Flex Modules

I am updating the silk screens on all the Flex Modules so that pin names are on the bottom. This will be much more legible given the limited surface space on the module top. I am also adding about 1mm in length to the castellations that will then hold pins better and provide more soldering surface as well. In addition, I am working on getting out early audio board designs and possibly a charger design. Trying to minimize redundancy and cost between the various power and charger solutions is taking the most time. The USB BiPower module is already quite expensive and dense. Swapping to a charger/power component may be still space and cost effective depending on the inductor and miscellaneous FETs needed. Our 10-axis Flex Module is also pricey. There are lower cost solutions from ST now which will have a similar module footprint, so I may make a lower cost version of that Flex Module. It would be great to keep it the smallest 10-axis and also make it the cheapest. In addition, I'll be updating the large STM32 board with a better pin layout that is more compatible with the other Flex Modules.

Hi, I have put some of the boards up on tindie for sale.  The prices are based on the manual labor and costs of the BOM at low quantity.  This is more of a test of whether we can build a business around Flex Modules, than if we can make money.  The boards there 'work', but there are likely bugs or issues we will still be working on so don't expect shipment right away.  We will be selling some kits based on our demo projects as we release them (shortly).  For right now, we will only ship inside the US.

So check out the shop.

Hi, we are still testing boards (and we have a bunch).  I have also built a variation of the USB BiPower that has a 3A 3.3V rail that also drives a 200mA -3.3V rail.  This should be the most power we can get out of USB 2.0 chargers.  I further modified some of the sensor boards to support alternative power trace routing through them instead of under them on the flex board.  This can allow for more optimum routing on single layer flex boards. I'll try to discuss this more later.

After several layout attempts, I believe we have a good layout for the module pins. The modules now have similar layouts. I am working on some new prototypes to show off Flex Modules' potential.

OSHStencils refunded the stencils I messed up, which is amazing. They have great service.

I had some quality issues with OSHPark's new super swift service, but only on a couple of boards. They will rerun them. I sent some more board revisions for this weeks super swift service run.

Brent from OSHStencils let me know I made the shrink too severe (it is common for 3mil, I went 4mil and with their process this is way too much).  He recommended no shrink for their 3mil film and maybe a 1-2mil for their 5mil.  So I removed the shrink for the next run to try their 3mil film.

I sent out to OSHStencils for new stencils - 17 total board variations in this batch.  I also finished updating the BOMs and sent out for the new components for the ADC buffers, Social Light, and modifications for the power Flex Modules.

Just added some more boards that we sent off to OSHPark this week.  Social Light is really cool and we will be writing more about it. The LRA driver and the 4P-RGB-strip are both new outputs that we are excited about as well.  They should provide new applications of the Flex Modules with recognizable vibration patterns and unique outfits.

I am adding the content requirements to this project.  I just added an initial system diagram to the images and will be uploading a video later today.

I would like feedback on which boards might be interesting to package as a kit.  We are discussing a possible Kickstarter and would need to work out a budget for a kit form.  We will try to get some demo projects out before then, so it is more clear what potential the boards have.  If there are any specific sensors or connectivity requests let me know.  We will keep with Bluetooth for communications. but we add more after initial release.

Hi, I'll be updating github with the new board designs as well as updating projects here.  I'll be adding Social Light as well as some information about the software required (likely as new separate projects).