AlphaBrd - power supply and voltage level translator board
The AlphaBrd operates from a single 8V - 12V DC power supply. It provides 3.3V and 5V to other devices by means of two AMS1117 LDO linear regulators. For voltage level translation, it uses one 74(A)HCT245 and one 74LVC245 integrated circuit. An led indicates if the board is powered. There is also a protection diode in case you accidentally reverse the input voltage.
The AlphaBrd performed very well in my tests spanning several months. I designed it using the latest stable version of the open-source EDA software KiCad. It was manufactured locally in Bulgaria (EU) and has an ENIG (Nickel/Gold) lead-free finish.
In the picture below, you can see a test of the internal temperature sensor of the ATtiny mounted on our custom BetaBrd. The BetaBrd is running at 3.3V on its internal RC oscillator. The AlphaBrd power supply and voltage level translator board (on the right side of the picture) is used to generate the main voltage. The AlphaBrd also powers and interfaces with the character LCD display which operates at 5V.
Below, you can see the AlphaBrd schematic:
If you wish to know more about the board or you want to experiment with it and get a board or a development kit, please drop me a note using the about page.