Breakout board for the TI nSpire

[DebboR]

Hello,

I'm currently developing a cheap breakout board for the TI nSpire series. I am developping this because I don't like to solder directly to my nSpire. This breakout board will be converting the dock connector to a connector with 0.1 inch pitch (normal header size). All 26 pins will be connected to a main connector, with two seperate pin headers for easy connecting of the UART, 3.3V and ground.

I'm letting you know this because if I get the breakout board prototypes, I get 10 pieces. Is anyone intersted in buying such a breakout connector? The price will be around €7 or €8 + shipping. I'm not at home ATM, so I will be posting some pics of the digital PCB render tomorrow.

DebboR

[ElementCoder]

So it's something like an adapter that makes connecting something to the connnector strip/pins easier? Nice!

[Jim Bauwens]

Hello,

I'm currently developing a cheap breakout board for the TI nSpire series. I am developping this because I don't like to solder directly to my nSpire. This breakout board will be converting the dock connector to a connector with 0.1 inch pitch (normal header size). All 26 pins will be connected to a main connector, with two seperate pin headers for easy connecting of the UART, 3.3V and ground.

I'm letting you know this because if I get the breakout board prototypes, I get 10 pieces. Is anyone intersted in buying such a breakout connector? The price will be around €7 or €8 + shipping. I'm not at home ATM, so I will be posting some pics of the digital PCB render tomorrow.

DebboR

Hi DebboR,
I'm interested in getting one
Something like this is very handy when debugging.
Looking forward to the renders!

[DebboR]

So it's something like an adapter that makes connecting something to the connnector strip/pins easier? Nice!

Yes! That's exactly what it will be!

[Levak]

You mean this : http://levak.free.fr/ftp/nspire/dock-nspire/ ?

[DebboR]

You mean this : http://levak.free.fr/ftp/nspire/dock-nspire/ ?

Yes, but a little more professional... You'll see tomorrow what I mean exactly.

[DebboR]

Hi!

I have finished the v0.1 design today (see pic's below). I just have to decide on the colors (Black, blue or green). The board (and the pin headers) will be €8 (approx. 10$) + shipping. If you are interested, please reply or send me a PM.

Some renders of the different colors:

Black:


Blue:


Green:


Please let me know what colour you'd prefer to have (I will only be ordering the most wanted colour!)

DebboR

[Levak]

Hi,
I'm a bit confused on the way you'll try to connect to the dock connector ... using a dock connector ...

Indeed, if you look at any Nspire Cradle, you'll see that it has some brushes in order to keep every pin connected :

[DebboR]

Hi,
I'm a bit confused on the way you'll try to connect to the dock connector ... using a dock connector ...

Indeed, if you look at any Nspire Cradle, you'll see that it has some brushes in order to keep every pin connected :
<img>

Yes, you're correct that I haven't explained it at all :-) . This connector is supposed to connect in a totally different way. I will have this board manufactured with 1mm thickness (a little bit thinner than the normal 1.6mm), so that it fits snug between the actual dock connector and the protective sliding cover over it. Onto the pads, a tiny coat of solder is applied so the connections are raised a bit. This should be enough to keep all contacts connected.

DebboR

[Adriweb]

Looks nice, hope it will work nicely with what levak said and the thickness too.

Also, you should put "TI-Nspire" instead of "TI nSpire"

[DebboR]

Looks nice, hope it will work nicely with what levak said and the thickness too.

Also, you should put "TI-Nspire" instead of "TI nSpire"

Oh, Ok! I always thought it was nSpire... Thanks for the tip!

[Levak]

Hi,
I'm a bit confused on the way you'll try to connect to the dock connector ... using a dock connector ...

Indeed, if you look at any Nspire Cradle, you'll see that it has some brushes in order to keep every pin connected :
<img>

Yes, you're correct that I haven't explained it at all :-) . This connector is supposed to connect in a totally different way. I will have this board manufactured with 1mm thickness (a little bit thinner than the normal 1.6mm), so that it fits snug between the actual dock connector and the protective sliding cover over it. Onto the pads, a tiny coat of solder is applied so the connections are raised a bit. This should be enough to keep all contacts connected.

DebboR

Sorry, but this does not work in real life : if pin 26 and pin 1 are higher of 10µ than the others, numerous pin in the middle wont me connected and will be really annoying while used. Also, some of the pins may create sparks and may crash the calc (already experimented that).

Look at any USB connectors, it also has brushes and stoppers.

Also, 1mm is really tiny and may break, but is not as tiny as it should be to get under the dock cover.

If your system (or prototype) works, nice for you, but I will still have doubt on the reliability of each pins.

[DebboR]

Hi,
I'm a bit confused on the way you'll try to connect to the dock connector ... using a dock connector ...

Indeed, if you look at any Nspire Cradle, you'll see that it has some brushes in order to keep every pin connected :
<img>

Yes, you're correct that I haven't explained it at all :-) . This connector is supposed to connect in a totally different way. I will have this board manufactured with 1mm thickness (a little bit thinner than the normal 1.6mm), so that it fits snug between the actual dock connector and the protective sliding cover over it. Onto the pads, a tiny coat of solder is applied so the connections are raised a bit. This should be enough to keep all contacts connected.

DebboR

Sorry, but this does not work in real life : if pin 26 and pin 1 are higher of 10µ than the others, numerous pin in the middle wont me connected and will be really annoying while used. Also, some of the pins may create sparks and may crash the calc (already experimented that).

Look at any USB connectors, it also has brushes and stoppers.

Also, 1mm is really tiny and may break, but is not as tiny as it should be to get under the dock cover.

If your system (or prototype) works, nice for you, but I will still have doubt on the reliability of each pins.

Hi.

Thanks for letting me know your opninion about the system. I have chosen the 1mm PCB as it will be the perfect size in my opnion. I have some 1.6mm PCB's laying around, and I have no problem at all wedging them between the dock and the cover. Also, try breaking a 1mm PCB, they're pretty sturdy!

I have actually hacked an old used PCB to try some connections. They don't seem to loose the connection even when I wiggel it around slightly (because they are wedged inbetween the cover and the PCB, plus they flex a bit so even if the edge is slightly higher, it still is able to connect).

As long as you aren't using any inductors or large caps in your external circuit, the arching will not happen on a bad contact (and it will certainly not damage the calc, because if it would, there would be a lot of problems, even with the original TI dock connectors).

I could have used some kind of brush (like in USB-connectors), but I didn't because I wanted to keep the price low. Remember this is still a prototype!

I'm sorry if you disagree with my toughts.

DebboR

[Keoni29]

A connector will cost you about $2 or less. Make it optional for the user to intstall this for themselves. Universal prints are the way to go.

[DebboR]

A connector will cost you about $2 or less. Make it optional for the user to intstall this for themselves. Universal prints are the way to go.

That's a good idea, but I've googled around for a bit, and I can't seem to find a fitting one with a low enough footprint. Do you know a connector up to the job? I'd be happy to add it to the design!

DebboR