At 02:19 PM 6/13/01 +1000, Tony Nixon wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>To try and add more value to the Pocket, last night I put together
>another (preliminary) schematic and PCB design for a MKII version.
>Except for using a 16F877, it uses the same components and has all the
>features of the first one except that it can now accept a personality
>PCB which plugs into a SIMM socket. I looked at using PCMCIA cards but I
>couldn't find one with a big enough pin count. These would have looked
>much neater.

Hi there, Tony.

Just a thought on using a SIMM socket for the personality board: how about
using a dual row header and socket instead.  Several possible methods: put
the pins on the main board and use a IDC ribbon cable socket as the
personality module, with the cable clamp removed (exposing the pins that
pierce the ribbon cable exposed) and a small PCB mounted between those pins.

Or: just leave those pins on the IDC socket exposed and carefully wire them
accordingly with small gauge wire.

Or: put a female dual row socket on the main board and use stacking type
(long pin) headers with the top of the header using wire wrap wire wrapped
onto the pins.  Fill the pins afterwards with hot melt glue to stop them
from touching.

The first method is probably the cheapest and most everyone can get their
hands on a 40 pin ribbon cable connector by robbing an old PC's hard drive
cable (and even get the dual row pins from said PC or it's hard drive).

Just a thought - you can get 40 or 50 pins in a fairly small area that way.

dwayne



Dwayne Reid   <dwayner@planet.eon.net>
Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd    Edmonton, AB, CANADA
(780) 489-3199 voice          (780) 487-6397 fax

Celebrating 17 years of Engineering Innovation (1984 - 2001)

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