ProtoModule

Description

Breadboard is great, it is good for many prototyping tasks, ...
...but, what if you want to connect a development board (Arduino, Rpi, BBB, FRDM, Nucleo, and the list is sooo long)?
...but, what if you want to connect it to a bench power supply?
...but, what if you have some high power stuff to prototype?
...but, what if you have a heavy connector can't stay in it's place on the breadboard?
I think you can write additional things to this list.

Details

The project use 25x25mm mechanical grid. All of the modules/bases are contains multiple squares of this.

The system has the following building blocks:

- Base plate. This is the main component, has cross shaped holes for holding the modules, and circular holes on the edges to screw modules together, and holes to mount the feet.

- Locking plate. The locking plate is almost identical to the base plate, but mounted upside-down, has larger, oval holes at the places of the feet, allowing to slide a bit. When you slide it, it will lock the mounting pin of the modules in it's place

- Feet. It has an additional role. Keep the Base plate and the locking plate together.

- Modules. The modules has cross shaped mounting pins on the corners, for locking into the base plate.

All of the components has parametric SCAD design files, so it easily customizable.

I plan to design several modules in the near future:

- Rpi mount

- BBB mount - done

- Arduino mount

- BreadBoard mount (expandable also) - done, partially

- Banana socket mount

- Grove module mount, probably parametrized

- Little bits mount

- etc.

Files

Arduino.scad

Arduino Uno/Leonardo mount module

scad - 2.37 kB - 03/28/2016 at 18:27

Download

BBB.scad

BeagleBone Balck/Green mount module

scad - 2.38 kB - 03/10/2016 at 20:25

Download

breadboard_MB102.scad

MB102 Breaboard mount module

scad - 1.95 kB - 03/10/2016 at 20:24

Download

baseplate v4.scad

The baseplate (selected to 10x10cm, but variable)

scad - 2.63 kB - 03/10/2016 at 20:23

Download

Project Logs

Collapse

Arduino Module added
SUF • 03/28/2016 at 18:38 • 0 comments

As my Home Automation project advancing, I was needing an Arduino module for the MySensors.org integration. So I designed an Arduino mount.
Here it is:
The design file added to the files list.
First thing building on the platform
SUF • 03/10/2016 at 20:16 • 1 comment

It looks like I managed to redesign and print the new concept.
I kept the latest concept, and printed a few baseplates what screwed together, designed and printed a module for breadboard and BeagleBone Black (actually I used green, but doesn't matter).
Here is the first project I started to build on this platform:
This will be a keyloq style remote for my OpenHAB home automation.
The design files for the base and the modules will be uploaded shortly.
Working prototype
SUF • 03/04/2016 at 04:59 • 0 comments

It looks like my second (third, fourth, who knows) attempt succeeded.
The design streamlined a bit. Now just two basic component instead of four. I just have a modular expandable baseplate - the design turned upside down. It allowed to integrate the feet and the holes joining the baseplate modules together are on the bottom instead of the top.
No locking plate, the module has two bump on every locking pin to keep it tight in the baseplate:
The next is to print a few baseplates and design the modules for the actual electronics, breadboards, etc.
Failed attempt
SUF • 03/03/2016 at 19:30 • 0 comments

I made a few attempts to print the provided design, tweeked, modified, but all of my attempts failed:
It simply doesn't fit in. This design is a complete failure. I've to rethink it (I already did). I'll come up with it when the design files (or even the first prints) are finished.
Mindstorm
SUF • 03/02/2016 at 15:18 • 0 comments

This whole concept just pop into my mind yesterday, when I was doing the daily shopping. I was thinking about it, all of the way to home, and designed it during the evening (when the kids went to sleep).
Started to print some parts, to justify the concept (first print failed - printer's fault).
Further things come, after successful print (maybe test).

View all 5 project logs

Discussions

BeagleBoard Foundation wrote 01/18/2017 at 20:09

Great idea!

Are you sure? yes | no

jaromir.sukuba wrote 03/03/2016 at 15:03

I like this idea. I thought of something like this, my main motivation was desire to have semi-permanent packable projects, so I can close it and take somewhere else without fiddling with fragile breadboards or protoboards. You know it, stack of boards, linked by jumper wires, move it, something disconnects and you are done. Looking for artifically introduced bugs in your already bugged project!

Something like perforated aluminum plate and wooden or cardboard cover would do the job, but pitch of mounting holes of various boards and adapters are all over the shop, so there is not universal solution. I thought of creating set of my own modules, but that would be pain in the ass, more expensive than chinese ones from aliexpress and list of modules would be forever incomplete.

Good luck with this one.

Are you sure? yes | no

SUF wrote 03/03/2016 at 19:21

Thank you for your thoughts.

I see your problems with the different pitch sizes and endless combination of the modules available online. Yes it is forever incomplete, but here comes the ingenuity of the parametric CAD packages like OpenSCAD used here.

Just imagine, you have a newly ordered board from aliexcpress. At the moment of the order you clearly have access to its dimensions online. As the CAD is parametric, you just write the dimensions into the CAD source in two minutes, render, slice and print it. The whole process is done in 10 minutes and the mount is printed overnight.

From this moment you wait additional three weeks, of the board itself to arrive. :-)

Yes it is incomplete, but who cares, if the mounting solution is much faster than the postal service.

Are you sure? yes | no

jaromir.sukuba wrote 03/03/2016 at 19:59

My initial idea was to use only aluminium plate and threaded standoffs as universal reusable solid base. But the problem is with pitch sizes.

In fact, I could print the base board on my printer, directly with holes of desired shape, size and placement. I can even save standoffs by printing standoffs (+self taper screws) directly on the base board. Perhaps the only problem is that printed base board is not that sturdy as 1,5mm aluminium and most of the people (me including) doesn't have access to printer with more than 20x20cm area, something like 20x30 or 30x40 would be better.

I'm going to rethink this. Perhaps combination of aluminium with universal pitch and smaller custom printed parts for modules is the way to go.

Are you sure? yes | no

ProtoModule

Description

Details