The upad enjoyed popularity with several educational institutions around the globe from 2010 until recently. Unfortunately, the approach we took with the interconnecting boards made a complete learning setup expensive when compared to other micro development boards such as Arduino.
We have decided to retire the upad and work on a smaller, cheaper approach to microcontroller lab platforms.
The upad mini is coming soon! Watch this space!
The μpad system is based around the idea of a common backplane with replaceable controller boards and module boards. So far our controllers are based on microcontrollers. There is a lot happening in the world of FPGAs and Systems on a chip. Many of the functions that have traditionally been performed by microcontrollers are now being handled by FPGAs and hard wired logic.
We are currently talking to some of our regular customers in the education field to discover which FPGA may be most useful in a learning environment. We would love to hear any suggestions. Feel free to let us know by leaving a comment below.
The μpad system is based around the idea of a common backplane with replaceable controller boards and module boards. This approach works well with the controllers we’ve designed so far. We want to expand the range of controllers available for the system and we are currently looking at a PIC based controller.
This project is still in the planning stage. There is a large range of PIC processors out there. We are considering the PIC16F877A but we haven’t made a final decision. Do you have a preference or suggestion? Tell us with a comment below.
The μpad system is based around the idea of a common backplane with replaceable controller boards and module boards. This approach works well with the controllers we’ve designed so far. With the Raspberry Pi we have challenge. Continue reading Raspberry Pi Backplane for the μpad
The μpad system is based around the idea of a common backplane with replaceable controller boards and module boards. This approach works well with the controllers we’ve designed so far. At first glance it looks like the Arduino would be a good match for the μpad. Continue reading Arduino backplane for the μpad
We are in the final stages of testing 3 new modules for the μpad. There is a 2.4 inch Touch Screen LCD Module that allows learners to experiment with modern user interfaces. The new GSM Module will bring text messaging and email to the μpad. Then there is an I2C Module that introduces the user to the I2C protocol. The module has a real time clock, DAC and EEPROM