The Bone manual has the Cape outline dimensions, and I could work out
the connector positions from the PCB files, but things would be easier
if they were available. Are they available, anywhere?
Leon
The Bone manual has the Cape outline dimensions, and I could work out
the connector positions from the PCB files, but things would be easier
if they were available. Are they available, anywhere?
Circuitco has them in their wiki and adafruit has put them in their eagle library this week
KiCad component symbol and module can be downloaded from
https://github.com/piranha32/FlyingBone,
along with design files for open source prototyping cape.
j.
Thanks. I'd already found the Adafruit and FlyingBone data. I can't
find the CircuitCo wiki on their web site.
I'd still have to extract the dimensions from the Adafruit Eagle and
Flyingbone Kicad files, and I'd rather have something official. I was
hoping that there was a simple dimensioned drawing somewhere.
Kicad has a very good dimensioning tool (adds dimension lines and
numbers on a documentation layer). You can also very easily measure
distances using measurement tool in pcbnew: place cursor at your
origin point, press space. This will reset the relative coordinates
displayed in the status line at the bottom of the screen. Now the
relative coordinates will show X and Y distances from the origin
point. Depending on your needs, you can measure distances in metric
and imperial units.
j.
I've already tried that, but I can't place the origin on the edge of
the board, as it's off the grid. Is there any way to put the origin on
one of the board corners?
Things are even worse with Eagle.
I use Pulsonix for PCB design, it's much easier to use than Kicad and
Eagle.
The CircuitCo wiki doesn't have anything about the Bone PCB, just
BeagleBoard stuff.
Leon
Kicad has a very good dimensioning tool (adds dimension lines and
numbers on a documentation layer). You can also very easily measure
distances using measurement tool in pcbnew: place cursor at your
origin point, press space. This will reset the relative coordinates
displayed in the status line at the bottom of the screen. Now the
relative coordinates will show X and Y distances from the origin
point. Depending on your needs, you can measure distances in metric
and imperial units.I've already tried that, but I can't place the origin on the edge of
the board, as it's off the grid. Is there any way to put the origin on
one of the board corners?
RMB -> Grid select -> whatever grid density you like.
Things are even worse with Eagle.
I used Eagle, switched to KiCad. I see no reason why I should start
using Eagle again.
j.
The problem is putting the origin onto one of the board corners.
I gave up with Kicad and just imported the Gerbers into Pulsonix. It
only took me a few seconds to find the dimensions with that.
Leon
>> Kicad has a very good dimensioning tool (adds dimension lines and
>> numbers on a documentation layer). You can also very easily measure
>> distances using measurement tool in pcbnew: place cursor at your
>> origin point, press space. This will reset the relative coordinates
>> displayed in the status line at the bottom of the screen. Now the
>> relative coordinates will show X and Y distances from the origin
>> point. Depending on your needs, you can measure distances in metric
>> and imperial units.> I've already tried that, but I can't place the origin on the edge of
> the board, as it's off the grid. Is there any way to put the origin on
> one of the board corners?RMB -> Grid select -> whatever grid density you like.
> Things are even worse with Eagle.
I used Eagle, switched to KiCad. I see no reason why I should start
using Eagle again.The problem is putting the origin onto one of the board corners.
If, for some reason, you really need to place the origin in one of the
corners, there is an icon in the RHS toolbar which does it. If you
just want to take measurements, relative coordinates are much faster
to use and more convenient.
I gave up with Kicad and just imported the Gerbers into Pulsonix. It
only took me a few seconds to find the dimensions with that.
That's the most robust way to measure the board. I designed the
footprint several weeks before I had the physical board, using gerbers
as the only reference.
j.
Here is my version of the Cape with all the relevant dimensions:
http://www.leonheller.com/BeagleBone/Bone%20Cape.pdf
It needs checking, of course.
Leon
I've added the Pulsonix PCB file.
Leon
Leon,
some dimensions are missing in your PDF, also the BONE SRM manual
Figure 36
only shows 3 mounting holes not 4 as your template?
Antti
Thanks, Antti. I'll recheck it.
The actual Bone board has four mounting holes, as has the FlyingBone Cape board.
Regards,
Leon
I have updated the new SRM to indicate that mounting holes for Capes are not required and at the discretion of the designer if they are provided or not. Trying to support mounting HW on a five board stack is somewaht cumbersome to do. With the limited space on a Cape, the space used by unused mounting holes is more valuable when used for etch or components.
Gerald
Thanks, Gerald.
Leon
I uploaded to FlyingBone github repository a drawing with BeagleBone
component dimensions. Hope it will useful as a reference for future
projects: https://github.com/piranha32/FlyingBone/tree/master/doc/beaglebone_component_dims.pdf
j.
Thank you Leon!
I'm curious about why the cape board is three eights of an inch
shorter on one side than the other, unlike the base board. Looking at
the photos of the DVI cape mounted on the Beaglebone it is not clear
what the purpose of this gap is. If component space is so valuable I
assume there is some reason for it that isn't obvious to me.
Also, where does the plastic case I see in the DVI photos come from?
I haven't found a case for the Beaglebone yet. Will this case
accommodate capes and their connectors?
Rick
Comparing your drawing to the one Jacek posted it doesn't look to me
like your drawing has enough information to position the mounting
holes other than the one in the lower left hand corner of your
drawing. I would say that your drawing assuming the two left hand
mounting holes are both 0.775" from the origin. If you also assume
the two right hand holes are on the same horizontal dimension then the
numbers can be figured out. But Jacek's drawing shows the position of
the two left hand holes to have different horizontal coordinates.
Is this an error in one of the measurements? The discrepancy is only
0.025" or it may be a typo. But when I drop a vertical line across
the two left hand mounting holes in your drawing they are not on the
same line.
Rick