Just a quick update on my all-in-one interface card: I sent off another board to be fabricated to test some of the functionality that I’d like to provide in the final interface. With any luck, I should be getting some PCBs back in a few weeks to build up and work out any other glaring mistakes that I made.
Designing PCBs and making your own libraries to populate the boards with has been quite a good learning experience. I’ve made plenty of small mistakes which have helped me to better learn the process. For example, I’ve learned the benefit of adding plated thru-holes as test points and/or bodge wire connection points – something that my current prototype board will now provide.
Next plan will be to source more SMD components for a final build – this will necessitate some additional design learning to optimize placement for eventual assembly by hand.
I’m very interested in how this project turns out! I’ve been working on something similar and trying to keep everything on a single chip by using the sound card’s built in GPIO instead of a separate serial converter. What method are you using for the PTT control?
The new boards should arrive any day now so that I can prototype the next phase of the project. I can’t wait!!
I am planning to use an opto-coupled GPIO to control the PTT which itself will be controlled via software (on-chip) serial commands. Ie. it will act as a serial port dongle.