up being over $300 for all these components together. The DIYino however, being custom programmable electronics with more sensitive accelerometer input, the versatility to configure the output to whateverer you can program, even the very fact that you're not limited to just a lightsaber make this look like an incredible deal.

[Protonerd]

To give a heads-up to those guys who are on the pre-order list: currently I face some delivery bottleneck, due to the fact that out of 20 boards in the first run, after extensive testing only 8 turned out to be fully functional. This is bad news for now, but I'm still confident that I can fix a further 3-4 boards. The rest has really defective chips, nearly in all cases it's the MPU6050. Although for this run I selected DigiKey to avoid getting bad parts from dubious sources, it seems Invensense has a lousy chip test and delivers unacceptable high ppm rates or have a serious manufacturing spill going on and even the biggest distributors are affected.

This means that there is a chance I cannot fulfill all pre-orders from the 1st run. Currently all 8 boards are payed for and reserved for the guys below. It also means that all other payments I will send back for the time being, only accepting orders and payments if I can fix/salvage additional boards. Please take note of this.


Up till now I got payment from:
zendium3ki (1 board)
DJWing79 (6 boards)
dannyc09 (1 board)
iwok78 (1 board)

I will use the thread to keep you updated.

[dannyc09]

Thanks for the update.
Does your supplier have some sort of warranty on their work?

[Protonerd]

Yesterday I managed to fix 2 additional board , that means all guys who currently already payed will get their boards and I still have one more to offer. A few other boards also look like they could be fixed, but I will start on them only after my vacation.

As to warranty, hell, yes, they must. I work in the semiconductor industry and I can tell you: if chips are starting to fail in the application, then the hell is loose at the manufacturer! Even though I'm a tiny little point on their scales but still they do not want bad image and I order from the biggest distributors. They will re compensate, otherwise they are in trouble