Hi,
Go to the catalog, and choose the button module, click on Download tab and click on Schematics which will take you to this page:
http://www.ghielectronics.com/downloads/Gadgeteer/Module/Button%20sch.pdf
as you can see this module uses only 3 and 4 pins to work plus the power pins of course…
so you have the other one free to use through the extender while using the button on the other end…
hopefully it makes sense…
If you are going to ABRA better start now. They close at 4:30 
On the Wiki (next to Codeshare up on top):
Here you can see what pins are used for which socket type. Note - that sockets sometimes support multiple types, so you have to “add” the pins from the different types together to see which are used and which aren’t.
Jay Jay: I’m at the schematics but still see all 10 pins… What signifies that only “3 and 4” pins are being used? :S
Rajesh: Thanks for the link, I think I’ll actually go and check it out soon!
mhectorgato: Thanks for the link, it was very useful, especially letting me know what pins 1, 2 and 10 are!
1, 2, 3, 4 and 10 are the ones connected see how they go somewhere while the others are not connected anywhere look at the lines…
you may want to pick a book about electronics… and trust me you will be up and running in no time… i too didn’t have and still don’t experience when it comes to hardware but i can read most datasheets now … and thanks to NetMF and the community… remember if you have the patience and passion you will get there in no time.
@ Kevin89
This book is the one I’ve got http://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Electronics-Learning-Through-Discovery/dp/0596153740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345835342&sr=8-1
Its really good and takes you through from the very beginning with good explanations of everything from how electricity works through resistors, capacitors, transistors, timers etc. Good projects all breadboarded. Its even includes some shopping lists on what to buy and lots of info.
Extenders are your friend when breadboarding. Ive successfully breadboarded an RFID reader and a servo controlled pan/tilt head using gadgeteer and a joystick module.
Breadboarding the components to design a module is the way to go. Devhammer breadboarded his IR LED module first (and wrote the driver using it) before he designed the PCB. It allows you to fiddle around and change stuff then lay it all out in Eagle.
The other thing thats well worth reading through is the module builders guide which you can find here http://gadgeteer.codeplex.com/releases. the http.gadgeteer.codeplex.com site has all the source code for most of the modules and main boards etc. In addition to this http://www.netmf.com/gadgeteer/ is also a good resource although its not updated as much.
Sorry for the delay, I actually went out to ABRA, the store that Rajesh recommended to me.
Rajesh, thanks so much. That store literally had everything I could need and more. I know I’ll be returning there within a few weeks.
Jay Jay, thanks for the recommendation! I just picked up my own breadboard and LED lights (including IR :D) and some resistors just to see how everything works.
Will be picking up other necessary components within a few weeks, however, I bought a rather garbage multi-meter, but if I require a better one in the future I’m sure it will be worth the investment.
HughB, thanks for the link to the Builder’s Guide, I’m about to read through it. Also, thanks for the Amazon link, I definitely will consider the purchase when my next pay cheque comes in!
@ Kevin
A cheap multimeter is good enough to start. As long as it can fairly measure common voltages (0v,3.x,5,x,12) and resistance (0R to a few hundred KOhms you should be good. You can compare it with some one who has a high end multimeter to see the variance.
You can always invest in better test equipment over time.
You may be able to find them cheaper elsewhere (I think I got some of mine on Amazon.com), but I really like the jumper wires listed here (the ones marked “premium”):
https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=jumper&what=products
I have a mix of F/F, M/F, and M/M, so whether I’m connecting to a breadboard, a 0.1" header pin on a PCB, the pins on the end of an RGB LED Strip, I’ve got the right jumpers for the job.
The multicolor wire jumpers (the first kit listed at the link above) are basically crap, IMO, for daily use. They’re fine if you want to create a breadboard project that has flat wiring and looks tidy, but I have a much harder time getting them in the breadboard properly, and they don’t help with connecting to header pins on sensors, etc.
There’s also “The Complete Idiots Guide to Electronics 101” written by forum member Sean Westcott (@ swestcott):
That’s the book that I used as I was getting started, which helped me build up some of the basic electronics knowledge, and also build up my toolkit, based on his recommendations. I use most of the tools Sean recommends on a regular basis.
One tip…get a toolbox for your tools and gadgeteer stuff, and get one that’s bigger than what you think you’ll need, as you’ll probably outgrow it quickly otherwise. My current toolbox is this (yes, I get razzed about the color, but the organizer part is very useful):
I just picked up this, and I’m preparing to move all my travel stuff (I present at user groups on Gadgeteer pretty frequently) into this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017VU09W/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
A little more breathing room on that, and since it’s on wheels it’ll be easy to take with me.
Hey Rajesh,
Yea I figured as much, if this hobby develops into anything other than frustration, I’ll be sure to upgrade it
Hey devhammer!
I’m actually going to be purchasing the Extension Module in a week or so, so it’s good that you just mentionned this 0.1" header, because I just read this:
“If used with breadboard, a 0.1” header needs to be soldered on the module." - What wire would you recommend soldering this with? (Also… dumb question, but what the heck is this 0.1" header? :P)
I was just testing my IR LED circuit (battery > resistor > IR LED) and was so confused when this simple circuit didn’t work; then I remembered they weren’t visible to the naked eye. Grabbed my camera phone, and saw that baby glowing. I was a happy guy to say the least.
Headers:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/116
That’s the most common type for adding to PCBs to make connections, though you’ll also find female versions, such as can be found on arduino boards and the Cerbuino Bee from GHI. Sparkfun probably isn’t the cheapest source, but I like using them because they have lots of other cool goodies, too. Go ahead and pick up several strips of the male breakaway headers…if you do much with Gadgeteer, particularly with extender modules, you’ll use them a lot.
As for soldering, I have a Weller WLC100 40W adjustable soldering iron, for which I purchased a small screwdriver tip (the stock tip is way too large for most of what we do, as numerous folks here pointed out to me, and they were right). Get some quality solder (not the crap you can get at Radio Shack) and some flux paste or pen. The flux cleans the parts to be soldered, and draws the solder in.
Here’s a good 3-part soldering tutorial from Dave at the EEVBlog (part 1 - content warning, Dave is known on occasion to use salty language):
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I’ve gotta admit guys, I love this community so far. Just in the past 2 days the amount of knowledge I’ve gained is tremendous, and the help I’ve received is incredible.
be careful what you wish for… pretty soon this will be your HOME PAGE on every single browser you have installed on your system, LOL
Frankly I’m worried that once I get a handle on circuits and building Modules, I’ll be too distracted to do my job (programming)!
I’ll admit that is happening to me. I’ve become increasingly bored with my day job (.NET dev), and just want to put together cool electronics.
ransomhall I feel the same way, my day job (PHP jQuery dev) is rather repetitive. I’m already planning to turn my house into Iron Man’s house! Hah!
LOL! I think we all go through that. It took about a year after finding this community before I was finally able to get a good balance between my day job & my night job (NETMF). A big part of what enabled this was changing jobs to a small (but very successful) smartphone apps company. I’m surrounded by gadgets all day and although I’m still basically writing database apps during the day, it’s closer to where I really want to be 
My group has now been designated the Windows Phone group and it feels even more like my day and night jobs are merging.
I’ve been asked to build an electronics/NETMF device for my company. Although this will most likely be a nights & weekends project, they are funding it and it’s going to be awesome 
Stay tuned… Development will start after DevLink is over next week. The dream is getting closer to reality every day. Maybe I’ll eventually lead up the custom creations division 