Our friends at Mikro Elektronika have been growing the Click module family quite rapidly. There are over 1,000 modules available and the list is growing almost daily! Many of our SITCore boards include the MikroBUS socket, giving you a long list of available plug-and-play modules.
As for software, we have been adding a samples and drivers for a lot of Click modules and we are welcoming community contributions as well. The Click samples/drivers are found under Accessories.
When it came to adding a low-cost tiny-board to our Single Board Computer category, we cheated! We did the same thing we did when we worked with BeagleBoard.org on making the PocketBeagle. Instead of adding female headers, we only used pads that are mapped to match the MikroBUS sockets. Even better, two click boards can be added back to back.
So now you have multiple options on what to use. You can simply just use FEZ Stick on a breadboard.
Or you can add a female header with pins long enough to plug into a breadboard while providing MikroBUS sockets on top.
And now you guys can see why we have discontinued Gadgeteer. There are just so many accessories on the market. We want to empower you with the BEST possible .NET IoT hardware that works with any of the available accessories on the market.
extreme well organised ,
also to not forget (for lazies like me) drag’n’drop PROGRAMING on Visual Studio - and code ready without any typing on it (LOL sounds like SCRATCH programming )
I’ve just designed a commercial project that needed optional circuitry and instead of making a single PCB with variants and the resulting costs to get different boards made, I decided to use Click boards for the load cell interface and the current loop drivers. Now all I need to do is grab a PCB off the shelf and populate with the Click boards that the client needs and wire them up to the connectors. I can also design my own Click boards if I need something special.
We have done such commercial project as well, with a ETH Click directly soldered on the board (too expensive to replicate the module) and with MikroBus connectors to add modules as needed, like you did.
This is really easy to build boards with optional parts. And often less expensive as well.
I’m facing a case where I might have a board mounted to a frame that includes a compressor. I’m worried that the asymmetric distribution of weight on the click boards may cause them to ‘walk’ out of the socket under vibration. Anybody have a favorite solution for keeping these secured? My initial thought was just a bar screwed into standoffs on the PCB, and non-conductive neoprene strips to hold the fastener end down, but maybe y’all know of something more elegant.
Perhaps you could add a small female header (3 or 4 holes) near the front of the module or the edge of your mainboard ?
It would not be connected to anything but would serve to prevent the tipping of the module.
Anyone know a cheaper connector option for the click sockets? I have selected Samtec but they are $1.82 each and we need 2 per socket. I have 7 sockets on the board so that is $25 just for the sockets. SSW-108-22-G-S-VS is the one I am using just now. They need to be the same SMD style.
I’m trying out the Feather Click Shield now with the FEZ Feather. Please don’t ask why my breathalyzer needs GPS – all I can say is that it’s a holiday weekend in the U.S.A. and I’m taking tomorrow off!
