ShrimpKey – make your own MakeyMakey – part 2

Date: 13 August 2013 Author: Sjoerd Dirk Categories: Shrimp, ShrimpKey 0

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If you haven’t read part 1, please go back.

I have a new version of the ShrimpKey. The new version has almost the same (and more) features than the MaKey MaKey. I also have PCB’s, these are on sale in the webshop on my corporate website iQMaak. Due to a busy schedule I don’t have time to blog it. Hopefully it will be online before the end of October. 

Making the Shrimp

Start with cutting/sawing the stripboard at the 18th row of holes (from the left). You can do this with the hacksaw. It will be easier with a Dremel with a large grinding wheel attached.

Now you have two parts:

• one with a width of 17 holes; this one is for the ShrimpKey-shield, please put it aside
• one with a width of 16 holes; this one is for the Shrimp and we’re going to use this one now

The design

Download the PDF with the design (also in black-and-white for printing).

This is the top side (the non-copper side) of the Shrimp. You place the components here and you solder them at the bottom side (the copper side).
I will mention some of the components. On the photos you can see the rest of them:

• C1 = 100 nF capacitor
• C2 = 22 pF capacitor
• C3 = 10 uF capacitor
• R1 = 10 KΩ resistor
• R2 = 100 Ω resistor
• D1 = 1N4148 diode

This is the bottom side of the Shrimp. The white circles are the places you have to solder. The yellow squares (on this one it looks more like a yellow line) mark the places where the copper has to be cut.

The bottom side once again, but now without the components. On this one it’s easier to count and to check if you did everything right.

Let’s get started

Start with soldering the connectors (both the angled pins and the pin-connectors).

Turn the Shrimp and cut the copper on the marked places. The easiest way to do this is with a drillbit (for metal) of 3,5mm width. Place it on the hole which has to be cut and turn it a couple of times (as seen on the second photo (this one isn’t of the Shrimp, but of the ShrimpKey-shield)).

Now solder the components on the left side of the Shrimp, except the crystal.

The 1N4148-diode is marked with a black line. Watch the design carefully for the right direction!

To keep everything in place during soldering, you can stick something between the connectors (as seen on the second photo, I’m using a piece of foam here).

Cut the extending wires after soldering (please let it cool down first) with the wire cutter.

Now solder the crystal and the ATmega328P-PU-chip.

I assume you have the ‘Uno Bootloader’ burned on the chip. If not, DON’T solder it now. After this you can’t put the bootloader on it anymore.

P.S. If you want the sticker, please let me know.

Now solder the components on the right side (on the photo the Shrimp is turned).

The 10 uF capacitor has a + en een -! The minus is marked with a white line on the side of the capacitor.

It’s important to solder the 10 uF capacitor angled on the Shrimp! Bend the wires before soldering; put the capacitor partly in the stripboard and bend it. The capacitor has to be as close as possible to the stripboard, to prevent it from connecting to the ShrimpKey-shield later.

Stick the pads at the bottom. It’s an option, but if you don’t, you can’t put the Shrimp on a conductive (i.e. metal) surface, because you will short circuit it.
You can use other pads also (if they’re not conductive).

Load the software on the Shrimp

To upload the ShrimpKey-sketch (that’s the name of the software for an Arduino) on the Shrimp, you’ll use the CP2102/CP2104.
Take a look at the photo for the wiring instructions for the CP2102 and the Shrimp.
To use the CP2102, you have (unfortunately) to install a driver. On this page you can read how to do that.

To upload the sketch, we’ll be using the Arduino IDE (version 1.0.4 or higher).
Download and install/unzip it (depending on your download choice).

Now download the ShrimpKey-software from my GitHub-account and unzip it.

Copy the folder /UsbKeyboard (and it’s contents) to the libraries-folder of the Arduino IDE.

Open /ShrimpKey/ShrimpKey.ino in Arduino IDE (check that settings.h is also opened in a second tab).

Connect the CP2102 to a USB-port.

Be sure that you select ‘Arduino Uno’ under Extra -> Board.

Under Extra -> Serial port you’ll need to select the right COM-poort.

Click on the Upload-button (round button with arrow) in the Arduino IDE and the ShrimpKey-sketch will be uploaded to your Shrimp.

Once the upload is finished, disconnect the CP2102.

Your Shrimp is now ready for the ShrimpKey-shield!

We’ll be making the ShrimpKey-shield in part 3.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.