Make Controller Kits In Stock
We're back in stock!
At long last, we've gotten Make Controller Kits back in stock. Phew! Thanks to everybody for their patience as we've dealt with some unexpected manufacturing issues.
New Controller Board
The new Controller Boards are v2.0 - so what's changed? Not too much, really. The main improvement is that the I2C lines now come down off the Controller Board, making it possible to interface the Make Controller with the wide world of I2C sensors and actuators. The other main change made is that the CAN transceiver chip on the Controller Board is no longer populated by default. This is a small change we made to avoid having to raise the cost of the board, and it doesn't affect too many customers since there's not much CAN software support at the moment. We'll be adding a how-to on installing your own CAN transceiver soon - it's not too difficult. The last change is the improved silkscreen on the front - I finally got an actual image on there!
These changes also mean there will be a few other modifications, depending on your situation:
- 2 versions of heavy.bin to accommodate the difference in signals on each board. You'll need to make sure to load the appropriate one depending on your Controller version.
- running a v2.0 Controller with a v1.0 Application Board requires a few pins to be cut. If you're buying a new App Board, these changes should already be made - you only need to worry about this if you're using an existing App Board v1.0 with a Controller Board v2.0. Look for more info on this soon.
New Application Board
We only have a few of the existing Application Boards (1.0) in stock and will soon be transitioning to the newer version 2.0. The new Application Board is really nice - it's *much* smaller than the existing App Board, maintains most of the same features, but adds an improved switching power supply circuit so you can power the board directly with voltages from 5-24V. This means there's not as much fussing with external power supplies for your higher voltage output devices - just run the whole board off the higher voltage!
One of the other main changes is that we've removed the DIP switch and trimpot - these are a couple small ways that we try to keep the cost of the board down as our costs continue to rise. The JTAG connector is now optional and is installed on the back side of the board, if you're using it. From the feedback that we've received, these have not been critical parts of the work most people do with the board, so we thought they were the best parts to trim. To make up for these, we added a small pushbutton that can be configured for whatever you like via software.
Application Board - Before (v1.0) & After (v2.0)
Controller / Interface Kit
We're also now offering the Make Controller Board bundled with the Interface Board for just $85, cheaper than purchasing them both separately. We think this is a great price for any Ethernet-enabled controller, let alone one with all the benefits of the Make Controller!
Check them all out in the store!
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