Is Pmod™ the fastest way to model your prototype since LEGO™?

Not many engineers have grown up never having experienced the joy of building with Lego™. Its basic simplicity of use derived from the brightly coloured uniform interlocking brick interface structures has helped children develop skills that have allowed them to succeed in constructing everything from toys to complex engineering systems in their later careers.
     
So what is Pmod™ you may be asking?

"Pmod" is a trademark of Digilent Inc., and like the Lego™ brick, Pmod has standard Interface specifications, which allow fast integration of a range of small interface boards to add Real World signals, control circuits, and MMI components to development platforms.

Students, development engineers, and makers can all save time and cost to get working hardware configured for their needs using PMODs, available off the shelf from RS Components, plugging them into PMOD ports on Development platforms.

While PMODs have been available to Xilinx FPGA (i.e. the Digilent ARTY board below) and Microchip PIC users for some time, we are now enabling new communities (no not Lego™ users). Arduino Uno R3 and Cypress PSOC fans can now (with some limitations) use a new Adapter shield platform. For more details see RS Stock No (136-8283) where technical documents also provide information about the stocked PMOD range and interface information.

The Pmod standard covers form factor, comms protocols and is supported with reference manuals, code examples, user guides and technical support, which could explain why it is increasingly appearing on other semiconductor manufacturer’s development boards.

Pmod modules use 6, 8, or 12-pin connectors that communicate with system boards over SPI and other serial protocols, while analogue signals and power supplies are routed away from digital controller boards. Sensors and actuators can be conveniently collocated allowing sensitive signals and high-power circuits to be efficiently implemented.

Nobody has time to waste doing scratch development of hardware these days, so if you’re looking to get a fast start in a student or maker project, or under time and budget pressure for your next product design, check out how PMODs could put the fun back into your day.

We have converted the reference design of Pmods to DesignSpark PCB format. Click the links below to learn more and download the design files!

Reference Design of Pmod Shield

Reference Design of Pmod NAV Inertial Navigation Unit (134-6482)

Reference Design of Pmod Microphone Module (134-6475)

Reference Design of Pmod 2W Stereo Amplifier (134-6461)

Reference Design of Pmod 2-axis Joystick (134-6484)

Reference Design of Pmod OLED display (134-6481)