SparkFun
USB 32-Bit Whacker - PIC32MX795 Development Board
The new version of the UBW32 now uses the PIC32MX795 IC. Based on the work of Brian Schmalz, the UBW32 is a small development board for the new PIC32MX...
The new version of the UBW32 now uses the PIC32MX795 IC. Based on the work of Brian Schmalz, the UBW32 is a small development board for the new PIC32MX795 32-bit CPU from Microchip. The UBW32 is breadboard friendly and includes all of the external circuitry needed to get the PIC32 up and running. Power can be provided over USB or from an external source. It has 3 push buttons (Reset, and 2 user-defined buttons) and 5 LEDs (Power, USB, and 3 user defined LEDs). All of the 78(!) of the PIC32’s I/O pins are broken out. The board comes pre-loaded with a USB bootloader and special UBW firmware that accepts simple serial commands to control the various I/O functions.
If you have used a UBW or Arduino before and are frustrated by the lack of CPU power, lack of memory, lack of I/O pins, or lack of sophisticated software, the UBW32 is just what you are looking for! While only slightly more expensive than the 8-bit UBW, the UBW32 has significantly more I/O and CPU horsepower.
The UBW32 is also a very good stand-alone development platform for the USB PIC32 chip. It contains a simple to use USB bootloader so that you can write your own code and download it to the board without any additional programmer, tools, or software. If you need low-level debugging, you can also attach an ICD2/ICD3 or other PIC debugger.
The PIC32 chip is capable of doing USB OTG, USB Mass Store, USB Virtual Com Port and USB Host roles. There is a footprint on the bottom of the board for a USB connector that will allow you to plug any USB device into the UBW32. There is a jumper that allows you to power the VBUS 5V USB wire if you program your UBW32 to be a USB Host.
Note: This product is a collaboration with Brian Schmalz. A portion of each sales goes back to them for product support and continued development.
Features:
- PIC32MX795
- 128KBytes of RAM
- 512KBytes of Flash
- 78 usable I/O pins
- CPU runs at 80MHz
- USB Bootloader
Documents:
- Schematic
- Board
- Eagle Files
- Datasheet (PIC32MX795)
- Documentation for v1.4 Firmware
- UBW32 Website
- Drivers for Windows
- GitHub (Design Files)
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- Bootloader
- Small starter software on a microcontroller that lets new code be uploaded before the main program runs. Knowing how to enter bootloader mode matters when you need to program the board or recover it after a faulty sketch.
- COM port
- A COM port is the way many computers present a USB-connected serial device to software. It matters because it lets you configure or read the board from a computer using serial terminal tools or navigation software.
- RAM
- RAM is temporary memory used while a device is running, and its contents are lost when power is removed. A “Run in RAM” mode is useful for testing settings without permanently programming the module, but it may not support every feature.
- USB host
- A USB host is the side of a USB connection that controls attached devices, like a computer talking to a keyboard or flash drive. This matters because most microcontroller boards are normally USB devices, so adding USB host support lets them use common USB peripherals.
- VBUS
- A label often used for the main bus or supply voltage being measured or distributed on a board. Knowing what VBUS refers to helps you wire the monitor to the correct point in the circuit, especially for high-side measurements.
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USB 32-Bit Whacker Schematic
Schematic · 132.8 KB · Click any page to view full size
USB 32-Bit Whacker Board Layout
Schematic · 72.1 KB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — sparkfun.com
Supplier Description · 700.6 KB · Click any page to view full size
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