Just got my boards back today. I did the seeedstudio 2x2 $20 deal and I guess I can't complain. No better or worse than SparkFun's boards, cheaper yes but almost 5 weeks to get them. At any rate, they are here and populated and work great. One of these guys is becoming a dedicated i2c servo-driver slave and another is going to be the new brain in the VEX transmitter. Super Nifty!
Really Bare Bones Board -- But With Servo Connectors Because That's The Right Way To Do It
I still have all the Gerber's so if anyone wants to order some for themselves, I would be happy to zip them up and send them to you.
Hey, ctc, btw, I talked to
Hey, ctc, btw, I talked to one of the electronics guys here at work. He mentioned that the crystal emits rf radiation…The reason for the small(short) traces is because the longer the trace to the crystal, the more it can act like an antenna, both emitting and receiving signals. This might not be a big issue, but has the potential to cause issues with other devices that are rf based or with the proc as well receiving signals causing frequency hickups(I made that last term up but you get the idea).
Thanks, guys
First off, I love the idea of adding female headers to each side. It seems that 3 great minds think alike --Gareth and I both just finished projects involving chips sandwiched between header strips. Very good use of space and adds instant breadboardability. Thanks for the RF info, Voodoo --I think the bottom line is that it would probably never be an issue but isn’t to say it couldn’t be better. An underside mount is the obvious solution. It will of course, no longer look like a rocket though, with the chip being the body and the crystal/caps being the fins or boosters. I will say this: Total price for each board populated is about $12 --cheaper if I were to buy blank chips. As a dedicated i2c servo driver or IO/ADC expander you can’t beat 12 bucks. Hell, maybe I will tidy this up a bit and sell them. I think I will take the suggestions from the shout-box today too --Propeller needs a RBBB as well. I will start work on it soon.
I also have a preference for
I also have a preference for the female headers. I just picked up a JK Devices’ MiniMega 1280 as my new dedicated breadboarding micro-controller and the first thing I did was solder in female header blocks, so I can secure it beside the breadboard instead of out on it.
Nice job! That’s a skill I haven’t picked up, even though I understand that even your average 6 year old genius can layout a PCB. 
Gerber ?
Hey CtC could you send me the Gerber files?
My two boards you sent me are working very well.
