1591XXBBK

Name: 1591XXBBK
Price: 6.87 USD

BigMan73 · Oct 9, 2012

shevett said:
I'm ready to start building this - can the code.google.com site be updated with parts lists? I have some experience with the Arduino, so that should not be a problem, but would need more details on which LCD you're using and which power supply.

I'll place the order for the Nano and get it loadable so when the next firmware rev is ready, I can blast it right in there

Hooray!!!!

Great, I will be more than happy to assist you.

Nano is a great choice.
Regarding LCD - I got one that comes with I2C adapter on it. Makes life really easy. A regular LCD is going to be a problem as it uses many ports, and you don't have these ports available.
I2C is great because with 2 wires you get a bus that all I2C devices can share.
Look in ebay for:
"Serial IIC/I2C/TWI 1602 162 16X2 Character LCD Module Display For 5v Arduino"
For $8.59 it seems like a great deal.
Interesting thing about the LCD modules of this form factor, is that their holes match exactly the holes of the enclosure I used - HM1038-ND
You don't have to use that enclosure, but it should fit all the components nicely. If you look at the google code video and photos you can see the enclosure's dimension.

Power - I drew the power for the LCD from Arduino 5V port. I converted the 12V (~11V-15V) from the motorcycle's battery into a stable 9V using LM2940 and some related components as seen here
Then I fed the stable 9V into the Arduino's VIN port.

The Bill Of Materials I have for V1 is not 100% right for you since in V2 you don't need the following:
1. Arduino shield. Instead buy a cheap Radio shack thru hole PCB and headers and put all the components there (i.e. make it a 'nano shield'). I checked and the nano easily fits the 0.1'' PCB.
2. Enclosure for Arduino
3. Ethernet Dual Port
4. DS1631 Temperature Sensor
5. You probably don't need the 14V Zener - I was a bit paranoid

EDIT: I loaded the same firmware to the Nano. No issues. I didn't connect any peripherals, but the firmware works as designed, and I communicated with it using the serial port - it has kind of a console command line interface for diagnostics. No need to wait - just use it.

BigMan73 · Jan 30, 2013

mpenner said:
So I went out and got some quotes for a custom PCB today.

Here is the quote matrix (showing quantity and turnaround time) that I got for a board that is 3.23 in x 1.38 in (the approximate size of the LCD panel)

Qty Same Day 1-day 2-day 3-day
5 $185.26 $118.31 $92.56 $71.96
10 $94.40 $60.93 $48.05 $37.75
50 $20.33 $13.64 $11.06 $9.00
100 $10.43 $7.08 $5.80 $4.77

Here is the quote matrix that I got for a board that is 4.53 in x 2.56 in (the approximate size of a generic waterproof box)

Qty Same Day 1-day 2-day 3-day
5 $188.80 $121.85 $96.10 $75.50
10 $97.50 $64.03 $51.15 $40.85
50 $21.04 $14.35 $11.77 $9.71
100 $11.27 $7.93 $6.64 $5.61

This does not include shipping, but if there are enough people interested this is certainly doable (for example for the smaller board we can get them for $4.77 each if we order 100 with a 3 day turnaround)

I will start designing the board, but it will take me some time as this takes a bit of care.

The LCD connects today to the enclosure using 4 small screws - No need for such a large PCB.

Arduino Nano 3 board has much smaller dimensions.
See also:
Arduino - ArduinoBoardNano

If we go with a Nano Shield, then the dimensions are:
0.73" x 1.70"

That should make it much cheaper.

As for the enclosure, the current one costs $4.5 from Digikey.
1591XXBBK Hammond Manufacturing | HM1038-ND | DigiKey

I don't really see a justification to get another generic enclosure which is more expensive.

EDIT: I uploaded an updated BOM, please update your SVN sources

mpenner · Jan 30, 2013

BigMan73 said:
The LCD connects today to the enclosure using 4 small screws - No need for such a large PCB.

Arduino Nano 3 board has much smaller dimensions.
See also:
Arduino - ArduinoBoardNano

If we go with a Nano Shield, then the dimensions are:
0.73" x 1.70"

That should make it much cheaper.

As for the enclosure, the current one costs $4.5 from Digikey.
1591XXBBK Hammond Manufacturing | HM1038-ND | DigiKey

I don't really see a justification to get another generic enclosure which is more expensive.

EDIT: I uploaded an updated BOM, please update your SVN sources

My original plan was to mount the LCD display to the motherboard on the opposite side of Arudino/processor and then mount the motherboard to the enclosure. That way I could design the motherboard so that it would fit the mounting bosses of the enclosure exactly. Making the motherboard smaller than the LCD will only save a few pennies.

The enclosure that I suggested is generic; however, it has a couple of advantages over the present one. First it has a clear plastic cover so that the LCD would be visible. Second it is already waterproof.

So I am suggesting a custom motherboard that has mounting holes for the Arduino Nano on one side and holes for the LCD to be mounted to other side. Then this whole electronics package would be fastened to the enclosure using the holes in the motherboard that would be designed for just such a purpose. Then the clear plastic lid would be fastened on the enclosure and the whole thing would be completely waterproof. The LCD screen and the LED's would right inside the clear plastic lid so that they would be visible.

At this point there are only 3 I/O's needed for the unit when it is in operation (+12V, GND, and Gear Ind). These could be run out the side of the enclosure through a cable gland.

Cable Glands - NEMA Accessory

Of course, if we could get a custom enclosure, we could do all sorts of cool things. The NRE tooling costs for a custom package are very steep in my experience.

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