Fine Grain Solutions

I will not stand for the TYRANNY that is micro SD cards any longer. I have spent far too much of my life unplugging, replugging, power cycling, etc etc We need to move faster than that. Solutions exist but they are expensive (see the replies for your options). My goal is to solve this problem for as many people as possible at a price point that makes it an easy decision to pick one up. The sd-mux-edge is a simple idea, USB control of a SD card so you can work with your test devices from anywhere. To do this we leverage several discrete components allowing for the device under test to transparently see the SD card mounted on the back of the device when in normal operation and when the user requests it the card is “unplugged” and plugged into the host PC where it shows as a bulk storage device via a built in reader. A small GPIO header allows you to control things like reboot buttons or power strips directly from the device. Everything is controlled via HID so no drivers or anything will be necessary, HID devices can even be controlled via the browser. A full SDK will be published for people that want more complex workflows. This board is heavily cost optimized for a single fab (JLC) so bring up will take me a bit longer. A major compromise that was made was to use @CapacitAnas’s USB-C “plug” to save on the placement and part costs for a good connector. I still need to see how the first boards go before locking in a price but one thing I want is AT LEAST TWO of my boards for the price of some of the other options on the market. I’ll be documenting the bring up as the boards come in and I’ll be publishing more information as I have it.

You can just put anything you want on PCBs and have them shipped to your house

New and improved stream setup, really elite pro stuff nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/2ZBYqoJOe…

Starting stream soon with new setup, it will be very smooth with no technical difficulties

Going to stream some more assembly tonight with a new setup (with music @Dirdmaster) Using OBS for the first time so it might be a disaster

Other options on the market now: - badgerd.nl/sdwirec/, €85 (~$95), USB-C with a built-in reader, the closest match to ours, in stock - tindie.com/products/3mdeb/sd…, $98, 3mdeb; the original open design, micro-USB, 4 left - shop.3mdeb.com/product/sdwir…, €89 before VAT (~$99), same micro-USB board, in stock - badgerd.nl/sdwire3/, €100 (~$111), Badgerd; USB-C and USB3 at SDR104 speed, fast enough for a Pi 5 - shop.linux-automation.com/ca…, €117.45 (~$131), Linux Automation; SDR104, works with the labgrid test framework, has reset and card-detect outputs

Yea man you can only drive for 15 minutes before you have to recharge your tarp Yea it’s also really fucking loud Yea we could have just used some poles but the contract said drones

It just keeps getting better FOR FREE

I pretty much always use Backplane headlessly via Grokbot but every once and awhile I look at the interface and it keeps getting better Makes me want to stop using agents to control it

Got a couple more boards finished up and ready for sale on stream today, soldering on key switches (thocky) and some RJ45 jacks. finegrain.solutions/products… What’s your go to soldering iron tip for fine pitch parts?

Starting up a stream soon for some soldering action

Use @BackplaneWorks to design a board Have backplane write the test firmware and give me test point reference tables for troubleshooting Hook it up to my agent sandbox so backplane can write its production firmware and test it live while I sleep

You used to have to pay some dude on fiverr to make an animation this shitty and now my computer does it like magic

I am at 900 followers and I am honestly shocked, thank you all for following along and I am excited to keep things growing

First live stream done, thanks for stopping in @realwillreil 🫡 Test firmware bug gave me a bit of a scare but they are working perfectly. The RP-PoE-hub is no longer pre-order and they are officially in stock! finegrain.solutions/products…

Live streaming the bring up of some new PoE boards, surely everything will go perfectly