Quote from: tolip_wen on December 08, 2015, 09:16:48 PM

Quote from: qberty on December 08, 2015, 11:46:22 AM

Very interesting post tolip. I appreciate the link for the JTAG and mentions of neppy boards as I haven't had a jupiter or neptune to confirm.

Would be nice to make those bridges cheaper, my new batch will be ready this weekend (for those that don't want to make their own). Also note, the bridge boards aren't just rewiring pins. There's a voltage regulator on there, hence the burning out of some boards, that will also have to be taken into account if you want to make your own (you can use a Harwin M20-7872042 and a Farnell 1256663 for the connectors to fit with the Pi).

I'm not too sure about having control over that cyclone though.

I was suggesting above that if you run power to the Pi thru the original Pi power connector you can use the voltage regulator that is already installed on every Pi.
If there is ONLY a voltage regulator on the bridge and not also a voltage level shifting logic part that might explain why they are going kaput before their time. In that case I'd suggest adding a part to deliver the proper voltage level logic(as if it were a BBB) the controller is designed for.
It's still just a bandaid and using a BBB is cheaper than 0.5BTC for a new bridge board.
(this assumes that someone ports the software)
I posted a few times in the OC thread instructions for setting up a BBB to compile software.
Has anyone asked kfc if they have a BBB flavor of tit FW???

If one must throw BTC at something I'd suggest asking Luke-jr what he'd charge to port the kfc Pi 'utility' code to the BBB.
He is/was quite fluent in the details of what goes where on the Pi and BBB.
(just an idea if there is no willing tit programming talent in this thread)

I think in one of your posts you mentioned burnt traces on the bridge boards.
This kinda does not make sense, I could see killing Pi's happening or killing a part on the bridge but not burning copper.
There should not be enough current between a Pi and a controller to smoke PCB traces.
A Pi runs fine powered by a typical USB port, this means less than 0.5A @ 5VDC, equates to 2.5 watts or less, mentioned already by others.
The Cyclone IV on the controller gets it's power from the 65217A power chip also on the controller.
The FPGA depends on the 65217A being set up correctly before it will operate.
Thusly, troubleshooting a controller should start by verifying power.
I'd guess that some large portion of dead controller boards are just blown 65217.
It is an easier part to repair than the BGA Cyclone.
Definately the 65217 is doable with US$50 hobbyist reflow tools and they are under US$10 each qty1.

I'm not trying to ruin your fun, rerolling the bridge PCB artwork sounds like fun if it's for something that interests you.
But it doesen't sound IMneverHO like the ideal cost effective long term solution for the wider audience of tit users.

You might try one of theese instead...
https://www.adafruit.com/products/2426
or
https://www.adafruit.com/products/2427
They are already 5V tolerant but may not lead to correct IO pins.
It's a common enough challenge for solutions to have already been found and commoditised specifically for the Pi.
Why re-invent the wheel?

If you like to solder start here...
https://www.adafruit.com/products/801
and add your favorite 5V to 3.3V buffer chip.

As usual,
YMMV

I get it, you want to use what we have to fix our shiz. Problem with this cheap solution is that it requires more people that don't care enough about it and rather not invest the time. Hence my conclusion to just get the PCBs made on a mass scale. The more people that want, the cheaper it will get which is the best it can get with bulk orders.

And I am certain the copper blew out on the bridges. All of my boards have had that issue on multiple controllers with multiple different PSUs after working with the same ones after some time. Just bad design is all. And yeah, rerolling these loafs of bread are fun and why I enjoy everything about cryptocurrency generation.

I will gladly help anyone who is willing to take the bridge/controller situation further (software/build wise). If there's any of you out there that care enough Tongue