WTDeuce wrote:So IMHO having a nice base board design with a standard connector is an excellent idea. And the further upside of the AmpSeal is that it has a nice big pin spacing, so if someone wants a different connector is easy to solder wires to those holes.
Ok, that idea I like - lots of space.
What I don't like is... lots of space. If someone's going to complain over losing a few square millimeters of board with my DB hanging off the side , then all the overhead for the ampseal drives me batty.
And of course, buying both ends of the connector will drive the cost up - that's $64 (if I understand correctly) for both connectors on both sides. So now I'm paying more to get wasted board space, a bigger box merely to accommodate this, and now since the connector is water tight, I need to water tight the whole box - seals everywhere, more work on designing the case... why not just do what the OEM's do? Put a reasonable box around a reasonable board, and put on a connector?
If someone wants to design a board that uses something else then yes thats the point of the system, but arent we also trying to get away from the MS mindset?
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
The DSub kinda sorta almost worked sometimes for a base MS, but once you had people modding things for Wasted Spark, COP, a better Low-Z driver board, 3 wire idle valves, table switching, cam sensor, etc then the DSub went from a mere mess to an utter disaster. Been there done that which is why im so opposed to them.
Letting go of the megasquirt mindset also means letting go of pent-up megasquirt bitterness. Yes, we ALL hate the DB-37, but the only reason anyone *I* know hates it is they run out of pins. But, 1/3 of the pins on that connector are redundant. The DB-37 on the MS has 20 pins (22, two redundant pins for injectors, and the rest are grounds). Actually using 5 amp DB-37 would give you 3 short of TWICE the pins you have on a megasquirt. So get over hating it, for that reason.
I've never had a leaking issue (really, for a prototype, keep the damned thing dry - if you NEED to mount your EMS to your spoiler and drive in the rain, put a bag on it. I put mine under the dash and it's 100% a-ok), for the money you want to spend on connectors, you could build a water proof box. And there's nothing keeping you from building a bigger case, and soldering wires to a pair of DB-37 footprints and up to your connector for those who need submersible ECU's.
I wouldn't want to spend the money, and HATE to have a bigger box, for water proof that doens't do me anything, a lack of a positive lock... I just don't see what doesn't work on DB's.
Basically, they offer twist lock, weather tight, separation of power lines vs data lines, PCB mount or harness mount, crimp or solder cup, a variety of coatings, they are circular and perfer circular holes for easier fabrication, and don't cost an arm and a leg.
The mounting seems like a plus. There's not the highest of densities - at least in the height dimension. I do like that it's seperatable, and you could "key" it easily? I guess by using different sizes. Perhaps for the big signals it would make sense - power and coils (not that I like direct driving coils) and injectors...
As to the non-square board... I'm thinking about that. Right now I would think you'd leave the connector sticking out, and either let the parts hang over onto a heat sink (will show soon in a pic) or put the connector through the case.
I think a through hole set of DB's (likely a 15 and a 37) will cover all the pins we'd need, be unambiguous, be EASY to find anywhere, cheap to implement, and flexible if someone wants to use some other sort of panel connector.
If I didn't care for flexability, I would do as drawn above with surface mount pads and a DB - which seems to keep people happy avoiding vias.
Stay tuned for my "what to do with the overhang" picture. BTW - how much space would two DB-37's take verses twoi ampseals? Ampseals are NOT small... Do they FIT on eurocards?