So it turns out that an initial purchase of parts for a prototype run of my diversity board would be in the $500 range. For me is a bit much when I have not even tested the postal system from the states. So I decided to start with a simpler project that has lower initial costs. Introducing the Switch:  What does it do? It is a multipurpose digital switch. Six high voltage, high current MOSFETs controlled by a microcontroller. There is the provision to accept control signals via PWM, PPM, SPI, serial, I2C or USB. The board has been laid out so it is easy to attach a FrSky D4R-II receiver, OpenLRS or the DIYDrones IMU. Each MOSFET can be controlled via hardware PWM and by combining this with voltage and current sensing a constant voltage or current could be provided to each output. Finally it will be Arduino Leonardo compatible in order to make programming as accessible as possible. Like the Freetronics Leostick (which it is based on) it will be an open hardware design. I plan to write software so it will be easy for non programmers to quickly configure their RC gear to trigger each switch. Possible uses: High power intelligent LED control. Brushed motor control. Pyrotechnics ignition. I have a bit more work to do optimising the layout to make it easy for hand soldering before I will get a prototype PCB batch done. The circuitry for the current sensing is so far untested but the board design allows for a bit of experimentation here. |
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