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Mechaduino-Hardware

IDMIL·Mechaduino-Hardware-KiCad

Mechaduino-Hardware PCB layout, top view — open source Microchip SAM board by IDMIL
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About the Mechaduino-Hardware PCB

Mechaduino-Hardware is an open source Microchip SAM PCB design by IDMIL, published on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board measuring 43 × 43 mm, with 61 components from 34 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the ATSAMD21G18A-A, from the Microchip SAM family. Other key parts include the TLV70233_SOT23-5, AS5047D and A4954. By type, the board carries 16 capacitors, 16 resistors, 13 connectors, 5 transistors, 4 ICs and 2 inductors.

It belongs with the robotics & motion designs in this gallery.

From the project

An updated KiCad port of Tropical Labs' open-source industrial servo.

As a part of my master's thesis, I wanted to revive the Mechaduino-based TorqueTuner, a rotary haptic device developed at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory (IDMIL) at McGill University. Since the Mechaduino has been out of production for some years, and because the original design files are in EAGLE (a now-defunct, proprietary software), I have ported the schematics and board layout to KiCad, a free and open-source (and incredibly powerful) PCB design software.

Mechaduino-Hardware, from the project README
From the project README

Main components on the Mechaduino-Hardware

TLV70233_SOT23-5AS5047DA4954ATSAMD21G18A-A

Mechaduino-Hardware bill of materials (BOM)

61 components, 34 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

QtyPartRefs
1
TLV70233_SOT23-5
U1
1
AS5047D
U2
1
A4954
U3
1
ATSAMD21G18A-A
U4
4
BSS138
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4
1
2N7002
Q5
1
32.768K
32.768k
Y1
1
SCREW_TERMINAL_01X02
Screw_Terminal_01x02
J1
1
Conn_01x10
J2
1
Conn_01x06
J3
1
SWD Connector
J4
4
Conn_01x03_Socket
J5, J6, J7, J8
1
C136001
USB_B_Micro
J9
2
Conn_01x01
J10, J11
1
Conn_01x04
J12
1
NEMA 17 Hole Pattern
J13
1
ASMD1206-050
F1
1
C221896
SW_SPST
SW1
1
C2899888
Green
LED1
1
SMF5.0CA
1N5817
D1
Show 14 more
QtyPartRefs
2
BLM18PG471SN1D
L1, L2
7
0.1U
0.1u
C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C14, C15
1
0.01U
0.01u
C6
2
18P
18p
C7, C8
3
1.0U
1.0u
C9, C11, C19
1
100U
100u
C12
1
1.0U
1.0u
C13
1
0.1U
0.1u
C16
8
10K
10k
R1, R2, R3, R4, R6, R11, R20, R21
1
330
50
R5
2
4.7K
4.7k
R7, R8
2
0.15
R12, R13
2
1k
R14, R15
1
100K
100k
R16

Mechaduino-Hardware design files

The KiCad project lives in the IDMIL/Mechaduino-Hardware-KiCad repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

Mechaduino-Hardware: common questions

What microcontroller does the Mechaduino-Hardware use?

The Mechaduino-Hardware is built around the ATSAMD21G18A-A, from the Microchip SAM family.

How big is the Mechaduino-Hardware PCB?

The Mechaduino-Hardware measures 43 × 43 mm, has 2 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the Mechaduino-Hardware?

61 components, from 34 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 Mechaduino-Hardware design files?

From the IDMIL/Mechaduino-Hardware-KiCad 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 Mechaduino-Hardware design in my own project?

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

Can I test firmware for the Mechaduino-Hardware without the hardware?

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

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