HardLabs

Vdo breakout

nagutierrez·vdo-breakout·hardware/VDO Breakout.kicad_pcb

Vdo breakout layout, top view — open source AVR/Arduino board by nagutierrez

About the Vdo breakout

Vdo breakout is an open source AVR/Arduino PCB design by nagutierrez, published on GitHub under the CC-BY-NC-4.0 license. It is a 4-layer board measuring 47 × 48 mm, with 30 components from 26 distinct parts.

Its main chip is the ATTINY402-SS, from the AVR/Arduino family. Other key parts include the HT75XX-1-SOT89. By type, the board carries 8 resistors, 7 connectors, 5 capacitors, 4 diodes, 2 ICs and 2 test points.

It belongs with the test & measurement and dev boards & breakouts designs in this gallery.

From the project

A 4-gauge breakout board for VDO automotive instruments (e.g. Vision Black), with fused 12 V distribution, sender signal routing, and PWM dimming for LED backlighting.

A 4-gauge breakout board for VDO automotive instruments (e.g. Vision Black), with fused 12 V distribution, sender signal routing, and PWM dimming for LED backlighting.

VDO gauges (e.g. Vision Black) terminate in 4–5 individual spade connectors, not a single harness plug: 2 or 3 for the gauge (12v power, ground, and usually a sender/sense) plus 2 for the bulb (Light+, Light−). Wiring these directly in a custom dash in place is tedious.

Vdo breakout, from the project README
From the project README

Main components on the Vdo breakout

HT75XX-1-SOT89ATTINY402-SS

Vdo breakout bill of materials (BOM)

30 components, 26 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.

QtyPartRefs
1
HT75XX-1-SOT89
HT75xx-1-SOT89
U1
1
ATTINY402-SS
ATtiny402-SS
U2
1
IRLML2502
Q1
1
POWER
J1
1
SIGNALS
J2
1
GAUGE 1
J3
1
GAUGE 2
J4
1
GAUGE 3
J5
1
GAUGE 4
J6
1
PROGRAM
J7
1
Fuse
F1
1
+5V
TP4
1
GND
TP5
1
SMAJ15CA
D1
1
BAV99
D2
2
LED
D3, D4
2
100UF
100uF
C1, C3
2
100NF
100nF
C2, C4
1
10NF
10nF
C5
1
10K
10k
R1
Show 6 more
QtyPartRefs
1
6K8
6k8
R2
2
1k
R3, R5
1
3K3
3k3
R4
1
100K
100k
R6
1
100
R7
1
4K7
4k7
R8

Vdo breakout design files

The KiCad project lives in the nagutierrez/vdo-breakout repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.

Vdo breakout: common questions

What microcontroller does the Vdo breakout use?

The Vdo breakout is built around the ATTINY402-SS, from the AVR/Arduino family.

How big is the Vdo breakout?

The Vdo breakout measures 47 × 48 mm, has 4 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.

How many components are on the Vdo breakout?

30 components, from 26 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 Vdo breakout design files?

From the nagutierrez/vdo-breakout 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 Vdo breakout design in my own project?

It is published under CC-BY-NC-4.0, which limits how it may be reused; read the license before building on it.

Can I test firmware for the Vdo breakout without the hardware?

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

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