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Our Data Acquisition module (DAQ for short) is designed for Netduino Go! users looking for a simple, cost-effective platform for integrating analog and digital I/Os, off-the-shelf I2C sensors, time tracking, SDHC storage (up to 16GB) and serial communications to their projects.
When we set out to design the DAQ module 5 months ago, we put a great deal of thought into the real-world scenarios shared by our customers when Netduino Go! launched and how many wanted to apply the power of the .Net Micro Framework in the context of rapid system prototyping, light industrial control systems, home automation, hydroponic growing systems, security systems, UAVs, robots and of course, Internet-connected devices.
The first design choice we made was to choose an extremely robust spring-loaded wire connection system, providing power, data and ground on every port where they're needed. On ports that are 5v and 3.3v tolerant, both power types are available. Because each wire is held securely in its place with strong springs that can only be released by applying pressure with a very small screwdriver, communications are more reliable and power to sensors and analog devices more stable than in conventional system using female pin headers. In addition, our spring-loaded wiring system enabled us to design a smaller and lighter board than would have been possible with screw connectors.
Our second design choice was to enable our customers to leverage the large array of existing I2C-compliant sensors on the market today without having to wait long development cycles for similar Go! modules to be brought to market. To this end, we have partnered with Adafruit to provide a variety of useful I2C sensors that work 'out-of-the-box' with our DAQ module in order to help you get started quickly with your designs. We are also committed to developing a comprehensive driver library for popular sensors from Adafruit and other vendors over time.
Our third design choice was to place user-controllable status LEDs on each I/O port of the DAQ module, allowing for a simple and effective method of providing user feedback from an application at no additional cost and without consuming the DAQ's digital I/Os for that purpose alone. We also embedded extensive sub-system diagnostics into the DAQ, available on-demand, in plain English through the serial port to help with troubleshooting issues in the field as well as easing the development of custom application drivers.
Our final design choice was to provide a complete, easy to hack system, with SDHC storage, a real-time clock, optional external power, and above all, capable of being used as a stand-alone 48Mhz ARM-Cortex M0 micro-controller programmable in C/C++ using a standard 0.1" JTAG/SWD pin header. In fact, an STM32F051 Discovery board, costing less than $10, was used for its embedded STLink/V2 interface throughout the entire development of the DAQ module firmware.
We believe that you'll find this module extremely useful in unlocking the full potential of Netduino Go! and building amazing applications right now. We also have a feature road map for the DAQ module and you can expect to see more smart functions, performance improvements and your very own feedback embedded in upcoming versions of the firmware. Last but not least, the DAQ module will be ready to leverage Go!Bus protocol advancements when the time comes.
Hi Fabien,
Thanks for sharing this. Great to see more and more options coming online for Netduino Go users. I can see some cool potential here with the ability to connect to off-the-shelf sensor breakouts.
While a lot of people see GoBus as a plug-and-play module standard, it works great for building IO expansion boards too. Need 8 more ADCs and 8 more GPIOs? No problem. With a future upgrade to GoBus 1.5, this should be a valuable "virtual I/O" expander board (with convenient power and GND headers next to each pin).
The red LEDs are a classy bonus. Nice touch, Fabien.
Quick question:
How do the Adafruit breakouts connect in? Is there an adapter for them, or is it best to solder on female headers to the Adafruit breakouts and then use jumper wires?
I'm looking forward to playing with this latest Nwazet offering. We'll have to bring one along to MakerFaire NY...
Chris
Kudos Fabien! As usual, another stellar suite of Netduino Go products from Nwazet. I've added one of each to my shopping cart. I can't wait for them to arrive. My mind is already racing with project ideas!
Now to assume the waiting game....
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Wow, this is gonna save me a lot of development time. My next paranormal investigation tool slated for development in 2013 is going to use the Netduino GO and this is exactly one of the boards I was going to have to design. This will make it much easier to prototype our device since we have about 6-7 sensors in it.
Thanks for yet another amazing product Fabien.
While a lot of people see GoBus as a plug-and-play module standard, it works great for building IO expansion boards too. Need 8 more ADCs and 8 more GPIOs? No problem. With a future upgrade to GoBus 1.5, this should be a valuable "virtual I/O" expander board (with convenient power and GND headers next to each pin).
The DAQ module, just like our Touch Display module, delivers on the promise of virtual I/O today by integrating different functions out of the box into a single plug-and-play module:
Analog Inputs
Digital Inputs
SDHC storage up to 16GB
Real Time clock
I2C bus
Serial communication (USART)
and few others things not yet exposed
The benefits are obvious:
it offers critical functions missing from Go! today
it enables building cost-effective applications with off-the-shelf components (pots, buttons, switches, relays, analog and I2C sensors, wired and wireless serial communication with XBee, Bluetooth, WiFi)
It maximizes the number of free sockets on the main board for other functions (relays, display, etc...)
It can be used as a standalone embedded system to reduce deployment costs in production solutions
it works today on Go!Bus 1.0 and can leverage the evolution of the spec as needed
The red LEDs are a classy bonus. Nice touch, Fabien.
Thanks
The important point here is that having these on-board LEDs frees up I/O connections for other more important things. You get to have your cake AND eat it
How do the Adafruit breakouts connect in? Is there an adapter for them, or is it best to solder on female headers to the Adafruit breakouts and then use jumper wires?
It's really simple: insert the sensors into a small breadboard and connect 4 wires to the DAQ (SCL, SDA, power and GND). I'll have demos showing how simple this is very shortly.
What kind of wires are best to use on these springloaded sockets?, solid?, stranded?
I have stocked up some 22AWG solid core (fine for breadboards), and some 30awg, but springloaded maybe work best for stranded wire?
And what kind of sockets are these?, they look cool for a lot of projects, if they are easy to use.
22 AWG solid core wires, as used in breadboards, will work great in these connectors. You can also use jumper wires as they fit perfectly next to each other.
You really don't want to use stranded30 AWG wire as they're too fine and fragile. If you want to use stranded wires, go with a heavier gauge instead.
oh yes, the 30awg is not stranded, its solidcore, mainly because I like to wirewrap them on header pins
I have some usecases where I probably need stranded for flexibility, and guess I will go for this: https://www.sparkfun.../products/11375
But if 22awg solidcore grabs in it, then that should be ok for prototyping.
Just a quick update to let you know that the Nwazet DAQ module product page features a series of Tutorials and Code snippets to help you getting started building applications. I'm also working on a few videos showing the DAQ used in variety of real-world scenarios, but these take time to produce, so stay tuned
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Nak.
