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Pierce Nichols edited this page Jul 19, 2014 · 4 revisions

MultiSpork

A wireless analog/digital multitool & data recorder.

When I'm working on a mobile robotics projects, I often wish I could attach my scope, logic analyzer, or signal generator to some aspect of the 'bot without tethering it to the bench. IOW, what I need is some kind of widget that does the data acquisition on the 'bot and sends it back to a screen. Ideally, it would also have plenty of range, easy configuration, a nice interface (Saleae is my model for how this should be).

Maxim just released a chip, the MAX 11300, that incorporates a good chunk of what's required for this. It gives you twenty channels, each of which can by ADC, DAC, or GPIO, and communicates over a fast SPI bus. Add an Atmel SAM processor (I already have the dev tools, so this is an easy decision) and a wifi module, and we're in business. Cheap wifi-only Android tablets can be had for as little as $50, so Android is the obvious choice for a host OS.

System Description

Analog to Digital Interface

  • One (1) Maxim MAX11300 PIXI 20-Port Programmable Mixed-Signal I/O with 12-Bit ADC, 12-Bit DAC, Analog Switches, and GPIO

Analog Front End

  • Full diode-strapping for each pin
  • In-line PTC fuses for each pin
  • Tunable anti-aliasing/reconstruction filters and drivers (this is still under consideration)

Processor

  • One (1) Atmel ATSAM3S4A

Communications

  • One (1) CC3100 WiFi chip
  • One (1) USB mini plug

Power Inputs

  • 5.5mm Barrel Jack, 5V-30V
  • Vin pin, 5V-30V
  • Vusb, 5V

Power Supply Rails

  • +5V AVDD (stepped down from AVDDIO)
  • +3.3V DVDD/processor (stepped down from AVDDIO)
  • +10V AVDDIO (stepped up from input)
  • -10V AVSSIO (inverted & stepped up from input)

Help Needed

I'm no good at app development, so I need a collaborator to help me with that part.