TAP-28 Introduction

Microprocessor applications often require only a simple microprocessor circuit to control an external board, read a few sensors, control a motor or LED using PWM or even run a servo. Implementation of such a circuit is a hassle: dedicating a complex dev board to the task, maybe using a solderless breadboard or hand-assembling the circuit on perf board. None of these is an ideal solution, costing more than needed, having a less-than-robust solution or taking more time than should be needed.

An extremely low-cost circuit that can accomplish simple tasks without any extra hardware or features, yet can serve as a building block to more complex projects would be an ideal solution. The “Throw-Away PIC” (TAP-28) circuit board is so cheap that it can be dedicated to a project without worrying about getting it back.

The TAP-28 supports many of the popular PIC 18F-series 28 pin parts. It includes 2 general-purpose pushbutton switches and 4 LEDs, connectors for ICSP, UART and I2C/SPI and includes 2 analog input/general purpose and 2 PWM/general purpose I/O connectors on a 2" x 3.25" 2-sided printed circuit board. The board uses through-hole parts for easy assembly. A daughter board may be connected to use additional components with this board.

The TAP-28 is designed to support growth in the PIC development community, and as such, the design is licensed to the community under a Creative Commons License detailed elsewhere in this document.

No claims are made as to the performance or reliability of this board, nor to its suitability for any particular application. No safeguards to protect an inexperienced user from causing damage to the microcontroller have been included on this board – this board is intended as an alternative to a hand-assembled perf board, so some level of knowledge is assumed.

To determine if a particular PIC microprocessor is suitable for use on this board, compare its pinouts to the examples shown. For technical support, please consult your favorite PIC forum.