petSD Revisions / Enhancements

petSD+ Version 1 Prototype (minus the LCD)	petSD+ Version 2 Prototype (minus the LCD and clock module)

petSD+ Version 1 - 2015

During initial discussions with Nils, he suggested some changes that could be made to the original petSD design that would enhance its functionality, but would not have the same cost impact as his planned petSD-duo (an enhanced version of petSD that was eventually cancelled).

My original plan was just to try and build a copy of the original petSD, but, going further than just suggesting changes to the original design, Nils has took those changes and produced  an updated petSD ,that we called petSD+.

	petSD	petSD+ Version 1.x	petSD+ Version 2
Microcontroller	Atmel  ATmega 1284P
CPU	8-bit AVR
Flash	128 Kbytes
SRAM	16 Kbytes
EEPROM	4 Kbytes
Clock	18.432 MHz	18.432 or 16 MHz	16 MHz
Media	SD Card
Interfaces
PET	IEEE-488
IEC	N/A	Custom Cable	6-Pin DIN
Expansion	I2C-Bus		I2C-Bus
Programming	6-pin ISP	6-pin ISP	6-pin ISP
Ethernet	ENC28J60 2	(none) 2	(none) 2
USB to Serial	FT232RL 3	(none) 3	External
RTC	DS1307 4	PCF8583 4	DS3231
Buttons	1. MCU Reset 2. Previous Image 3. Next Image	1. MCU Reset 2. Previous Image 3. Next Image 4. Select Image	1. MCU Reset 2. Previous Image 3. Next Image 4. Select Image
Indicators
LEDs	4	2	3
Red 1   2	+5 VDC power   On = unsaved buffers   Flash = Error	On = unsaved buffers   Flash = Error	On = unsaved buffers   Flash = Error
Green 1   2	+3.3 VDC power   Access / Busy	Access / Busy	Access / Busy
Yellow	N/A	N/A	+5 VDC power
Alphanumeric Display
Display	(none)	ASCII LCD 5	ASCII LCD 5
Controller	(none)	(none)	ATTiny25 / 45
Programming	N/A	N/A	6-pin ISP
Board Size 1
Horizontal	116 mm	99 mm	99 mm
Vertical	62 mm	62 mm	100 mm

Board Size

When I looked at the costs of having a new PCB produced, I found that the size and shape of the original petSD PCB was just outside the footprint of the most cost effective size that the PCB manufacturer that I use offers. The price differential was not really significant, particularly if someone only needed a single PCB, and would not in itself been enough of a justification to redesign the PCB. However, Nils had other suggestions for changes that could be made that does justify some minor PCB component and layout changes (below). Another advantage of modifying the board layout is having the opportunity to place mounting holes to make fitting the board into a case easier.

Ethernet Controller

The original petSD design makes provision for the installation of a Microchip ENC28J60 10MB/s Ethernet controller, but although the hardware has been tested, there is no software available that can take advantage of the port. Since the Ethernet port would probably never be used in practice, the space allocated to it on the PCB is pretty much wasted, and dropping the connector and supporting components is probably enough to reduce the board footprint below the 100mm price-point.   

USB to Serial Interface

The original petSD included an FTDI FT232RL USB to serial UART interface chip to provide a USB interface via a virtual serial port. However, the USB functionality in petSD was severely limited and given the limited uses for the USB/serial interface, for petSD+, it was decided that, at the expense of the USB port, some of the MCU I/O pins could be better utilised to support the addition of an LCD text display (see below).

Should anyone have a need for the serial interface, this will be available in petSD-duo, albeit, that this may be some way off.

Real Time Clock

The original petSD had provision for a battery backed Real Time Clock (RTC), using a Dallas Semiconductor (Maxim) DS1307, that could be used to set time stamps for files. In the light of experience, Nils describes the DS1307 as "ridiculously inaccurate", so, the RTC on the new version will be implemented using an NXP Semiconductors PCF8583. However, although the PCF8583 is capable of much greater accuracy than the DS1307, this requires a highly accurate frequency meter to fine-tune the oscillator frequency and achieve an accuracy of +/- 5 minutes per year. Without a high accuracy frequency meter, "trial and error" adjustment of the RTC will be possible, so a reasonable level of accuracy should be possible.

LCD Text Display

petSD supported files residing in directories of the FAT tree as well as inside disk images like D64, D80, D82 and others, but there was no indication on the device of which disk image has been selected. In petSD+, the LCD display can display the image currently made available as an emulated floppy disk and the the Prev/Next buttons used to select an alternative image.

Some 80  petSD+ Version 1.x units were distributed in a mixture of pre-built and kit form between August 2015 and December 2017 with no adverse comments from the purchasers on the features or usability of the device. In fact, I received nothing but positive comments on petSD+.

However, there were a couple of things about petSD+ that Nils and I were not completely happy with, most of which did not affect the user experience.

• SD Card Slot : fitting the SD card slot was the most awkward task involved in building petSD+. The terminals for Card Detect and Write Protect were VERY small, requiring great care when fitting the slot and there was a risk that this could go wrong. Although I only fatally damaged one PCB when trying to refit a badly fitted card slot, I did have a few that needed a bit of rework.
• LCD Connection : the display was connected to petSD+ using a ribbon cable that was soldered directly to the back of the display. Whilst it works well enough, I found that fitting the displays was not a very enjoyable experience and a plug/socket arrangement would have been much better.
• LCD Brightness : the design included a potentiometer to allow adjustment of the LCD contrast, but the backlight brightness was set by a fixed value resistor soldered to either the PCB or, for ease of replacement if the LCD screen was replaced with a different type, to the front of the display itself.
• LCD Type : the Green on Black ("negative") displays proved to be very popular but the displays I originally used no longer seem to be available. I have sourced an alternative, but it needs to be connected differently, so wiring mods are needed when using these displays.
• IEEE-488/IEC Mode Connections : the NODISKEMU firmware supported computers such as the C64 which use IEEE-488 serial /IEC mode but required a bespoke IEEE-488 to 6-pin DIN cable which were a pain to make. 
• Real Time Clock : the PCF8583 RTC was not very accurate
• Debug Facility : a serial debug facility was provided, but needed to connect in place of the Green LED

Nils has now developed a Version 2 design that addresses all of the issues noted above. In addition, the Version 2 design also includes a 6 pin DIN connector to allow direct connection of serial IEEE-488 based devices, i.e., the Commodore 64 and Vic 20, using a standard IEC serial port cable.

As a result of the changes made in the Version 2 design, the footprint of petSD+ has increased from about 70cm² to just under 100cm². In the photo below, the IEEE-488 connector is not fitted to the Version 2 board, however, Version 2 boards will include both the IEC and IEEE-488 connectors when they ship.

Version 2 devices are likely to start shipping at the beginning of February 2018

petSD+ Version 2.1 / 2.2 - 2018

A few minor changes were made to the PCB to correct some minor clashes. The biggest change was to relocate the LEDs to the left hand side to make it easier for people to design a 3D printed case, such as the one produced by Stephan Both.

petSD+ Version 2.3 / 2.4 - January 2019

The SD Card slot used on the version 2 board has been made obsolete by the manufacturer and is no longer available from any of the suppliers that I previously used. Nils redesigned the PCB to incorporate a different SD card slot and made a few other minor layout changes. I never supplied any petSD+ units with a Version 2.3 PCB, Version 2.4 was made available in March 2019.