MicroSquirt ETA

chrisbr · Post by **chrisbr** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:41 am

Bruce:

Thanks for the info. I'd be interested in a board like that. I guess it depends on when we'll see the MicroSquirt. If the conversion board would take a month but the MicroSquirt is also a month away it doesn't make much sense. I guess I'm just excited to get it going. I'm probably 2 or 3 weeks from from having all the other hardware built and ready to fire up the motor. If I can start tuning now and move the settings to the MicroSquirt, then I'm all for that. I don't mind building up a cable myself, but I have more confidence that yours is correct. If you have a board layout for a DIYer that is okay too. Let me know what you think.

Chris Brown

jharvey · Post by **jharvey** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:25 am

alsehendo34 wrote:It would also be nice if the boards could be more hardware bus structured so when you wanted to add a control option you could just piggyback a little board via edge connector—just a personal wish.

I'd have to also admit that I've fantasized about having some kind of back plane with the VR circuits and such being Lego like modules. This would also help with the wasted vertical space because you could stack them. But on the flip side it also increases cost and assembly time.

I think the schematics should remain open source and agree in not releasing the PCB layouts.

mrbell · Post by **mrbell** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 9:58 am

Any new projected dates on the release? Seems like ti's been a few weeks since we've had an update. I know it's time consuming but I'm impatient

mrbell · Post by **mrbell** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:52 am

I guess I killed the thread! Sorry, I won't ask again!

Post by **Bruce Bowling** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:39 pm

mrbell wrote:I guess I killed the thread! Sorry, I won't ask again!

Nope, you did not kill the thread, I just missed it here on the forum....

Update for MicroSquirt - PCBs are finished, we have the components, they are being run thru the IR reflow this week. Next step is wave soldering, but awaiting the manufacture of the VB921 heatsinks, this is pretty much the holdup at the moment. They should be finished in the next week or two.

Also, we have sorted out the wiring harness, and the CM has ordered the AMPSEAL crimp die set for his automated machine. These will need to be run in order to make up the harnesses.

We also have to set up a programmer and ATE setup in order to test the uS board. Each board will be individually tested. I have the tester made up, just have to populate the PCBs and verify operation.

We are going to get about 50 boards made up on this first run. We have parts for additional runs which we will start right after this.

Progress is being made, its just taking longer at the mfg. setup phase that we anticipated, mostly due to part acquisition, harness assembly, and test fixtures. But we are almost there!

- Bruce

mrbell · Post by **mrbell** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:46 pm

50 boards? That seems like alot for the beta run or is this a production run available to those w/ money?

Post by **Bruce Bowling** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 4:18 am

mrbell wrote:50 boards? That seems like alot for the beta run or is this a production run available to those w/ money?

The PCBs, being small, are made up into a larger panel. I believe there are 8 boards on a panel. So the entire panel needs to be run thru the reflow and wave solder process. In our case we are getting 6 or 7 panels made up. This works out all of the kinks of production and it gives the CM a feel on the amount of time and effort it takes to build up a panel, and a statistic rate on fallout.

There boards will be production-quality, and will be available after they are blessed operational.

- Bruce

mrbell · Post by **mrbell** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:32 am

Excellent.
Thanks, Bruce.

aarc240 · Post by **aarc240** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:41 am

I guess Bruce & Al understand what a couple of mice in a cage feel when there's a bunch of hungry cats jest sittin' there watching 'em!
There's sure a bunch of us out here jest watchin' & waitin'.

Post by **Bruce Bowling** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 4:24 pm

aarc240 wrote:I guess Bruce & Al understand what a couple of mice in a cage feel when there's a bunch of hungry cats jest sittin' there watching 'em!
There's sure a bunch of us out here jest watchin' & waitin'.

Yeah, it just the wait and anticipation. At the moment, the wait is still getting the heatsinks finished (any day) and the anticipation is to fire up the first pilot run boards and test them out.

The IR reflow operation has been done on 50 units, the wait is for the heatsinks to mount the VB921, then the wave solder step will happen pretty quickly.

In the meantime, the AMPSEAL wire terminals are being crimped on the wiresand the harnesses are being made up. The color-coded and function-labeled wires will make the harness pretty easy to use. On these first harnesses, the DB-9 serial connector (in the form of a short pigtail) will also be wired into the ampseal. This may turn out to be way too clunky so we may switch to something like a 2.5mm stereo female socket on the ampseal side and supply the corresponding 2.5mm plug-to-DB-9 cable. This will match the setup being used on the GPIO board.

I will be on-site at the CM this Friday to set up the test stand for the uS and to run one of the pilot boards to check out operation.

- Bruce