Posted on December 03, 2009 at 01:45STEVAL-IHM020V1 demoboard already purchased from Digikey, along with extra STCC08 chips board is meant to demonstrate.
1) THIS IS ONE NEW BUT STILL NEGLECTED BOARD!!
Shipping box conatined a CDdisk which had NOTHING relevant to this board, but had everything for other ST demoboards - manuals, datasheets, software, Gerbers, board layout, etc. While manual+databrief are no problem & downloadable from ST website, the problem is where in the world is software/code (in C-language)? How is this called a Reference Design yet everything is missing in documentation. A new board, issued in late 2008 but enough time to document it, and is in full production.
I've seaarched everywhere but there's no softwaare/code download for it, yet Code is included on CDfor all other boards, what is this CD for then?
Last board listed on CDdisk ends on ...17, this board part# ends on 20 (STEVAL-IHM020V1), so obviously disk is not keeping up with new products.
Also why most other boards code is also just on a disk, but not downloadable, hilarious! I work with Microchip PIC Microcontrollers and their demoboards/MCU's all have software posted at Microchip website.
As a consequence I am stuck here for a week now, should I develop own software? Then why spend $135 on such board, if I have todo it all myself?
I need a code smippet which does AC switch Fault Detetcion this board is meant to demonstrate, I am so puzzled by STEVAL-IHM020V1.
I've developed with other, far more complex boards both from STmicro & Microchip companies, but STEVAL-IHM020V1 is really neglected. The IC chip it is meant to demonstrate is a wonderful ST device, which would save our company a major design effort, however the board demonstrating it needs some major answers also!
2) Why board designed for 230Volt, did not come with a tipsheet or any sort
of guidance to make it work with American 120Volt mains?? This is a not some switch-mode powersupply or anything that can take a range of 90-280Volt, NO - it will not work on 120Volt withour modifications, does anyone at ST realize?
The Fault Detector on this board will also NOT work unless several resistors are reduced by a facor of 2, to work on 120Volt versus 230volt. But I am not a power engineer, I can be mistaken so why hasn't ST included INSTRUCTIONS on modifying this entire board for 120Volt mains power?
Let me ask a more fundamental question:
Why is this product sold in this format in USA? This doiesn't work w/po modification, period, because this board is designed for 230V European voltage.
3) I hold your board in hands and see the following parts NOT installed,
versus schematics. Some of them are probably optional, but some as I see from schematics are better be installed, or is your shgcematics an idealized version which was scrapped to save on costs? Can your engineer comment on WHY these are on
schematics, but not installed on actual board:
R13, C14, R24, C4, C5, C6, C7; C10, C11, C12, R25, D10.
Programming Connector is there, but no software code in C lanuage, anywhere?!
4) I also purchased your STCC08 as separate IC chips, to play with on my own breadboard, in ADDITION to STEVAL-IHM020V1 It looked large enough in pictures! Received STCC08 & realized it's too small for my hands, soldering station, etc. - it's SMT formfactor, needs a magnifying glass and SMT Workstation which would take me a week to get from former boss and PAY for it. It's ironic because entire evolution of electornics is about shrinking size, however in this case it's hurting.
Of course we WILL use your STCC08 as SMT formfactor in production later.
But right now I need to make several prorotypes using hands & regular
soldering iron, just a few. But the tiny-sized IC I received from Digikey, cannot be “plugged� into a bread/protoboard. Instead has to be sodlered with specialized equipment.
My question is:
Can you offer this IC in a larger, DIP package or any kind of thruhole mounting so I can work with it with hands, without torture?
If not, can I get a littl eboard with it already soldered with PCb tracks to each pin/lead large enough to solder with a regular solderign iron? Once design is complete, then we can go back to SMT formfactor for mass quantity/production.
I’d like 2 samples of that larger package.
If samples are impossible, I'll buy 2 samples.
