Testing the simplified RS485 Building Block Board derived from the earlier RS485 and 48 V passthrough design, including baud rate testing over 20 m of Cat 6 cable.
Posts for: #Building Block Boards
Digital I/O Expander Testing: Inputs
Testing the input side of the Digital I/O Expander building block board, including shift register reads, input-to-output mirroring, and discovering a silkscreen labelling issue.
Testing the Digital IO Expander and RS485 Building Block Boards
Receiving and beginning bench testing of the Rev A Digital IO Expander and RS485 building block boards, starting with output testing on the Digital IO Expander using a Raspberry Pi Pico 2W and MicroPython.
Sending Boards off for Fabrication
Sending the RS485 non-isolated board and revised Digital I/O Expander Board off for fabrication, while also preparing for future USB-C Power Delivery experiments using STM32 Nucleo development boards.
RS485 Non-Isolated Building Block Board
Creating a smaller non-isolated RS485 building block board based on lessons learned from the earlier RS485 and 48 V passthrough design.
RS485 Breakout with 48 V Passthrough Building Block Board — Final Testing
Final testing of the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough building block board, including higher-speed RS485 communication tests over approximately 20 metres of Cat 6 cable.
Setting Out the Road Ahead
Thinking through the next stage of the Protoworks building block board roadmap, including RS485 communications, isolated RS485, digital I/O expansion, low-side driver outputs, 48 V distribution, USB to serial, and future prototype board ideas.
RS485 Breakout with 48 V Passthrough Building Block Board — Part 7
Reflecting on the first RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough board and why the next revision may split RS485 communication and 48 V distribution into separate building block boards.
RS485 Breakout with 48 V Passthrough Building Block Board — Part 6
Further testing of the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough board, including validation of the 48 V polarity protection, identifying a backfeed issue, and testing basic RS485 serial communication over Cat6 cable.
RS485 Breakout with 48 V Passthrough Building Block Board — Part 5
Testing the RS485 breakout with 48 V passthrough building block board using a simple transmitter and receiver setup, including basic signal checks and cable testing over approximately 20 metres of Cat 6.