DT004 SimmStick
Power Supply & Printer Port I/O

DT004 saves building Printer Port interfaces for each new project - remove it from one project and attach it to another. This is part of the modular versatility of SimmStick.

Features

• The DT004 is a SimmStick Power Supply
• DB-25 Parallel Printer Port input
• Four slot SimmStick Bus and bus extender
• Double sided, plated through, solder masked, silk screened 1.26mm PCB.

DT004 isn't a programmer. It's ideal as an end-user platform for any project that requires a Parallel printer port and a power supply. You could connect it directly to a DT203 (LEDs and Switches), or DT205 (Relay board) without even using a micro, as it will allow you to control the outside world directly from the Printer Port of your PC.

DT004 Schematic as GIF

Minimalist Programmers

Using a DT004, building a cheap programmer for Atmel or PICmicros from a Parallel Printer Port becomes very simple. With a 1" or 2" proto board and a set of right angle 30 pin male/female headers, a simple AVR programmer could be built in minutes. For a versatile, multi-programmer built onlong these lines, see the DT206.

Parallel Port Connections to SimmStick Bus

The DO to D7 printer port signals line up with the SimmStick bus D0 to D7 connections. Strobe (pin 1 of the printer port) has a jumper isolation point at J1, as this is the only signal that doesn't connect to a SimmStick bus data line.

DT004 Assembly and Parts list

1 x DT004 PCB
1 x 7805 +5 Voltage regulator in TO-220 case.
1 x Suitable heat sink for above Regulator.
1 x Diode Bridge D1 WO2 (or WO4 type)
1 x 2.1mm (or 2.5mm) DC Input plug. PCB mount.
You can use screw terminals at .2" centers.

1 x Capacitor C1 1000uf Electrolytic @25 Volts. (PCB type mount.) Provision is made to fit larger caps if required. This can be caps with .3",  or .4" centers, for 1000uf, or 2200uf. In most cases, the 1000uf cap is fine.

1 x Capacitor C2 .01uf (or .1uf) Ceramic
1 x Capacitor C3 .01uf (or .1uf) Ceramic
1 x Capacitor C4 10uf 16V PCB mount Electro/Tant
1 x Resistor  R1 330 .25 watt Green LED 1 (+5V)
1 x 5mm Red LED. LED 1 +5V monitor
4 x 12mm stick-on rubber feet add a nice finish.
1 x DB-25 Male right angle PCB mount connector.   

RESET Switch:
A Reset can be added for CPU control.

1 x Resistor     R2 330  .25 watt Reset Button.
1 x Suitable switch.  

This can be the pretty plastic color ones that have .2" centers, or the mini 4 pin TACT switches that have a .2" x .3" pattern.

DT004 Component Overlay

J2 is shown as a 30 pin female right angle header. This can be used to extend the SimmStick bus to other boards. It could also mate with a right angle 30 pin male connector so that proto boards or vero board can be used.

With the above, all you need is a 40 pin machine pin socket soldered to the board and insert the 40 pin Aries into it, so that it can be re-used for any other project, and solder 5 jumper wires from the socket to the male connector pins and you have a Jerry Meng, or Chris Morris AVR programmer. No need to worry about diodes or resistors for power as the DT004 has its own power. A set of rubber feet rounds the project off nicely.