I am currently laying out a backplane, to have created via automated process, and was wondering where to find the documentation on the dimensions, hole spacing of the different boards and modules. They were previously available, but I’m unable to locate them now.
Thanks
@ michaelb - We no longer make that information available for Gadgeteer modules or mainboards.
Why? Are you allowed to explain? And for those of us who dowloaded those files, are we not allow to share them now?
Can I get a thumbs down button?
That doesn’t make sense John. Apart from current users who would need this information, if someone was browsing your website and looking to use your board to build something and check it would fit, this seems like a very short sighted idea.
Thumbs down on this one too.
I believe we have the dimension listed for all boards. This should be plenty to determine what you need for a gadgeteer board. No?
For SoM, the datasheet has everything.
Not if you want a 3D component that especially shows mounting hole placements which is very common.
@ Gus
Wrong, the dimensions don’t tell how many holes (2, 4 or more) and if more than 4 where the additional ones are
(example; display boards).
Not quite. Although holes will be on 5mm grid, it does not give us the location of those holes relative to the board edges. For example, the Fez Cobra 3 has what appears to be Arduino layout plus 2 additional but without hole details, we can only guess that this is the case.
I can’t see what is so commercially sensitive that you can provide this information anymore?
Here’s an example where I’ve done this to create a 3D printed enclosure for a client’s prototype board. I built the board model by measuring his actual board but it would have been much better to have actual CAD w/ dimensions available from the manufacturer.
The last image was an early prototype. Note that all the cutouts for the ports, LEDs, and even some LEDs that you can’t see because they are .5mm below the surface were all cutout by subtracting the board model from the case model. A printed button cap goes in the empty hole.
I laser cut some module enclosures last year,and they were the multiple-layer/slice types. So some layers had cutouts for protruding components. The .dxf .3ds .step files etc were very helpful - I just traced the larger components more or less.
For example, this 3 layer protective cover for the raptor mainboard… the middle later needed cutouts for surface components so it would sit flush.
Without those files, I wouldnt have been able to do that, except via lots of trial and error and digital calipers
Indeed. I didn’t mention it but that case I posted ended up taking 8-10 iterations before everything finally fit properly. At about 6 hrs per print that was not a quick process.