Welcome!

All files related to Neurons and BrainBoardz listed here can also be downloaded from our GitHub repository.

Pinouts

Neuron-M and Neuron-P Pinouts
The pinout diagram for the Neuron-M and Neuron-P

CircuitPython

The BrainBoardz system supports all versions of CircuitPython (8, 9 etc.). The opensource Mu Editor  (an IDE for CircuitPython) is available for Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems.

Adafruit provides a web interface (Adafruit ESPTool) for uploading CircuitPython firmware.bin files to Neuron modules. Instructions on using Adafuit’s ESP Web Tool are located here.

We actively support Arduino and CircuitPython, but we have also tested MicroPython and PlatformIO. We can confirm that MicroPython is compatible with the Neuron ESP32S3 module. The ESP32-S3-WROOM-I module on Neuron is the same module as that used on the Espressif developer board ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1-N8/R8. 

3D Models and Printable Files

BrainBoardz utilizes a number of 3D printed parts in the mPCIe modules. These parts include the mPCIe riser, BrainBoardz board standoffs and OLED display supports. Our boards are provided with a complete set of parts. If you have access to an FDM printer you can also print replacement parts from the STL model files provided below. For the best results we recommend printing STL files with the following settings:

.2 mm Layer Height
3 perimeters (shells)
5 solid layers top
5 solid layers bottom
20% Infill
30 mm/s for perimeters (slow!)
50 mm/s for infill
Support Material is Not Required
PLA recommended

We do not recommend using FDM 3D printed nuts or bolts for attaching Neuron mPCIe module to a BrainBoardz. Instead we recommend M3 8mm nylon screws with either a metal or nylon M3 nuts. An M3 screw and nut are provided with every Neuron; replacements screws/nuts are available from our store, Amazon, AliExpress and other suppliers.

Schematics

We have published our board designs and requirements as an open source project on GitHub. You are welcome to design your own board! We do not allow 3rd party boards to use our name or logo, but you can indicate “BrainBoardz Compatible” on your board if it is 100% compatible and it is manufactured using a lead free solder.  Please ensure that you follow our design guidelines very closely. The pin assignments have to be 100% compatible and connector placement is extremely critical.  Also, please ensure that our Neurons run properly (including the MicroSD card and Blink LED) on your board design. The schematics for the Neuron-M and Neuron-P and all BrainBoardz boards is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license Version 4.0. The software and firmware for Neuron and BrainBoardz Project is released under the GPL V3 License.