Announcing the ORDuino !

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Re: To Quote Mark Twain:

Postby orcinus » Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:09 pm

frob wrote:Also, I am considering asking for a 50% deposit up front starting soon, to help offset the purchase of boards and parts- do you guys feel that's reasonable?


As long as you're not planning a trip to Mexico, sure :lol:
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Re: Announcing the ORDuino !

Postby Jacques » Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:49 am

Also, I am considering asking for a 50% deposit up front starting soon, to help offset the purchase of boards and parts- do you guys feel that's reasonable ?


Yes it is reasonable.

Looking forward to more news!
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Re: Announcing the ORDuino !

Postby Stephen Wright » Thu Apr 05, 2012 5:07 pm

I agree that a deposit is reasonable. Let us know.....
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Anxiously awaiting board delivery....

Postby frob » Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:41 am

Here's a rendering of the final layout with more of the big parts on it:

ORDuino1.png
ORDuinos on the way!


Apologies for the crude rendering , unfortunately my cad program has no control over color of imported 3D models. and i searched high and low and couldn't not find a step model of a simple SMT electrolytic capacitor, for the 10x10mm caps on the board. Those are overkill anyway, i may only need 1 or 2 of them after testing.

The board is 6.85" x 2.5" or 174mm x 63.5mm- Here's a quick tour:

Pluggable 3.5mm pitch terminal blocks for all 5 motor channels (including 2 digitial io's for engstops) on top edge
the 3 thermistor channels + 1 thermocouple input on the right,
and 3 more thermocouple inputs, and optional RS-485 on right bottom edge.
to the left of that is a piezo buzzer (quite loud) on a PWM pin so you can tweet any kind of melody, not just a boring 4kHz screech.
next to that is the LCD connector, then USB obviously ...
to the left of that there is the switching regulator so no problem running off 24v
beside that there's a 3-pole 5mm pluggable terminal for the 3 heater control channels-
then on the left of that the FFC connector for the special flex cable version of my heated build plate.
Right above those are more 1/4 Faston connectors for a more direct high-ampacity connection for the 3 heater outputs - the 4th on the left is heater +V power, fused at 20A.
The same connectors also serve double duty as heatsinks for the mosfets just above them.
Those have extra circuitry added for robust protection from ESD and short overvoltage events.
Also current monitoring circuitry so that can be displayed in software, and overcurrent limits can be implemented that way quite easily.
And there is a thermistor right in-between the first 2 mosfets for similar temperature monitoring and overtemp shutdown in software.

The other 3-pole terminal block to the left has the same power outlet for the heaters on the right and 2 others sharing a 10A fused circuit for extruders. Above it is another Faston tab to access that 10A circuit.
The last 2 faston tabs above that are GND and VIN. In their place i can also mount a vertical barrel jack for DC adapters- but that's not all -
In fact there are way too many options to get power into this board, and due to size restrictions its impossible to populate all of them at the same time so you will have some choices when you order :
The connector on the lower left corner is for ATX supply PCIe / CPU power cable- it can be populated as a 4-pin or 6-pin version - note you cant plug a 4-pin cable into a 6-pin socket.
Not shown is the 4-pin DIN connector in the same location on the board, which is compatible with a popular make of high-current DC adapters (laptop-style).
Right above that is another 6-pin rectangular connector, (identical to the ATX PCIe ) but a different pinout for a different brand of high-current AC-DC adapter. don't get them mixed up! Above that is yet another 3-pin pluggable terminal block for power and GND input, with an optional separate voltage input just for the motors.
Finally above that is the last optional Faston tab for same motor voltage. Motor power is fused 5 A as well as diode protected.

Just to the right of all that ( in translucent) is the 20-pin ATX motherboard connector (right-angle). this is experimental, i wont recommend that without a separate 12V inlet from the ATX supply as that only has one 18AWG wire for 12V out of the 20! but a nice feature is the 5V standby will power the CPU which also has control authority to switch on and off the main ATX supply. To use this the local switching regulator has to be disabled or not installed.

The production version of this board will likely see some of the less popular connectors eliminated , and the rest rearranged a bit for better spacing & access .

Finally skipping back to the CPU in the middle, you can see the SD card hovering over it -
On the left you have the DAC for setting the motor current limits, and the redundant trim pots near there too (one of them went for a stroll and took a nap just below the dip switches on the right of the CPU.) just above the dip switches there are the 4 R/C servo outputs(perfect for BLDC spindle motor control ;-)

There are 7 mounting screws, sized M2.5 or 4/40 ; these arranged in line through the row of motor driver IC's to insure close thermal coupling to the heatsink/ mounting bracket / handle. As you can see he layout is extremely dense (more than i expected) so not much room for more mounting points in the corners or other extra features discussed like E-stop etc. Maybe the production revision will see those added, stay tuned....

