PLC14500-Nano 1-bit Single Board Computer KIT

Name: PLC14500-Nano 1-bit Single Board Computer KIT
SKU: 28867
Price: 49.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 5.00 (3 reviews)

(3 Reviews)

Retro-style trainer board KIT to assemble running on a Motorola MC14500 1-bit ICU (Industrial Control Unit)

Designed by Nicola Cimmino in Poland

PLC14500-Nano 1-bit Single Board Computer KIT 1

PLC14500-Nano 1-bit Single Board Computer KIT 2

PLC14500-Nano 1-bit Single Board Computer KIT 3

PLC14500-Nano 1-bit Single Board Computer KIT 4

2023-01-02T14:56:39.869Z-Kit-Contents.jpg

$49.00

Out of Stock

Sold out since Mar 25, 2023

Retro-style trainer board KIT to assemble running on a Motorola MC14500 1-bit ICU (Industrial Control Unit)

Another batch gone! I'm waiting for components, new ones estimated to be be on sale by 15th April 23. If you miss this batch please re-register in the waitlist, I have more being delivered to me but …

Another batch gone! I'm waiting for components, new ones estimated to be be on sale by 15th April 23.

If you miss this batch please re-register in the waitlist, I have more being delivered to me but there have been delays.

NOTE: This is a kit to assemble. You will need a solder iron, tin and possibly a multimeter.

The PLC14500 Nano is a retro-style trainer board intended for the user to familiarize with the Motorola MC14500 1-bit ICU (Industrial Control Unit), PLCs and Ladder Logic. The board has abundant LEDs that show the status of the system buses and registers. This, combined with the possibility to run the software step by step, gives the user a great deal of insight into how their programs are executing. The slow clock mode makes instead for a mesmerizing light show that won't fail to impress when the board is parked on a desk, waiting for the next coding adventure.

Main features:

256 Bytes of program RAM (can be replaced with an EEPROM)
7 Inputs each with toggle and momentary switch capability
7 Outputs (LEDs)
1 Timer mapped to the I/O bus (0.5 to 11s, adjustable via a trimmer)
7 bits scratchpad RAM
3 clock modes (fast, slow, manual step)

True to its retro style PLC14500 Nano sports exclusively through-hole components and chips in DIP packages. You might notice an intruder in the Bill of Materials, an Arduino Nano! It's there purely to act as a bootloader, with a convenient USB interface that surely is easy to connect to modern PCs. However, to not spoil the illusion, the Arduino is mounted on the bottom side of the PCB, so it won't be visible when using the board.

The full kit includes the PCB along with all needed components. If you you have the components and prefer to order the PCB only, see my other listing for the bare PCB:

https://www.tindie.com/products/29575/

You also get a toolchain for Windows to assemble programs and upload them to the board over USB, both as a ready to run app (https://github.com/nicolacimmino/PLC-14500/releases) and the full source code.

What is included

PLC14500 PCB
All components, including the Arduino pre-programmed with the PLC14500 bootloader
Printed assembly instructions
Printed full page assembly layout
Printed BOM

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Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (5.00)

Documentation: (5.00)

Shipping: (5.00)

Communication: (5.00)

Mark | March 19, 2023

Well organized and documented PLC experimenter board

I ordered the board with parts, and they came in a well organized set of packets. No searching through a "pile o' parts" to find what what you need for the next step. Placing the part name and outline beneath the part itself leaves a neat, clean-looking assembly when you're finished. I'm using sockets for the critical parts like RAM and the 14500 itself.

I ran across the 14500 many years ago and always wanted to build something simple with the part. This board provides the perfect playground - now all that's needed is a ladder logic GUI!

William | March 14, 2023

Great design with thorough documentation and instructions!

This kit is a great design with thorough documentation on GitHub. For an intermediate to advanced builder, the build and use instructions are excellent, including tips for positioning components, and are available on GitHub and also included with the kit as printed copies! The board design uses good pad sizes for hand soldering, so build went smoothly. Having all the LEDs and switches to slow or step the clock makes it easy to see what is happening and is very helpful for debugging programs! Even with most of the LEDs on, the unit only consumes about 100 mA of current at 5 V.

I built my unit using DIP sockets for the ICs and pin header sockets to mate with the headers on the Arduino Nano. This is not required - sockets are my preference and I happened to have enough of each size on hand.

I found two minor issues with the timer: First, the Tindie description says the timer range is 0.5s to 30s, but the "rev b" schematic says it is 1s to 7s which is what the kit does since the parts that came with the kit match the schematic. Second, if the timer is repeatedly triggered by a program running at full speed (and not based on the user pushing a button or flipping a switch), the timer period can be much shorter than expected. I believe this is because the 470 uF capacitor (C4) doesn't have enough time to fully discharge before the next trigger. I replaced C4 with a 10 uF capacitor and RV1 with a 1 Meg ohm potentiometer, which gives a consistent timer period with a range from 1/40 of a second to 11 seconds.

Shipping to the United States took less than a week, which is outstanding in my experience! (Your mileage may vary.)

Overall, this is an excellent kit for experimenting with the MC14500 Industrial Control Unit, a fascinating old chip!

K. Roland | Jan. 18, 2023

Perfect!

Top AAA+ seller. Complete and very fast delivery. Simply great! Many thanks!
Top AAA+ seller. Complete and very fast delivery. Simply great! Many thanks!
Top AAA+ seller. Complete and very fast delivery. Simply great! Many thanks!

$49.00