Expansion Port Circuit Examples
ARobot©s expansion connector provides access to the Basic Stamp II’s I/O pins, to the RC servo motor signals, and to the wheel encoder’s signal. These signals can be used to control accessories and to read sensors. +5 volts is made available to power accessories. Observe current specifications to prevent overload of the power supply components on the controller board. Many unused pins are also available that can be soldered to various signals on the controller board or to components in the prototype area.
Breadboards and Perfboards
ARobot’s controller board is the same size and has the same mounting hole pattern as breadboards and perfboards from Radio Shack – Part numbers
Soldering and other basic electronic skills
Books are available from Radio Shack and other sources that teach basic electronic skills such as component identification and soldering. These subjects are beyond the scope of this text and will not be taught here. Expansion ideas in this book require these basic skills and knowledge.
Expansion port cables
The expansion connector is a common 40 pin dual row header with pins on .1” centers. The cable is 40 pin flat cable with .05” centers and is easily cut with scissors. Cable is crimped onto the connector by pressing. This is the same type of connector used for many disk drives on desktop computers. You can simply purchase a disk drive cable which has connectors and cut it to length or buy individual cable and connectors from an electronic supply company such as Radio Shack or
Part sources
Here are some sources for electronic components useful for the robot experimenter:
Radio Shack
www.radioshack.com
701 Brooks Ave. South
Thief River Falls, MN 56701 USA
Mouser Electronics 958 N. Main St. Mansfield, TX 76063 USA
Expansion Port Cable
ARobot with Breadboard & Expansion
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