Edit: Re LCD: if you're interested in how it looks and how to use it from Arduino code, i found a compatible library with examples here and a video to go with it :
http://henningkarlsen.com/electronics/library.php?id=49
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoIY95XP ... e=youtu.be
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Re: Announcing the ORDuino !

Postby orcinus » Thu Apr 12, 2012 1:36 pm

Wow, that's a crowded board.

Is the heated bed FFC a true FFC or a ribbon?
Because a true FFC will probably be a cabling nightmare. You can't quite route it anywhere, it'd be left free-floating from the board down to the heated bed, and it'd have to be unprotected, as you can't really squeeze it in a spring or a spiral tube (okay, a tube or a wrap might work, if you roll the FFC up into a spiral, but i imagine that would end up being pretty rigid).
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Re: Announcing the ORDuino !

Postby frob » Thu Apr 12, 2012 2:24 pm

orcinus wrote:Is the heated bed FFC a true FFC or a ribbon?


Yup its a flat flex cable -
Trying to squeeze that into a spring or route it like a wire would really defeat the purpose.
For those that prefer wires there's the faston tabs (1/4" blade) available on both ends, and screw terminal blocks on the ORDuino too.
The FFC cable idea is something i consider "experimental" but i think has a high potential for long term reliability and "cleaner" more elegant wiring in general (much easier to assemble too, and the connectors are cheap and compact so possible cost savings as well), so i decided to test the concept on the most challenging connection first.
The disadvantage is it really wants to flex or bend in 1 plane only - so its best to arrange the 2 parts it connects to have a 2-D only path in between them. That could mean mounting the board in an alternate location or at least offset to one side.
You can bend it over itself to make 90-degree flat turns but tha'ts not ideal and only good if that bend is fixed in place and wont flex.

The way i imagine installing it i think can work out well, even with the cable just hanging free in the air behind the machine.
But the purpose is really just a proof of concept on the viability of this type of cable; If it does pass the test then i'd probably end up making a small interface board to use only short FFC cables along the linear rails in a "U" configuration where it has the most benefit. This meshes well with another idea i've been thinking about for a future revision - using a "distributed electronics" approach instead (a separate board for each axis), with only power and 2-wire serial data to connect them together.
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Re: Announcing the ORDuino !

Postby orcinus » Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:03 pm

Ah, so the plan is to make it similar to the solutions used in scanners and (inkjet/dot matrix) printers.

The modularity and simplicity sound like a good thing (most people prefer all-in-one boards, i like the modular approach), but it makes me wonder about the durability of it. I mean... it's not like the FFCs will wear out, but the connectors are typically not that durable, plus, there's always a chance of snagging or pinching a cable.

OTOH, having multiple cabling options is always a plus :)
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Shipment/ Deposits / pre-payment

Postby frob » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:35 pm

Looks like boards are shipping from the fab in China today finally - being expedited by fedex will have them arriving mid-next week.
Part of the reason for the delay is a minor screwup on my part, forgot to specify solder-mask color = blue and trying to get that changed mid-flow was slowing it down so in the end i let them go in standard green - which maybe isn't a bad way to tell the prototype boards apart from the production boards on the other hand .... + since that now becomes a separate batch from the HBP, the ORDuinos did get a 2Oz copper upgrade :D
One of these days i really need to start learning Mandarin :roll:
Unfortunately i am traveling on trade-show duty most of next week so assembly/testing will only really get going next friday, but will go on at a frenzied pace through the weekend. I will have 9 protos total thus I expect to have 4 to 6 prototype / "pre-production" boards ready to ship to "early adopters" the following week (week of april 22), assuming there's no major design bugs (there may be a couple blue wires worst case).
If all goes well enough i expect to order full production boards first week of may, and have those professionally assembled at a CM so they should be back here for final test / packaging and shipment by the end of may. I will probably start with only a small batch of boards (100?) and expect those to sell out pretty fast. I purposely have refrained from advertising my designs elsewhere until fully tested, but i expect that to start generating a lot of "buzz" once word gets out.

Unfortunately i just don't have time to work on the website at the same time so for the time being i'll ask for deposits or prepayment the same way as for the ORDbots - i.e. via papal directly to my personal email - for those that sent PM's already i will reply today with specific payment instructions, and to send exact shipping address in paypal checkout, with comments as to which power connector option(s) you want, and if you want to be an "early adopter" or wait for full production boards.
If you are interested in buying one and you haven't reserved yet please PM me for payment instructions soon.

