Summary of MotherBone PiOne on Kickstarter
MotherBone™PiOne™ is a 3.5" peripheral motherboard designed for BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi Model B. It provides safe I/O expansion through voltage isolation, allowing these Linux-based systems to connect to external devices without risking damage. The board isolates unused default configuration pins and establishes two communication links between the modules, enabling them to run individually or simultaneously for real-world applications.
Parts used in the MotherBone™PiOne™ Project:
- MotherBone™PiOne™ peripheral motherboard
- BeagleBone Black module
- Raspberry Pi Model B computer
- Voltage isolation circuitry
- On-board communication links (two types)
- Linux based operating system
MotherBone™PiOne™ is a peripheral motherboard for BeagleBone Black & Raspberry Pi providing safe I/O expansion for Linux based systems
The Background
We were evaluating BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi for low cost control systems when we discovered that the modules, as shipped, were fundamentally unusable for anything other than connecting to your PC and programming.
For instance, some of the cautions listed in the BeagleBone Black Systems Reference Manual are:
“NOTE: Do not connect 5V logic level signals to these pins or the board will be damaged.
NOTE: DO NOT APPLY VOLTAGE TO ANY I/O PIN WHEN POWER IS NOT SUPPLIED TO THE BOARD. IT WILL DAMAGE THE PROCESSOR AND VOID THE WARRANTY.
NO PINS ARE TO BE DRIVEN UNTIL AFTER THE SYS_RESET LINE GOES HIGH.”
Since we were required to provide some kind of voltage isolation in order to connect the BeagleBone Black to any external devices, we figured everyone else would need some form of isolation as well in order to use BeagleBone Black in the real world.
An additional problem we discovered was that BeagleBone Black’s default operating mode utilized many of the pins present on the I/O connectors and these were not available for general use without extensive operating system changes.
We also found that the Raspberry Pi has an extremely large user group and support. This has allowed people to develop a tremendous amount of software for various applications. However, like the BeagleBone Black, it is limited in its real world expandability out of the box. We wanted to allow existing users of Raspberry Pi to use BeagleBone Black like a Highly Intelligent Super I/O to expand their projects into real world applications. Additionally, this gives Raspberry Pi programmers a platform to easily port their routines to BeagleBone Black.
The Solution
We created a multi-tool: an all-in-one 3.5″ peripheral voltage isolating motherboard for the BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi Model B computers and expanded out and isolated all of the default configuration pins that were not being used by BeagleBone Black internal resources. We also created two different on-board communication links between Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black for advanced control functions. Now you are able to run both modules individually or simultaneously in the real world.
For more detail: MotherBone PiOne on Kickstarter
- What is the primary purpose of MotherBone™PiOne™?
It is a peripheral motherboard providing safe I/O expansion and voltage isolation for BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi. - How does the project solve the issue of damaged processors on BeagleBone Black?
It provides necessary voltage isolation to prevent connecting 5V logic signals or applying voltage when power is not supplied. - Can the BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi run simultaneously with this solution?
Yes, the board allows both modules to run individually or simultaneously in the real world. - What specific problem regarding default pins does this product address?
It expands out and isolates the default configuration pins that were previously unavailable for general use. - Does the solution support existing Raspberry Pi software routines?
Yes, it gives Raspberry Pi programmers a platform to easily port their routines to BeagleBone Black. - What size is the MotherBone™PiOne™ motherboard?
The motherboard is an all-in-one 3.5" peripheral unit. - Why was voltage isolation considered essential for these modules?
Without isolation, connecting to external devices could damage the processor and void the warranty. - How many communication links exist between the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone Black?
There are two different on-board communication links created for advanced control functions.
