The previous line of Snap-On automotive diagnostic tools (prior to the introduction of CAN systems starting in 2004) had a lot of stuff built in, and plug-in modules to add various other features. But to fully access everything that was built in and in the modules required "keys" which were PCBs with a card edge connection.
Many of those keys were nothing but jumpers connecting various combinations of pins. Some had additional passive components. It should be possible to make one universal key with every component used on every key, and a bunch of DIP switches or jumpers to make it act like any of the keys. What could be done for your project is a card slot with enough pins on each side, a PCB with contacts on both sides, and some small single board computer like a Raspberry Pi to manage how each pin on one side connects to a pin on the other side. Put one of the little touch screen displays on it, make a nice 3D printed case, and there ya go. If you need to drastically alter the thing, yank it out of the slot connector and replace it with a new design without having to rebuild the whole thing. Or go super simple. A PCB with the two connectors and two 0.1" pin headers and a bunch of jumper wires with a single socket on each end, like the ones used for connecting the power LED to PC motherboards. _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
