SchapiroBotics
Making life better with Technology

Building a development board is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Like many other robot builders, when I want to just work on a concept or play around with a new sensor, I don’t want to have to build a new circuit every time. So I built a development board. It comes complete with a mouthful of features so here I go…

  1. 5 volt, 2 amp power supply.
  2. Sockets for all PIC Microcontrollers, with in-circuit programming.
  3. Sockets for all Basic Stamp microcontrollers, with in-circuit programming.
  4. Socket for the SX-28 microcontroller, with in-circuit programming.
  5. 2 x 2 amp motor controllers with directional LEDS. The power can be switched so the motors run on an external battery. This can also be used as a bipolar stepper motor driver.
  6. Unipolar stepper motor driver with directional LEDS.
  7. Socket for a parallel LCD in 4-bit mode.
  8. Socket for a serial LCD.
  9. 8x8 LED matrix with red and green LEDS.
  10. 2 x 7-segment common cathode LEDS.
  11. 2 x 7-segment common anode LEDS with driver chips.
  12. Peizo speaker.
  13. Audio amp with connector to attach an external speaker.
  14. 2 x Potentiometers, with the legs attached to 5 volts and ground.
  15. DB-9 connector
  16. 8 x servo headers.
  17. 8 x LEDS that can be controlled independently, or through a serial to parallel shift register.
  18. 8 x buttons that can he read in independently, or through a parallel to serial shift register.
  19. Solderless breadboard.

All of the pins for the microcontrollers and the control pins for the devices run to sip headers on the side of the solder-less breadboard. Everything can simply connect to each other using a wire or two.

Next to the power input I placed a set of 8 switches. Each device that requires 5 volts is connected to one of the switches. Now power isn’t wasted running a chip that you are not using.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. 

 

 
 
 
Schematics 
  1. Power switches for add-ons
  2. 8 x 3-Pin Servo Connectors
  3. 8 x LED’s
  4. 74LC595 Shift register for LED’s
  5. 8 x Buttons
  6. 74LC165 Shift register for buttons
  7. 2 x Potentiometers
  8. Audio Amp / Piezo Speaker
  9. Unipolar stepper motor driver
  10. 2 x Common anode, 7-segment LED’s with 74LS247 drivers
  11. 2 x Common cathode, 7-segment LED’s
  12. 8 x 8 LED matrix with green and red LED’s
  13. 4-bit Parallel LCD port / Serial LCD port 
  14. 2 channel x 2 amp motor driver / bipolar stepper motor driver
  15. DB-9 port with switches to enable programming of Basic Stamp microcontrollers
  16. Basic Stamp 2 – 40/24 socket with serial programming port
  17. Basic Stamp 1 – Socket with programmer port
  18. Basic Stamp 2 OEM socket,  serial programming port
  19. SX-28 Socket with programmer port, and oscillator sockets
  20. PIC – 40 Socket withprogrammer port
  21. PIC – 28 Socket with programmer port
  22. PIC – 20 Socket with programmer port
  23. PIC – 18A Socket with programmer port
  24. PIC – 18B Socket with programmer port
  25. PIC – 14 Socket with programmer port
  26. PIC – 8 Socket with programmer port
  27. PIC – 10FMCU Socket with programmer port
  28. Solderless breadboard with SIP headers located along either side for all microcontroller pins and accessories.
 
 
 
Pin Locations Next to the breadboard
 
  1. 8 x 3-Pin Servo Connectors
  2. 8 x LED’s
  3. 74LC595 Shift register for LED’s
  4. 8 x Buttons
  5. 74LC165 Shift register for buttons
  6. 2 x Potentiometers
  7. Audio Amp / Piezo Speaker
  8. Unipolar stepper motor driver
  9. 2 x Common anode, 7-segment LED’s with 74LS247 drivers
  10. 2 x Common cathode, 7-segment LED’s
  11. 8 x 8 LED matrix with green and red LED’s
  12. 4-bit Parallel LCD port / Serial LCD port
  13. 2 channel x 2 amp motor driver / bipolar stepper motor driver
  14. DB-9 port