MOTHERBOARD

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About:

The Kit

The MOTHERBOARD kit lets you build a circuit with a microcontroller at its heart. A microcontroller controls inputs and outputs depending on how you program it and what is connected to it. Inputs could be in the form of sensors, switches or other microcontrollers. Outputs could be as simple as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), number display or speakers, or something more complicated like the stepper motors, LCD screen and heating element of a 3D printer.

The MOTHERBOARD includes screw terminals for digital and analog Inputs and Outputs, a voltage protection circuit, headers to connect a serial to USB module (used for programming), and a Bluetooth module. We’ve also included a Real Time Clock (RTC) circuit on board, so making a clock with the DIGITISER display is a breeze. This kit will be the “brain” of your project, so lets get familiar with its functionality!

Required Tools:

Features

  • Uses the well documented and supported ATMega328P Microcontroller
  • On-board Real Time Clock with time and date, battery backup, and alarm
  • 18 IO pins, accessible through terminal blocks for secure connections
  • 6 of these are Analog (10-BIt) pins that can read inputs from 0V to 5V (Vcc) via the ADC (Analog to Digital Converter)
  • 12 are Digital pins, these read and write on or off
  • 6 of the Digital pins support PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), which can be used to dim LED’s or control the direction of a servo by modulating the pin at high frequencies
  • Each IO pin has space for a 0603 (surface mount) resistor and LED. Great for keeping track of what your IO pins are doing while learning to code. (can be disconnected via jumper if installed)
  • Digital Pin 13 has a through hole LED for all your blink sketch needs. (can also be disconnected via jumper)
  • The board runs on 5V which can be supplied through the USB socket or the Vin terminal. (USB limited to 500mA)
  • The Vin terminal has overvoltage, and overcurrent protection, to protect the circuit if you connect more than 5V, or if you accidently reverse the polarity.
  • Vout connects other boards to the MOTHERBOARDS VCC
  • Programmable through an FTDI USB board, or using an Arduino with a DIP28 socket
  • Bluetooth header can be used with most popular HC06 or similar Bluetooth modules
  • Height and Width: 100mm x 100mm
  • Stacks/Panels with other Short Circuit Boards
  • Clearly printed traces to aid understanding of the circuit and to help with fault finding
  • Back of board is printed with the circuit so you can see every trace, even when the components are soldered on. This makes it easier to understand and to fault find
  • PDF Manual

    You can view the manual via the pdf viewer below or download it by clicking the three dots. Alternatively you can view the contents of the manual in web format using the tabs at the top of the page. If you would like to print the manual, please use the link below to save on black ink. 

    Please note that hyperlinks like component datasheets will only work if you download the pdf. 

    Quick Reference

    MOTHERBOARD Specs: 
     
    • Overcurrent protection (Vin) 500mA
    • Overvoltage Protection 5.1V
    • 18 Inputs / Outputs via Screw Terminals
    • USB Micro-B Connector (power only)
    • Power On LED
    • LED_BUILT IN (pin 13 LED)
    • Surface mount LED on every IO terminal (optional)
    • Onboard RTC (DS1207) + Battery Backup (C2302) (~10 years)
    • FTDI Header (programmer sold separately)
    • Bluetooth Header
    • 100mm x 100mm x 1.6mm
    • 2 layer board
    • Gold coated contacts (ENIG)
    MOTHERBOARD Specs: 
     
    • Overcurrent protection (Vin) 500mA
    • Overvoltage Protection 5.1V
    • 18 Inputs / Outputs via Screw Terminals
    • USB Micro-B Connector (power only)
    • Power On LED
    • LED_BUILT IN (pin 13 LED)
    • Surface mount LED on every IO terminal (optional)
    • Onboard RTC (DS1207) + Battery Backup (C2302) (~10 years)
    • FTDI Header (programmer sold separately)
    • Bluetooth Header
    • 100mm x 100mm x 1.6mm
    • 2 layer board
    • Gold coated contacts (ENIG)
    ATMega328P specs:                                              
     
    • 8 Bit microcontroller
    • Advanced RISC Architecture
    • High Endurance Non-volatile Memory Segments
    • 23 Programmable I/O Lines
    • Six PWM Channels
    • 28-pin PDIP Package
    • Operating Voltage: 1.8V – 5.5V
    • Power Consumption: 0.2mA in active mode
    • DC Current per pin: 20mA
    • Flash Memory: 32KB (0.5KB used for bootloader)
    • SRAM: 2KB
    • EEPROM: 1KB
    • Clock Speed: 16MHz
    • SPI interface (Including I²C)
    ATMega328P specs:                                              
    • 8 Bit microcontroller
    • Advanced RISC Architecture
    • High Endurance Non-volatile Memory Segments
    • 23 Programmable I/O Lines
    • Six PWM Channels
    • 28-pin PDIP Package
    • Operating Voltage: 1.8V – 5.5V
    • Power Consumption: 0.2mA in active mode
    • DC Current per pin: 20mA
    • Flash Memory: 32KB (0.5KB used for bootloader)
    • SRAM: 2KB
    • EEPROM: 1KB
    • Clock Speed: 16MHz
    • SPI interface (Including I²C)
    DS1307 Specs:                                                              
     
    • Completely Manages All Timekeeping Functions
    • Counts Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Date of the Month, Month, Day of the Week, and Year with Leap-Year Compensation Valid Up to 2100
    • 56-Byte, Battery-Backed, General-Purpose RAM with Unlimited Writes
    • Programmable Square-Wave Output Signal
    • Simple Serial Port Interfaces to Most Microcontrollers
    • I²C Serial Interface
    • Low Power Operation Extends Battery Backup Run Time
    • Consumes Less than 500nA in Battery Backup Mode with Oscillator Running
    • Automatic Power-Fail Detect and Switch Circuitry

    DATASHEET

     
     
    DS1307 Pinout
    DS1307 Pinout
    DS1307 Specs:                                                             
    • Completely Manages All Timekeeping Functions
    • Counts Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Date of the Month, Month, Day of the Week, and Year with Leap-Year Compensation Valid Up to 2100
    • 56-Byte, Battery-Backed, General-Purpose RAM with Unlimited Writes
    • Programmable Square-Wave Output Signal
    • Simple Serial Port Interfaces to Most Microcontrollers
    • I²C Serial Interface
    • Low Power Operation Extends Battery Backup Run Time
    • Consumes Less than 500nA in Battery Backup Mode with Oscillator Running
    • Automatic Power-Fail Detect and Switch Circuitry

    DATASHEET