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Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: blackbeard on July 31, 2010, 12:37:38 PM

Title: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: blackbeard on July 31, 2010, 12:37:38 PM
is it just me who finds the the awkward pin configuration of the arduino troublesome? for an open source hardware platform it seems designed in a way that prevents you from making your own perminant or semi perminant hardware additions by positioning the pins in a way that makes it incompatible with a protoboard. you can do temporary fix by plugging in wires or a somewhat perminant connection with pins on ribbon cables but you can't make a shield. so really what's the logic in the arduino pinnout?
Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: madsci1016 on July 31, 2010, 12:49:37 PM
Don't know the logic behind it, but here's the fix.

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9374 (http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9374)

Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: Razor Concepts on July 31, 2010, 01:57:45 PM
Thats why I use seeeduinos which on the PCB have an extra set of pin holes that retain the .1" spacing

The actual story behind the spacing is that the guy who did the first layout of the board accidently got the spacing off a little, and the first boards ended up being manufactured that way and I guess they just stuck with it.

I'm betting they will be changing the spacing for Arduino 2.0 which is due soon
Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: blackbeard on July 31, 2010, 03:29:55 PM
Quote from: Razor Concepts on July 31, 2010, 01:57:45 PM
Thats why I use seeeduinos which on the PCB have an extra set of pin holes that retain the .1" spacing

The actual story behind the spacing is that the guy who did the first layout of the board accidently got the spacing off a little, and the first boards ended up being manufactured that way and I guess they just stuck with it.

I'm betting they will be changing the spacing for Arduino 2.0 which is due soon

and here i was thinking it was all a plot to make us buy protoshields!
Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: vinito on July 31, 2010, 09:46:59 PM
Quote from: Razor Concepts on July 31, 2010, 01:57:45 PM
The actual story behind the spacing is that the guy who did the first layout of the board accidently got the spacing off a little
Yea I've read about that "accident" too. I don't buy it. It's a lame reason. And the spacing is off more than just a little. Those guys are pretty smart and I don't care how many they made on the first run, it should have been changed right away. You don't just let an error stay in a design when it is a core problem with the physical format. They should have been more forward thinking if it was just an accident originally, and I tend to lean toward the suspicion that they left it there for some other reason rather than "oh well. too late now".

I declare "shenanigans" !
hehe
Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: Razor Concepts on July 31, 2010, 09:54:55 PM
lol, but the odd thing is the Arduino guys don't really make any shields themselves.. they have a few but not very popular
Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: amando96 on August 01, 2010, 05:36:51 AM
The Arduino board is a prototyping board, it's not supposed to be part of anything permanent.
Title: Re: What's with the arduino pin config?
Post by: blackbeard on August 01, 2010, 07:53:17 AM
Quote from: amando96 on August 01, 2010, 05:36:51 AM
The Arduino board is a prototyping board, it's not supposed to be part of anything permanent.

ya but that's like making a car with just enough gas to drive 40km a day and saying it's designed for in city driving or surgicly attatching your off hand to your back saying it's only good for scratching your bum anyway