My Sensor node "motherboard" (MySensorsNode)

[Anticimex]

@bjornhallberg A reflow oven sounds like a nifty thing to have on the bench. I wish I had the time to spare to fiddle with that :) With stencils you could then make some really compact boards.

[Anticimex]

EDIT: All layouts are done. Boring BOM/sourcing work still left to do...

[Anticimex]

EDIT: I went the extra mile and managed to shoehorn in an additional footprint to please @bjornhallberg:s "selfish reasons" ;) so now there is an option to solder a SC-60 based regulator (TPS61221) instead of the SOT-23 based TPS61097A. The first post is updated with the details.

[bjornhallberg]

@Anticimex Woohoooo!

[Anticimex]

@bjornhallberg I actually had a few TPS61221 but I ordered the wrong part (variable output version) so I could never use them. That was for 1.0 where it would serve as 5V reg but since then I ditched the idea of supporting 5V since I encourage everyone to moving away from that. Should be no reason to use 5V for our stuff nowdays.

[Anticimex]

EDIT: BOMs are now uploaded as well. I have to inspect the gerbers one more time but it is close to manufacture now :)

[scalz]

@Anticimex: thx. you have made a great work on this, lot of research I imagine :)
I will look at it carefully, maybe there are interesting ref :wink:
:+1:

[Anticimex]

Thanks,
well at least there are a lot of sourcing alternatives now :)

[scalz]

sure!
just a little question, how do you plan to add daughter board on your smallest board? on bottom?

[Anticimex]

No, on top with some form of riser-board so it goes above the Arduino. If I ever bother. My sensors are socketed so I could just plug them directly onto the connector for that board variant or use extension wires for them.

[scalz]

oki, cool :smile:

[Anticimex]

The small 5x5 board I did most like a favor to anyone who would like to buy a few cheap ones (they are dirt cheap on DirtyPCBs, I will put a order-link to it when I have sent them for manufacture). I will use the board-specific layouts for my "real" sensors since they are tuned to the enclosures I plan to use. Hopefully I got my measurements right...but the 5x5 board will serve as my second prototype run before I tape out the "real" ones. Just so I can verify the design once more before I start deploying my actual sensor network. Took a few years but now I have all my personal "must haves" in place (security and features) so I am ready :D
The boards also have the external flash so I can handle any OTA bootloader variant and it supports both radios in through-hole variants so I can put sockets to easily swap radios later on as well. And I already ordered the 2mm pitch sockets for the RF69 so that is already done.

[scalz]

I totally agree with your vision. your board, you know it, is great, a swiss army knife, useful :smiley:
and I am rather like you, meaning I hope I will start soon my "real" network too. can't wait! but like you said it takes so long time to study, dev and tests...
but it is so fun when it works :)

[Anticimex]

The ultimate satisfaction is to tinker with it, test, improve, optimize, and then deploy and nail it from the start :)

[scalz]

yeah :smiley:

do you plan in future to invest in 3d printer? I am looking at this actually, too much tempting...

[Anticimex]

I was considering it for a while, but realised that I don't have the time for that unfortunately :(
And I am a total novice in 3D design, so I would also need to invest a lot in learning that as well. So I boldly decided to go for off-the-shelf products, or leech other peoples designes through 3dhubs :)

[scalz]

yes I understand. we're always running after time...too bad to have to sleep :laughing:
I hope we will see lots of 3d design share in the future. to have a good opensource collection hardware, sketch, 3d design...it could be great!

[Anticimex]

EDIT: And so the cat's out of the bag. The 5x5 board is available for purchase at DirtyPCBs for anyone who dares to try it before I have fully verified it. The link is also in the top post.

[shabba]

Can they be bought anywhere assembled?! :-)

Failing that any good parts lists etc.

[Anticimex]

@shabba I am afraid not. I do not have the time to assemble boards for others than myself. And it would be too expensive ;) BOMs are included in the git under Manufacturing/BOM.