I am considering producing a PCB for an add-on IO system for the empeg, which would plug into the serial port. What I am posting for is to find out what people would like to see in such a product, and get an idea of how many would want to buy one if I did it.

This is not an official empeg Ltd product in any way, incidentally.

The current specification list is as follows:

Processor: PIC16C77, 8k EPROM, 368 bytes ram, 8 off 8-bit ADC ports, uart, I2C, SPI interfaces
4Kbytes non-volatile EEPROM
battery-backed RTC
optional 2-axis accelerometer
a number of 12-volt switch inputs
a number of 12-volt power control outputs
a number of TTL digital IO ports
possibly interface ports for various control stalks

Can anyone think of anything missing from this list?

There are a number of possibilities for producing and selling such a product, ie. circuit diagrams and photoplots for producing PCBs,
bare PCBs, PCBs and parts kits, or fully-built unit. What would people prefer? My preference would be bare PCBs plus programmed PICs, but this obviously depends on the ability of the purchaser to source components and build the board.

What I need to know is: (A) are there enough people interested in such a thing to make it worth doing, and (B) how much would they be prepared to pay.

Thoughts?

Patrick.

Opinions expressed in this email may contain up to 42% water by weight, and are mine. All mine.