OBSERVATIONS FROM SCOTLAND                            28 May 2008                                GM1SXX

Pic Microcontrollers... the easy way.

If you've been following this 'thread'  you'll know that I'm a fan of the 16F877A Flash PIC Microcontroller. In the past, I've used a number of 'development boards' on which to build various projects but I've found one that ticks all the boxes. This board takes any of the 40 pin PIC's and has the following features.

1) ICSP is supported

2) All the port lines are taken to 10 pin header plugs that also carry the power rails.

3) The board is very compact, easily built into completed projects.

4) I saved the best one for last..... it's cheap!

I came across these PIC boards by accident. The guy who supplies them, Wouter van Ooijen, can supply either a bare board, kit or finished article and he  operates his company as a 'one man band'.  He's based in the Nederlands and delivery to the UK was very speedy indeed. What's more, being in the Eurozone, VAT is included in the cost, so no messing around paying extra 'duties' on these items.

His system is called 'Dwarfboard' and it consists of a motherboard (the Dwarfboard) to which can be added peripheral PCB's to perform various functions. The reader is urged to check for themselves at http://www.voti.nl/dwarf/n_index.html

Here's a dwarfboard (Type DB-001) for the 40 pin PIC's showing the port connectors.

The dwarfboard is the heart of a complete system available from Wouter. Other board include sensor board, LED boards, LSD displays etc.

Schematic of the DB-001 Dwarfboard.   Note that it supports ISCP (In Circuit Serial Programming) and also has a Wisp628 interface.  The board has no onboard 5V regulator so needs to be fed from a stabilised 5V DC supply.

 Above is a photo of a different model dwarfboard connected to a sensor board & LCD display.

 Note. The board shown above  is not the DB001 board, but it shows how the 'Dwarfboard' concept works.

'Dwarfboard'  is easily the best PIC based system for 40 pin MPU's that I've come across to date.  I can only think of one way to improve it and that would be to make provision for a 7805 (1A) or 78L05 (100ma) onboard voltage regulator.  However, this is a small point given the flexibility of this excellent system.

Wouter's  website is at www.voti.nl  Check it out!

At the moment, I have ten of these boards nearing completion. I bought them as bare PCB's because I have plenty of parts to hand but should you be interested, you can buy everything from components to finished systems on Wouter's site.  The quality of the PCB's is superb.   They are double-sided plated through boards with solder resist mask and printed component overlays.  As to complexity, it has taken me about four hours to build ten complete boards. The dwarfboard should accept any 40 pin PIC device. but was specifically designed for the 16F877/A and more sophisticated 18F452. 

According to Wouter...

I agree.  For those seeking to build good quality low cost systems based on the 40 pin PIC MPU's, I doubt if you could find a better system.

73 AL.
GM1SXX
(As of 1/11/2007 Wouter says that the average delivery time for orders is around 5 working days. )