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Netduino to Custom PCB

Started by Cardofolo, Jul 27 2011 02:11 AM

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13 replies to this topic

#1 Cardofolo

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Posted 27 July 2011 - 02:11 AM

I am new to Arduino boards (Netduino to more specific) and new was going to use on for a University project. Having coded in Embedded C before, but being a fan OOP, I was thinking to design my project based on the .NET Micro Framework, while prototyping with my Netduino. Because this is a University project I am required to design my own PCB board. Would I be able to rebuild my Netduino onto my own custom PCB board by ordering all the same parts from the Netduino's schematic? Again, I am new to Arudino boards (still waiting for the Netduino in the mail) and I don't know if I can just download any directories or libraries that would be essential to making my microcontroller communicate with its peripherals. If anyone has any input or, especially, if you have gone through this process before, I would very much appreciate your input. THanks!!!

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#2 Chris Walker

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Posted 27 July 2011 - 03:06 AM

Hi Cardofolo, Yes, absolutely. That's part of the beauty of open source! If you grab all the PNs from the BRD file and wire out the same schematics on your custom board (along with any changes you want to make for your custom board) you'll be good to go. Be aware that the Netduinos are pretty inexpensive considering the cost of their parts...and you'll need to be good with a soldering iron to solder the 100-pin LQFP. But overall it's very doable. If you just want to build your own Netduino using a real Netduino PCB (as a learning experience), we do have a few blank PCBs laying around as well... Chris

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#3 Cardofolo

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 11:14 PM

I am new to the .NET Micro Framework, but having programmed extensively in C# and being such a fan I thought I would to design my current university project onto a Netduino board. However, because this is a University project I am required to design my own PCB board. Would I be able to rebuild my Netduino onto my own custom PCB board by ordering all the same parts from the Netduino's schematic? Again, I am new to Arudino boards (still waiting for the Netduino in the mail) and I don't know if I can just download any directories or libraries that would be essential to making my microcontroller communicate with its peripherals. If anyone has any input or, especially, if you have gone through this process before, I would very much appreciate your input. THanks!!!

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#4 Chris Walker

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 11:39 PM

Hi Cardofolo, If you have a steady hand and good soldering skills, you could certainly build your own Netduino. You could either create your own derivative board or make a PCB using the original design files. All the part #s are included in the board design files with their exact locations. Chris

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#5 Cardofolo

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Posted 02 August 2011 - 11:43 PM

Thank you very much Chris!

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#6 CW2

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 08:04 AM

If anyone has any input...

You might consider breaking out microcontroller pins, which are not accessible on [the original] Netduino. For some inspiration, you might want to check out boards like

Atmel SAM7X-EK (design files include schematics and board layout),
Olimex SAM7-EX256 (Rev. C schematic),
GHI FEZ Hacker (includes detailed guide, schematics, firmware),
Kramara AT91SAM7X512_KIT (schematics, breadboard-friendly module)

Note: AT91SAM7X256 is pin-compatible with AT91SAM7X512, the only difference is amount of memory.

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#7 Philip

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 01:07 PM

Hi Cardofolo, I wish one of my students would consider this, although you might find soldering the ARM rather difficult. As an alternative, have you considered using a Netduino 'mini', and designing your own motherboard to host it? I think this may be acceptable to your supervisor, since you'd still be designing a board. ARMs are not meant to be soldered by hand, so it is a sensible compromise. Good luck Phil

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#8 netmf_tron

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Posted 03 August 2011 - 06:13 PM

hi can i use AT91SAM7X256 Instead of AT91SAM7X512 ?

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#9 Chris Walker

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Posted 04 August 2011 - 06:00 AM

can i use AT91SAM7X256 Instead of AT91SAM7X512 ?

In theory yes, but you'll need to cut down the NETMF core quite a bit to deal with the smaller flash and RAM.

Chris

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#10 CW2

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Posted 04 August 2011 - 06:39 AM

although you might find soldering the ARM rather difficult

You might find soldering LQFP packages by hand surprisingly easy, once you learn the right technique and use proper tools (a decent thermoregulated soldering iron with an appropriate tip, ~0.5 mm solder with flux core). Also, the university might have the equipment for manufacturing boards with SMD parts (reflow owen or hot plate).

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#11 Mattster

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Posted 14 March 2012 - 01:33 AM

In theory yes, but you'll need to cut down the NETMF core quite a bit to deal with the smaller flash and RAM.

Chris

Chris: which eval board do you use when developing for Netduino? Does anyone make an veal board with the 512K part?

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#12 Chris Walker

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Posted 14 March 2012 - 02:11 AM

Hi Mattster,

Chris: which eval board do you use when developing for Netduino? Does anyone make an veal board with the 512K part?

We used the SAM7X-EK board, but we replaced the 256KB chip with a 512KB chip (by hand).

Chris

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#13 Mattster

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Posted 15 March 2012 - 01:49 AM

Hi Mattster,

We used the SAM7X-EK board, but we replaced the 256KB chip with a 512KB chip (by hand).

Chris

Aha! That was going to be my next question. Guess I need to learn how to do hot-air rework, eh?

Along that line of thinking, I notice repeated queries about JTAG access with the same standard answer each time. BTW, that's why I'm thinking of getting the SAM7X-EK, so I can use the JTAG ICE with it. So I was thinking today that geez, I have your board layouts and stuff so what's to keep me from just adding it on myself? So which one of the boards do you think it would be easiest to modify and add JTAG support?

Thanks!