Sunday, May 18, 2014

Minima - VFO Troubleshooting - Cont'd 2

Well, that did not work, see previous post.

I created a Si570 BreakOut Board with minimal configuration to have something that I can test and verify my BusPirate. I got the same results with the new board, the I2C Address Scan returns nothing.

I must have something wrong with my use of the BusPirate.

The Si570 BreakOut Board that I created is a little different than previously posted, it now will fit in a standard 600mil socket. Which means that it is a little bigger than the original 500mil config, but should be more useful.

Here are some of the build details.
The New 600 mil Layout
As Designed with DipTrace
The size of the board is about 0.5x0.7 inches and is 0.032 inches thick, with four via's (40mil pads, 10mil holes).

You can almost see through the PCB material, the two sided image alignment is reasonable.
A Panel of 
Double Sided Toner Transfer PCB's after Etch
(Showing the Back Side)
This is the results after: Cut, Solder Wipe, Holes Drilled, and Parts Loaded.
The Finished Si570 BreakOut Board
When I get the BusPirate operational issue sorted out, this should provide a simple verification test. It will also be a useful part for ProtoBoard experiments.

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3 comments:

  1. Eldon, Please make sure the Si570 has a load resistor on its output lest the I2C logic in the chip gets interference from the unloaded RF output.

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  2. Nice breakout board Eldon. I am unconvinced that your Bus Pirate is non-functional as the behavior would be consistent with the results you see with the Minima.

    Perhaps it is time for me to bring my working Si570 up to you so we can get to the bottom of this? I just soldered solid wires to the chip and pushed them into a perf board.

    I could also scout up my Bus Pirate (which box is the question) and bring it along. Or I can just write test code like what I sent you previously on the Arduino to check this out.

    You have time this weekend to work on this? Joan is off to an equestrian event, so I have Thursday-Sunday dog duty, but otherwise can come up to help out.

    What sayest thou?

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