#Conceptual Design# Premier Expansion Board for SeeeduinoXIAO - Grove XIAO Plus - waiting for inputs

[PJ_Glasso]

@ming.wen

• Do you think this premier expansion board fits your demands? YES, BUT! Are you mixing “Expansion” with " Development " You should look closely at this Point! You should Make your product offering in BOTH paths. Mixing them will shurley repel some users and confuse them IMHO.

• Which function do you like most? OLED, Reset button, SD, RTC, SWD, SPI-Flash.

• Is there anything you want to add or remove?
  #ADD Access to the battery connection charge level or external power.
  #ADD a **BANK of LED’s Bi-Color ** for all OUTPUT possible PINS. more jumpers for pins with dual capabilities & functions.
  #ADD a Propper USB “C” port to it, one that can be “ReALLY” used to not just power.(ability to be the 2nd Serial port on Xiao)
  #ADD (CAN-bus) connection.
  #ADD TWO (2) more Buttons or maybe a small Relay.
  #ADD A Bigger Display if footprint is larger, and make it Removable or Upgradable (size & cost wise) would be even Better.
  #ADD FOR ALL THINGS HOLY a 3D printed enclosure that is NOT a Ch esey Box. Pay someone who’s not a 3rd grader (sorry 3rd grader’s) to spend more than a day on Designing it. Make it functional and usable, with battery compartment, external antenna connection and Power input, include some space for mounting a grove add-on board like a Lora type board. MAKE IT printable with a light IP65 rating and maybe an option for purchasing an upgraded IP67 model
  (same drawing) PLEASE, So many dev platforms out there and NONE go ALL the WAY.
  a bunch of great items but come in short in offering a TOTAL solution.
  #REMOVE hardcoded i2c address and SPI ,ChipSelect’s conflicts with jumpers.

• What would you like to do with Seeeduino XIAO? Everything…, IOT, BLE, WIFI, LORA. KEEP it SMALL

• Which function do you think you would use frequently and would like to have an expansion board for it?
  Ah’ I See you ask this as a separate Question. Expansion is NOT Development. So with that in Mind. When I need to expand it means I need more I/O , or Memory Space. In any form supported , Flash or SD (physical not a major factor IMO, Soic or EMMC snap in is better ON BOTTOM of PCB)
  For Example ; Add the Flash chip to the existing Grove Expansion board and FIT a Xiao ESP32C3 (cheapest EXP btw.) which is limited in Space and , Bob’s Your uncle. That move makes it now usable imho.

• Do you want a board with more functions with a bigger size, or a tiny board with specific function you need? What ever it takes should be creative and Innovative. I think always smaller is better for this stuff, if it’s functional and you don’t go CHEAP with Crappy components and terrible non-standard connectors, buttons and Power Switch.

• Is the appearance and layout design matters for you? Of Course it Does I like “A” and “E”
  I hope you guys read the forum and see what matters , where problems users have with the current offering. Which is VERY good IMO albeit it does come up short on several areas. It’s not overly technical and not a toy looking unit. Well Done! Keep GOING

• What color do you like? RED is Nice, or BLUE or Black offer more than one like an APPLE

I’m very Glad to see you take the time to ASK.
as an aside, You DO NOT always include the pins for the Xiao’s etc.
Why not switch to a Socket on the Board.or here When a person orders a chip and dev board and when they recieve it. ONE must solder to even get up and going. I see this as a barrier to entry for many new people wanting to try your Xiao chips. Imagine the " 3rd Grader’s " the ability to open the product and place it in and program it WOW and Your on the Path of learning WAY faster than anything from Adafruit, DF-robot, Hak5 ?, Sparkfun is the closest IMO.

Lastly IS it really the " Premier " well it would be if it checked all the boxes.
Hope that Helps
Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas