According to the feedback that i have received from the current Isolated 4 port USB to TTL UART,
I have started to design a different version of that project but more industrial friendly and supporting multiple protocols.
The new features are the following:

• Plastic case with DIN support
• USB B connector, more robust respect to the USB-C
• Switch to enable or disable the LEDs
• It’s possible to configure each port with different protocol, for example you can have 2 UART interfaces, one RS485 and one RS232.

There is a base board where is possible to connect different modules, each module has a different protocol and it’s fixed on the base board with a 3mm screw.

Modules

Isolated UART Module

Simple module where the TX and RX pins are available
Same functionality of the current 4 port USB – UART converter but you need to give power to the UART side.

Isolated UART self powered

Same functionality of the Isolated UART module, with the difference that you don’t need to power the module, it contain an isolated DC/DC converter and with a switch it’s possible to choose the UART voltage level between 5V or 3.3V

Isolated RS422 – RS485

This module is compatible with the RS422 or the RS485 bus.
It’s based on the ADM2582E chip. It’s an isolated transceiver with an integrated DC/DC converter.
There are two switches on this module, one it’s used for select the RS485 or the RS422 interface, while the second one is used for enable the termination resistance.

Isolated RS232

This module provide an isolated RS232 interface.
It provide the TX and RX signal plus RTS and CTS .

We have removed the products of the I2C encoder with the encoder and connector soldered, and we have added two new products:

I2CEncoder V2.1 with soldered accessory
I2CEncoder Mini with soldered accessory

Now you can choose several options of encoders, connectors and cables.
You will thus receive the assembled boards ready to be used!

 

After waiting almost 3 months, the RGB encoders are arrived!
Two packages from Taiwan, for a 21Kg of encoders for a total of 3000pcs…
Now i think we have enough encoders for a couple of years.

Here a couple of images:

The RGB LED Ring is an accessory of the rotary encoder. The shaft of the encoder can be insert in the center hole of the board. It support both the normal rotary encoder and the RGB encoder.

There are 48 RGB LED disposed in a circle with a 40mm diameter. In total there is 144 LEDs. Each single LED can be controller with 256 step, then each RGB LED are encoded with the 888 format. The controller is the IS31FL3737

What it is and its story

We have married at May 6, 2018. Since we both of us are Electronic Engineers, we had decided to make these Bride Badges to attach on Wedding favors we had prepared to each wedding guests as a gift. The badge has 2 touch pads, 18 micro RGB LEDs and 18 of 0402 LEDs. By touching either touch pads, the LEDs are enabled and plays some light effects.

The effect that Bride Badge is attached to wedding flavors:

Details of Bride Badge

We have decided to make this badge few mouths before our marriage. In order to save time, we used the components that we already familiar with. We have made 25 badges and all the components are soldered manually.

The main brain of this project is the PIC16F18326, the IS31FL3218 is used for the led driver.

The PCB is just a double layer with a dimension of 75x65mm. The black color is the soldermask, the white is the silkscreen and the gold parts are just the copper with the ENIG treatment.

On the top face, there are only the LEDs, on the bottom there are the chips, battery and the brooch.

The LEDs are organized as a matrix 4×18, one line is normal 0402 LED while the other 3 are tiny RGB LED called SX-0402-RGB.

Those LED are just 1x1mm:

The 0402 LEDs are placed on the bridal bouquet, we have also made it in different colors, while the RGB LEDs are under our names.

The 18 column are controlled from the IS31FL3218, while the LEDs on rows are controlled by the PIC. The LEDs on rows are activated one by one and every time the PIC update the IS31FL3218 with the color data of the row.

To activate the light effect, we have added two capacitive sensors under the two figures. For driving those sensors, we have used the Capacitive mTouch™ functionality of the PIC 16F18326.

On the bottom, there are all the chips and the passive components.  We have covered all this part with a black hot glue.

There are also the battery holder. The battery is the CR2032.

Unfortunately i didn’t take a photo of the components before the covering… I have only a 3D render

And here the result with the covering:

We didn’t putted any ON-OFF switch, this because we were thinking to use some low power functions of the PIC and use the capacitive sensors as a wake up trigger.

But unfortunately we have discovered, at the end, that the capacitive sensors doesn’t work like this. The lowest power mode that the capacitive sensors works is the DOZE mode and not in deep sleep.

This reduced a 1 week of battery life, but for us the importance was that the duration was at least the day of our marriage!

Check for more details on hackaday!