Yes. The entire BrainBoardz system is an open source project published on GitHub. Schematics for the Neurons, BrainBoardz and related files are updated as new designs are completed. You are welcome to design/manufacture your own BrainBoardz compatible board and Neuron compatible module(s). We do not permit 3rd party boards and modules to use our logo/branding, but you are welcome to indicate your board is BrainBoardz compatible (using a logo indicating compatibility of your own design or by using our recommended logo) if it is 100% pin compatible and it is manufactured using lead free solder.
Please ensure that you follow our design guidelines very closely. The pin assignments are very specific and have to be 100% consistent to maintain wide compatibility. The distances between the mPCIe connector and the mounting hole for Neurons must be very precise. This will ensure compatibility with both the module positioning and the correct sizing of the 3D printed mounting components. We recommend using our Nucleus template as a base outline for your project as it provide a minimum footprint for Neuron based projects. You can use our templates as a guide in your preferred EDA. At BrainBoardz we use EasyEDA for our designs, but it is easy convert our JSON template files to KiCad using this conversion tool if that is your preference:
https://wokwi.com/tools/easyeda2kicad
Implementing the Mini PCE Express (mPCIe) based mounting system used in BrainBoardz does require access to some tools and supplies that are commonly available to electronics hobbyists. There are two approaches to soldering the Mini PCIe connectors:
- A hot air station
- A reusable mPCIe stencil (available from JLCPCB and the BrainBoardz store etc. )
- Lead free SMD solder paste
- A soldering iron with a fine chisel tip for re-work. Hakko T12-D08 tips or similar tips work well for this task.
- Thin solder wire for the mPCIe pins and pads. Thicker solder wire can be used for the two larger pads
- Resin and a solder wick for fixing any soldering issues
- An analog or digital microscope or a magnifier for verification/rework is strongly recommended
Alternatively, it is also possible to hand solder mPCIe connectors. For this we recommend:
- A soldering iron
- Resin and a solder wick for fixing any soldering issues
- A fine chisel tip to apply solder to the mPCIe pad/pins. Hakko T12-D08 tips or similar tips work well for this task.
- A analog or digital microscope or a magnifier for verification/rework is strongly recommended
The schematics for the Neurons and all BrainBoardz boards are being released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license Version 4.0. The software and firmware files for the BrainBoardz Project are being released under the GPL V3 License. If you design a really interesting board we would love to see it!