Electronics Design

I know there's been a hiatus in this project while I worked on my paying job, but now I have some time to allocate to this project so I am back into it again.

The first step is to finalise the electronics design for the system. I have decided to go out on a limb, and create a custom CPU board for RodneySPR, based around the ATMega32. This is fundamentally the same chip as the Mega16, but with 32K of memory instead. The main memory is implemented on-board via a 25512 Serial EEPROM chip, so we have 64K x 8 main memory, which is outside of the main CPU and accessed in a manner not dissimilar to the original design, albeit using SPI rather than parallel I/O.

Finally a set of line-drivers provided by a ULN2003 darlington array will control the relays for the motors. Taking the relays off-board allows you to substitute H-Bridges for example if you so desire.

At the moment I am transferring the design to a number of PCB CAD platforms , including popular online PCB stores. I will place the finished files in the downloads section as soon as they are verified.