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msp430 compatible with PC 104 ?

gaurav mohta
Prodigy 190 points

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MSP430F5438A

hello,

 i am using MSP430F5438A microcontroller. My applications needs stacking of PCB boards with MSP430 as the main controller.

My question is that wether MSP430 is compatible with PC104 connector. If not then please provide a solution to it.

 

regards,

gaurav mohta

  • 0
    Guru 35595 points

    That depends on what you mean by "compatible"

    If you just want a stackable connector, and/or a certain physical form factor, then it really doesn't matter whether it's actually PC104 or not - does it?

    But if you really want the full PC104 spec - which is basically a PC ISA bus - then the MSP430 is entirely the wrong processor for that!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC/104

     

     

  • 0 in reply to Andy Neil
    Guru 227245 points

    Andy Neil said:
    But if you really want the full PC104 spec - which is basically a PC ISA bus - then the MSP430 is entirely the wrong processor for that!

    I wouldn't second the word 'entirely' in this sentence.

    I'm pretty sure with some smart coding and the bigger/faster MSPs, it should be possible to achieve some compliance - as long as the bus speed is set by the MSP or a waitstate mechanism is implemented (maybe in hardware) so the MSP can catch up.

    But there are surely more suitable processors (especially those with an external address/data bus, where the MSP has 'only' ports) for a real ISA bus compliance.

  • 0 in reply to Jens-Michael Gross
    Prodigy 190 points

    hello jens michael gross,

    well i just what to transmit data and signals to and fro my PCB boards which are stacked . So using MSP430 , is PC104 a good idea ?? if not then please suggest something else which is a better option.

     

    regards,

    gaurav mohta

     

  • 0 in reply to gaurav mohta
    Guru 227245 points

    Like Andy said: If you just want a connector and don't care for the standardized signals that are usuall use don this connector, everything is fine, from bare wire-posts to PC104.

    You only should ensure that it is obvious that the connector doesn't carry the usual signals (imagine what happens if someone tries to plug your PCB to a real PC104 bus system)

    If costs are an issue, PC104 (well, most of these standardized connectors) are ratehr expensive compared to a simple wire-post.

    Also, MSP signals are rather low frequency and high-voltage compared to other systems, so the benefits of highly sophisticated PCB connectors (such as low impedance etc.) aren't really necessary. And the pin count isn't that high too so you don't need high-density connectors too.

    Keep it simple (and cheap).

    Of course, if you want to build a rack with exchangeable components, then the standardized connectors migh tbe a good idea - especially if you follow the standard for at least teh power lines, so you can add one of the existing power supplies to the stack/bus.

    On the bottom line: it's your choice and nobody can give you an advice, especially not without knowing the exact project parameters.

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