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Vanchor helm

AlexAsplund·vanchor-pcb·boards/helm/vanchor-helm.kicad_pcb

Vanchor helm PCB layout, top view — open source RP2040/RP2350 board by AlexAsplund
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About the Vanchor helm PCB

Vanchor helm is an open source RP2040/RP2350 PCB design by AlexAsplund, published on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board measuring 125 × 95 mm, with 63 components from 40 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (SC1632), from the RP2040/RP2350 family. Other key parts include the XL4015 5A module (AliExpress) and BTN8982TA. By type, the board carries 25 resistors, 13 connectors, 9 capacitors, 7 diodes, 4 ICs and 2 fuses.

It belongs with the robotics & motion, power & battery and dev boards & breakouts designs in this gallery.

From the project

Carrier PCB for the vanchor-ng trolling-motor autopilot: an Orange Pi Zero 3 (autopilot computer) + Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (real-time motor controller, I²C slave) on one 125×95 mm 2-layer board (standard 1 oz). Thrust power lives on the companion thrust-driver board cabled to J13 (a

Carrier PCB for the vanchor-ng trolling-motor autopilot: an Orange Pi Zero 3 (autopilot computer) + Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (real-time motor controller, I²C slave) on one 125×95 mm 2-layer board (standard 1 oz). Thrust power lives on the companion thrust-driver board cabled to J13 (any IBT-2/BTS7960-class driver also works); the steering-servo bridge is on board. 12 V-only (car battery, 14.4 V charging) — the 5 V rail comes from an XL4015 buck module soldered on as a daughterboard (U5). Full system diagrams: docs/architecture.md.

Main components on the Vanchor helm

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (SC1632)XL4015 5A module (AliExpress)BTN8982TA

Vanchor helm bill of materials (BOM)

63 components, 40 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

QtyPartRefs
1
Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (SC1632)
Pico 2
U1
1
XL4015 5A module (AliExpress)
XL4015 5A
U5
2
BTN8982TA
U7, U8
1
IRF9540NPBF
IRF9540N
Q1
1
61302621121 (Wurth 2x13 2.54mm male header)
OPI_Z3_26PIN
J1
1
SBC2_OPI_RPI26
J2
1
JST B4B-XH-A(LF)(SN)
UART5 ttyAS5
J3
1
JST B4B-XH-A(LF)(SN)
UART2 ttyAS2
J4
1
JST B4B-XH-A(LF)(SN)
NMEA2000 PWR
J5
1
JST B4B-XH-A(LF)(SN)
I2C3 spare
J8
1
FAN + HALL
J9
1
JST B2B-XH-A(LF)(SN)
AUX 5V (screen)
J10
1
JST B4B-XH-A(LF)(SN)
AS5600
J11
1
PICO UTIL
J12
1
THRUST DRV
J13
1
BATT 12V
J16
1
CUI TB007-508-02
SERVO MOTOR
J22
1
3568
10A blade
F1
1
MF-R250
MF-R250 2.5A
F2
1
green
LED1
Show 20 more
QtyPartRefs
1
yellow
LED5
1
BZX85C12-TAP
BZX85C12
D4
1
SMCJ18A
D5
5
BAT54S,215
BAT54S
D6, D8, D10, D11, D14
2
EEU-FR1E471B
470u/25V
C1, C2
1
EEU-FR1E101
100u
C3
4
100N
100n
C5, C12, C21, C23
1
EEU-FR1E221 (220uF/25V)
220u/25V
C22
1
100N
100n
C24
4
47K
47k
R1, R11, R39, R40
3
2.2K
2.2k
R2, R5, R6
5
1k
R8, R13, R15, R16, R19
2
4.7K
4.7k
R9, R10
2
10K
10k
R12, R18
2
100R
R20, R21
1
10K
10k
R22
1
1k
R23
2
100K
100k
R30, R32
1
20K
20k
R38
2
0R DNP
R41, R42

Vanchor helm design files

The KiCad project lives in the AlexAsplund/vanchor-pcb repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

Vanchor helm: common questions

What microcontroller does the Vanchor helm use?

The Vanchor helm is built around the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (SC1632), from the RP2040/RP2350 family.

How big is the Vanchor helm PCB?

The Vanchor helm measures 125 × 95 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the Vanchor helm?

63 components, from 40 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.

Where can I download the Vanchor helm design files?

From the AlexAsplund/vanchor-pcb repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.

Can I use the Vanchor helm design in my own project?

The repository has no license, so all rights stay with AlexAsplund. Use it as a reference, and ask the author before reusing the design.

Can I test firmware for the Vanchor helm without the hardware?

Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug RP2040/RP2350 firmware against it before you order a PCB.

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