Aloha fellow Teensy fans
I've been using teensy since 2.0 or so and have one or more of just about every model in old-projects, recovered bin, or new in baggy.
One of my on-going, far too delayed projects is a game show buttons and lights and audio thing for a friend's professional gig ('family feud' for corporate and other events here on Maui).
At first I figured it would be fairly straight forward to wire up some buttons, neopixels, and audio playback but the features keep adding up. Add to that the desire to have the system break down and be portable - meaning the button panels disconnect from lighting from controller from PA from power... And suddenly there were 150+ connections in the system.
The basic hardware at present consists of:
* teensy 3.x (using audio out on A14)
* pjrc WIZ820io+SD Adaptor (only use SD for sound files)
* pjrc OctoWS2811 Adapter (level shifter for neopixels)
* Two Large Arcade buttons, with Neopixel ring inside and single led bulb in switch body
* Three regular Arcade Buttons, with single neopixel inside for color/action feedback.
* 12-5vdc power converter (to derive power from 12v PA system)
* need to add a Brightness control (n position switch, pot, etc)
I gave up on spade lugs a long while back. I had figured RJ-45 would be a simple interconnect for the various data lines, backed up by some power distribution as required. This still left a LOT of interconnections between the controller stack and the RJ-45s, and tween the button/leds and their end of the RJ45. I switched out spade lugs for the rather nice prototyping WAGO Lever nuts. As the project goes along, with occasional work days mixed with month or other stuff, I've been having to replace some elements (dead neopixels, mostly), so the quick connecting with lever nuts helps.
I am however, looking now at how to box this thing up small and make it robust enough to get tossed around as production gear does when on the road. It shouldnt be that hard to design up a board that has (4-5) RJ45 jacks, the level shifter (74HCT245) chip, an sd card holder, and headers for a plug-in teensy 3.x. (maybe even upping game to a 3.5/6 with SD card).
1) what PCB CAD system would y'all recommend?
i've played with fritzing, and Autodesk's tinkercad, bit of Eagle years ago.
2) what caveats and suggestions do y'all have for someone who hasnt built a board in several decades?
Mahalo!
Jerry Isdale
Maui Institute of Art & Technology
Maui, Hawaii
I've been using teensy since 2.0 or so and have one or more of just about every model in old-projects, recovered bin, or new in baggy.
One of my on-going, far too delayed projects is a game show buttons and lights and audio thing for a friend's professional gig ('family feud' for corporate and other events here on Maui).
At first I figured it would be fairly straight forward to wire up some buttons, neopixels, and audio playback but the features keep adding up. Add to that the desire to have the system break down and be portable - meaning the button panels disconnect from lighting from controller from PA from power... And suddenly there were 150+ connections in the system.
The basic hardware at present consists of:
* teensy 3.x (using audio out on A14)
* pjrc WIZ820io+SD Adaptor (only use SD for sound files)
* pjrc OctoWS2811 Adapter (level shifter for neopixels)
* Two Large Arcade buttons, with Neopixel ring inside and single led bulb in switch body
* Three regular Arcade Buttons, with single neopixel inside for color/action feedback.
* 12-5vdc power converter (to derive power from 12v PA system)
* need to add a Brightness control (n position switch, pot, etc)
I gave up on spade lugs a long while back. I had figured RJ-45 would be a simple interconnect for the various data lines, backed up by some power distribution as required. This still left a LOT of interconnections between the controller stack and the RJ-45s, and tween the button/leds and their end of the RJ45. I switched out spade lugs for the rather nice prototyping WAGO Lever nuts. As the project goes along, with occasional work days mixed with month or other stuff, I've been having to replace some elements (dead neopixels, mostly), so the quick connecting with lever nuts helps.
I am however, looking now at how to box this thing up small and make it robust enough to get tossed around as production gear does when on the road. It shouldnt be that hard to design up a board that has (4-5) RJ45 jacks, the level shifter (74HCT245) chip, an sd card holder, and headers for a plug-in teensy 3.x. (maybe even upping game to a 3.5/6 with SD card).
1) what PCB CAD system would y'all recommend?
i've played with fritzing, and Autodesk's tinkercad, bit of Eagle years ago.
2) what caveats and suggestions do y'all have for someone who hasnt built a board in several decades?
Mahalo!
Jerry Isdale
Maui Institute of Art & Technology
Maui, Hawaii