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Ann:$25 PCB to help novices/protect Arduino. Schools. Parents?

Former Member

I hope it is okay that I marked this as a question? It IS an announcement... but also a question in that feedback on the item described is my main reason for posting! If experts find problems if they are kind enough to review the page offered below,their thoughts will be very welcome.

 

This is NOT "crowd sourced" vaporware! The boards exist. They work. But I am inviting Mr Murphy to the party, AND involving kids... I am not so egotistical to believe that there is nothing that could be improved. Before I put a lot more time into this, I want to be sure there are no fundamental flaws at the heart of the work to date!

 

I now have six copies of a PCB which, along with it's components, cost about $25 each.

 

NoviceGuard, as I call it, is an attempt to make an Arduino Pro Mini "novice friendly", and also novice SAFE... i.e., the user can't damage the Arduino, if just one basic rule is kept.

 

I hope it will make the Arduino something that can be used in schools with children as young as 10.

 

I have a general page about it, but also a page for teachers/ parents, and one written to tell "experts" what I've tried to do. I hope experts will look at their page, and write to me if they can see things that I've overlooked... is there a way to damage the board that I've overlooked?

 

Experts' page: Call for review: for experts, a plea for input: NoviceGuard (PCB261) ModGeeInt.htm

 

Parents', teachers' page: Introduction for teachers, parents: NoviceGuard (PCB261) ModTeaInt.htm

 

(There are links to the general page from both.)

 

I am looking for suitable people to LOAN a prototype to, for comment. Details in both pages.

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    I'm not sure I fully understand the concept.

     

    The approach sounds much like the ruggeduino: Rugged Circuits

    They mention 10 ways to destroy an arduino and then discuss preventive measures: https://andrew-sterian.squarespace.com/10-ways-to-destroy-an-arduino

     

    It would seem from your design that an over voltage could be applied to Pin 3 of P-T4, and that over voltage would be applied directly to the Arduino pin.

  • 0 in reply to gadget.iom

    Thank you! And yes, there is a clash of names. I can only protest that I was using "Rugguino" quite innocently for a time (started years ago) before becoming aware of Ruggeduino. (I have a note on my Rugguino pages, pointing out the similar domain to my readers.)

     

    Similar: Perhaps... certainly, from my limited knowledge of their aims and products, we have some common sources of inspiration, common objectives.

     

    Yes! If you connect NoviceGuard to unauthorized sources of voltage it will not survive! I don't think any USABLE Arduino based "toy" could survive ANY abuse....

     

    The parents, teachers supervising the novices' learning would have to provide guidance. Within....

     

    Thou shalt not connect things which aren't on "the menu", and

    Thou shalt not mess with the pinMode statements you've been told to include in setup()

     

    .... there is a LOT the users can do.

     

    (By the way... while my hope is to get Arduinos into the hands of kids, I believe that NoviceGuard can be a benefit to novices of any age. Not only does it protect the Arduino, but it spares the novice having to learn electronics at the same time as learning programming. And even if they know some electronics, it spares them the fiddly... and often fumbled... "hooking up" stuff.)

     

    Thanks for raising the question... and I look forward to checking out the "ways to kill an Arduino" page you cited. Tom

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