The FetaDuino

Ah yes, the FetaDuino.

It's the best gosh-darn Arduino-based LCD controller, named after cheese, that you will see today.

It goes with everything!

 
The FetaDuino is the brainchild of Mr. Patrick McCabe of patrickmccabemakes.com. Originally, it was designed for use in stationary control panels and handheld transmitters. It contained a “full size” atmega 328 and through-hole components. I personally have a couple of these original designs and they are simply fantastic. Building on that original design, Pat, with input from me, redesigned the whole board to use SMD parts which allowed the addition of voltage regulators, extras like on-board EEPROMS and of course, room for an X-bee. As it stands now, the FetaDuino is an incredible stand-alone unit capable of not only running the attached LCD but could be the main microcontroller for almost any project.
 

The FetaDuino Features:

• Atmega 328

• External 256k EEPROM

• X-bee headers

• No need to unplug X-bee for programming

• 5v Regulator

• 3.3v Regulator

• On-board battery monitoring

• Bright blue back-mounted LED

• Dedicated i2c lines with 3.3v and 5v available

• Access to SPI lines

• Access to interrupt lines

• LCD backlight brightness control via PWM

• Did I mention an X-BEE!?!

• A PCB footprint no larger than that of a 16x2 LCD

• Low profile design

 
Applications:

• A standard serial or i2c LCD

• Control Panels

• Transmitters

• Receiver and LCD for robots

• Data Logging

 
Contained in the kit:

• FetaDuino Backpack

• 16x2 LCD (Black/dark blue background with white text)

• All pins and headers (some photos show bent pins --Straight pins are included with the kit

   

  
  

   

   

  **X-bee not included

  
  

  Links:

  Get it Here!

  Here are the assembly instructions via Instructables

Here is the Instruction Manual

Here is a zip file with some super-simple example code

Here are just some of the projects that have already been built around the FetaDuino:

Designed by Mr. Patrick McCabe of patrickmccabemakes.com

Pat's original transmitter design

Rocket Brand Studios transmitter prototypes

da Vinci (CNC-style Etch-A-Sketch control via a FetaDuino)

Walter the Robot's motor controller display

Stand-alone extruder control for 3D printing via CNC

The ReFloaster:
The best gosh-darn custom-made toaster-based reflowing system ever created. This is actually the workhorse of the FetaDuino assembly process. Each and every FetaDuino is handcrafted, populated and reflowed right here in America using good ol' Yankee ingenuity.