Cutting the TI Launchpad to Stuff it in a Smaller Case
I've been giving away TI Launchpad Blinken-Light projects to some of my software-only friends so they can have something new to play with. The projects are basically a TI-Launchpad, an RGB LED and a USB cable all mounted in some kind of case. I've burned the simple firmware available on GitHub so they can flash the LED over the serial port. Gamestop a Nintendo DS gift card tin. The TI Launchpad mounts fine in the tin if you tern it sideways but you have to shorten the board if you want the USB connector to come out the back. I used a Dremel cutting wheel to cut the board about one pin spacing below the last header pins. None of that circuitry is required to program or run the board. That cuts off the reset switch, the two LEDs and the extra Vcc and GND pins. Here is the cutoff board mounted in a Gamestop DS Gift Card tin. I mounted the 10mm RGB LED to the case and drilled a hole in the top. The case is pretty thin so it is pretty easy to sc...