4-motor driver / 2 heaters is $130 US
5-motor driver / 3 heaters is $150 US
For production Orduinos the deposit option is $50. (US)
Full payment is however highly appreciated and encouraged, and will entitle you to your choice of a $20 credit for a second order or 1 free hadron-sized heated build plate 8-) NOTE: this applies to payment received before production starts to ship.
Preproduction "green" boards are $130 but will get 3 heaters and may have 4 or 5 motor drivers and include a free LCD, but must be paid in full.
LCD is $12. there is limited stock and these are no longer in production so get one while you can if you think you want this. (future production will change the connector for an updated LCD model)

The prototype boards will have the 4 main motors channels populated and the 5th "high performance" driver may or may not be there depending on how far i get into testing those, which will take a lot more work - i am going on the assumption that most of you don't care or don't need that, and getting the board sooner rather than later is a higher priority for most. Please advise if you feel different.

As for the Heated build plates, the protos are blue, but use regular FR4, since the purpose is only to validate the resistance of the tracks and mechanical fit, and i will only get a couple so no spares to sell yet. production boards will have high TG FR-4 (170C).
the good news is that testing those will be very quick and easy and i'll order a production batch the same day, so i should have a decent quantity ready to ship out first week of may - again in order that reservations and payment are received.

Due to the very low cost of of the heated build plates, please pay in full - special price of $25 ea. for Buildlog members and first production run only. after that price will likely go up - not sure to what exactly yet, depends on demand. but it will always be a better value than any other option i can promise you that ;-) when you order please indicate if its a Quantum you need and i will pre-cut it to size for you. Also whether or not you want the FFC connector- by default they wont have them but no extra charge if you specifically request one.

As for premium aluminum core HBP, the is little demand so i will wait till the first batch is shipping before deciding if its worth doing those. in the interim another attractive option is becoming available - boards made of solid kapton instead of FR-4, which i will also get quoted, though i expect that to be almost as expensive as aluminum. stay tuned for more news on that...

PS the pricing above doesn't include taxes (only applicable if shipping address is in Canada) and shipping cost. i will have 2 choices for shipping - air parcel mail (registered) and Fedex, and obviously that cost varies depending on location. US customers might get their boards shipped from Champlain, NY and may thus also get UPS as an extra option, i will find out more on that in the next few days. Boards will be bagged in antistatic bag, heat sealed, wrapped in as much bubble wrap as will fit, and stuffed in the smallest standard rate box that will adequately protect them.
Last edited by frob on Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Update on shipping cost....

Postby frob » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:57 pm

If you're outside of mainland US / Canada, please contact me prior to making a payment, i will get the right shipping cost for you.
I will also need to know what special customs documentation may be required for your country, if a certificate of origin is needed, etc.

For US destinations in the lower 48:
Fedex ground (preferred) or UPS : $15 for up to 2lbs (guessing thats ~4-6 boards) beyond that many, contact me and i will be more than happy to provide a custom shipping quote first :)
3-day air (Fedex economy) is $25

USPS Priority Mail® Flat Rate Box :
->Small: $10, up to 2 Orduinos + 2 LCD's
->Medium: $15, Hadron heated build plates or anything beyond 2 ORDuinos (up to a max of a dozen or so, but if you want that many, i highly recommend fedex instead)

In Canada:
Xpresspost™ 3 business days (Guaranteed) : $20 for the first item, then $5 per each additional item.
Regular Parcel™ 8 business days: $15 for the first item, then $2 per each additional item.
Note: LCD's ship free as they may only be ordered 1 per each ORDuino ordered.
Unfortunately, appropriate HST/GST/PST will be have to be charged depending on the Province you're in, so PM me your order and shipping preference and i'll send you the total with a proper invoice etc.

NOTE: i'm trying to figure out a way to simplify this, but this is what iv'e got for now. Hopefully i can find time to get my web site going by the time i'm ready to ship to streamline this.
Order processing times: once boards are in stock, i will try to get all pre-paid orders out within 24-48 hours, and later same time applies for Canada or International destinations.
For US destinations, the compromise to get the low shipping rates, is i have to drive them over the border and ship from upper NY state which is a 3-hour excursion, that i don't normally do more than once a quarter- i rather not have to do that more than once a week, so after the first batch ships, i will likely need to consolidate US shipments once a week, but if your in a real big hurry let me know and i'll do what i can to help :)
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Got Fedex tracking on ORDuino PCB's now :-)

Postby frob » Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:56 pm

ETA Tuesday or Wednesday ;-)
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