iDuino MPGuino

[Spiffed]

Sorry everyone for the long delay. In addition to being ridiculously busy, there were lawyers and mechanics to consult with before I could move ahead with this. Attached are front/back renderings (minus LCD) and a schematic.

A full kit will be priced between $35 and $40. It will include everything but the following (because they're dependent on your particular install):

• RJ11/telephone cable ($1 from most dollar stores, in whatever length you need)
• Wire to connect GND, +12, VSS, Injector to the engine-side terminal box.
• An optional fuse + holder for any of the above lines.
• An enclosure and mounting system.

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Note: the LCD isn't displayed (no model) and the jack on the right-hand side is actually smaller and black (but again, no model).


To assist people's imaginations. This is the inside of the RJ11 break-out box for the engine side. The cord connects to the jack on the front, then you'd run wire from each terminal to wherever it needs to connect to. They can either be screwed down or affixed with double-sticky tape (both included). For reference, the background is a (roughly) 1cm grid.

Assuming no-one spots any show-stoppers, these will go off to be fabbed this evening. They should be back by the middle of next week and available by the end of that week. I currently have four massive boxes of parts sitting here for them.

As an aside, they'll use the Newhaven NHD-0216K1Z-FL-YBW displays. After going through about 40 different models, these have the best visibility and temperature tolerance. (They could, of course, be replaced with virtually any 2x16 hd44780-like display.) Aside the aside, more than one other model had an LCD capable of rather cold temperatures, but controller electronics that did not function at such temperatures.

[ptsmith24]

Looks awesome.

I may have missed it in your post, but when will they be available? Thanks

[Spiffed]

Originally Posted by ptsmith24

I may have missed it in your post, but when will they be available?

The end of next week. Just waiting on PCBs.

[wyatt]

Originally Posted by ptsmith24

I may have missed it in your post, but when will they be available? Thanks

Originally Posted by Spiffed

Assuming no-one spots any show-stoppers, these will go off to be fabbed this evening. They should be back by the middle of next week and available by the end of that week. I currently have four massive boxes of parts sitting here for them.

I agree, looks great. Thanks for the great work Kevin!

[dcb]

Glad to see some progress on the hardware front. Donations to the opengauge project always welcome (plenty more stuff to monitor)

Glad to see usb too. The only tweak I would add is that having the buttons along the top right would be preferable, since it will make the menus and editor more intuitive, and reduce the width of the unit (hides less idiot lights in my car), and it would make pressing the key combinations easier.

[Spiffed]

Originally Posted by dcb

Glad to see some progress on the hardware front. Donations to the opengauge project always welcome (plenty more stuff to monitor)

In all fairness, my profit-margin on these is around 15% (they're an expensive kit to produce, at least to start with). To this end, I think around $2/unit as a donation is reasonable?

The only tweak I would add is that having the buttons along the top right would be preferable, since it will make the menus and editor more intuitive, and reduce the width of the unit (hides less idiot lights in my car)

From a manufacturing perspective, adding 6mm to 8mm to the top of the board makes them much harder to panellize, which drives up their cost substantially. If the first batch does OK, I'll look at having the button-area v-scored so it can be snapped apart and placed wherever you like. But that means a dedicated panel of MPGuino PCBs.

[i_am_socket]

End of next week you say... hmm... coincidentally right after pay-day. I don't suppose you'll be kind enough to post a link when they're available?

[dcb]

Originally Posted by Spiffed

around $2/unit as a donation is reasonable?

I thank you on behalf of the project. I don't want to price the kits out of half the market, but it would be nice to have the possibility of the project not running a deficit, can't keep that up indefinitely. I think $2 is still modest enough that we would be more than happy to accept it.


Thanks,
Dave.

[wyatt]

Originally Posted by Spiffed

Assuming no-one spots any show-stoppers, these will go off to be fabbed this evening.

I would by no means say it's a "show stopper", but have you considered putting the phone jack and the USB on the same side of the setup? It would make mounting in an enclosure much simpler since you only have to get it up tight to one side.

[rmccomiskie]

Originally Posted by wyatt

I would by no means say it's a "show stopper", but have you considered putting the phone jack and the USB on the same side of the setup? It would make mounting in an enclosure much simpler since you only have to get it up tight to one side.

If the connectors were rotated 90 degrees, both cables could insert from the bottom. Of course, it's never that simple.