I've expanded the Raspberry Pi beyond a simple Single Board Computer to allow it to better interface with other hardware in an industrial setting.
Hello,
I'm pleased to announce a project I've been involved in is finally taking off: An industrial interface for the Raspberry Pi!
I've taken the "shield" notion from the Arduino and applied it to the Raspberry Pi. The stack consists of a "base board" that includes the following:
- High-efficiency switching power supply (5-50V AC or DC input) provides clean 5V and 3.3V to system.
- SuperCap-backed RTC w/NVRAM
- Watchdog timer and manual reset button (tied to "P6" of the RasPi)
- Expansion "A" and "B" headers which link to other "slices" via a standardized interface.
- True RS-232 port with level translator and DB9-M connector
Modules (aka "slices") stack vertically on top of the base board via a pair of 20-pin passthrough style connectors that carry power, all GPIOs from the RasPi, and the I2C & SPI interfaces.
I've build prototypes of the following "slices":
- 32-bit Buffered Digital I/O module w/4 channels of Dallas 1-wire interface connectors
- 16 channel 240VAC 1.2A driver for controlling industrial contactors & solenoids
- 4 channel 4-20mA analog input board
- Open "proto" board with a matrix of 0.1" centered through-holes.
Planned are:
- Multi-channel DC driver board (350mA per channel) for driving DC loads such as LEDs, lamps, and solenoids
- Stepper motor driver board
- PWM board for LEDs & servo motors
- High-power audio amp board for RasPi-based audio projects needing higher volume than headphone audio
- Isolated Multi-Channel RS-232/RS485 comm board
- Mini-breadboard module with easy hookups for prototyping
- Multi-channel high-res analog input module with software-configurable input ranges
Here's a preview of the boards I've build and am in the process of testing: