We've wrung out the HC-8+ Rev F prototypes and are nearing the day to enter our first production run. As a way of saying "Thank You" to our customers we are offering an additional 5% discount on Rev F boards (five or more) when ordered by midnight, January 15th. The discount is applied to current pricing, and the first production run will be 50 units -- when those are gone the normal discounts will be restored and the HC-8+ will be set to its new price (est, $150 - TBD).
What's new?
* HC Outputs have been changed from TIP126 Darlington transistors to high-efficiency MOSFETS -- there is virtually no loss across the device.
* 5V TTL outputs are able to sink/source 125mA (up from ~15mA); the circuitry is great for driving servos and smart LED strings (e.g., WS2812).
* We added a 5V I2C port; this opens up many opportunities for expansion.
* We added four extra non-committed IO pins. These are current limited for 5V circuits (current limiter can be bypassed for 3.3V devices).
There's another hacker feature, too: with a cut and a solder jumper the board can be converted from 1-wire half-duplex serial to 2-wire full-duplex serial.
I'm really excited about the I2C header. As you can see in the image below, I've connected a $9 (yes, $9 from Amazon!) I2C LCD to the new HC-8+. How great is it that your projects can have a display without using any IO pins? Fantastic!
Again, the deal is limited to 50 units and must be ordered via the web or by calling JB in the sales office with your CC information.
Happy New Year!
(http://www.efx-tek.com/files/i2c_lcd_pcf8574.jpg)
I got in on it! Glad I was quick.