Category: Automation

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Zwölf Microcontroller Platform

Zwölf is an open microcontroller platform for simple embedded applications that require long-term data retention and/or long-term functionality.

Zwölf modules are available in a versatile package that can be soldered surface mount, through-hole (DIP-12) or used as a removable module with a DIP socket or spring contacts. The modules are also compatible with 6-pin PMOD sockets.

While the modules are built with a variety of MCUs, FPGAs and memories from various vendors, each module is partially pin-compatible and implements the same code-compatible stack-based CPU and an I2C slave interface for control, programming and configuration.

Zwölf is still under development, for more information please contact us or join the discussion on our BBS.

Tools

Spielplatz is a evaluation/development board for Zwölf modules.

Wolfsjunge is a minimal controller/programmer for Zwölf modules.

Zwölf Family Roadmap

Device Controller Memory Potential Lifespan¹ Data Retention Cost
LS0x MCU OTP + EEPROM 10 years 100-200 years Low
LS1x MCU Flash + FRAM 10-20 years 200 years Higher
LS2x FPGA FRAM / EEPROM 100 years 100-200 years Highest
LS3x MCU FRAM 100 years 100 years Higher
LS4x Custom silicon FRAM/EEPROM 100 years 200+ years Low

¹ Potential lifespan is an estimate of how long the device could potentially operate under ideal conditions.

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Accelerating Production

In order to make our products more available and affordable we’ve begun to experiment with outsourcing the assembly of certain PCBs.

The majority of our PCB assembly is currently done by hand in Germany. We plan to continue in-house assembly while also giving our customers additional choices for some products.

We think this is an exciting development that will get our products into the hands of more people, which will ultimately help to make them more useful for everyone. It will also give us more time to design new products and to improve the available gateware, firmware and documentation of our existing products.

We will be adding a detailed origin section on each product page so that you know where each manufacturing step takes place, for example:

  • Designed in Germany
  • PCB manufactured and assembled in Germany
  • Tested, packaged and shipped from Germany

Thanks for your interest in our company and our products. You can follow us on X and GitHub for the latest updates.

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Automation and Beyond

We decided earlier this year to temporarily slow down PCB design and production in order to build a pick-and-place machine. Manual PCB assembly can be a tedious, repetitive, time-consuming and sometimes stressful process and we were spending most of our time assembling boards. We determined that at least partially automating the assembly process was the only sustainable way to continue producing products ourselves.

It’s now a couple of months later and the PnP machine is in a useful state, so we are beginning to shift back into design and production. We’re looking forward to getting more of our products back in stock and to start producing our latest designs such as Kölsch, Mozart and Kaugummi.

Designing and building the PnP machine was in many ways easier than expected, and we are excited about the prospect of open-sourcing and documenting the machine in order to help to demystify and make such a useful tool available to more people. There are already some great open-source PnP projects and we hope that our project will be complementary to them while also being unique and useful on its own.

We’re also excited to announce that some of our work is now being partially funded by a grant from the NLnet Foundation. This work includes the design of our upcoming series of open-source computers based on European FPGAs, including Kölsch, as well as open-sourcing and improving the PnP machine.

There is a lot of work left to do in order to build useful and durable timeless computers along with the gateware, software, documentation and tools necessary to unleash their full potential. We’re just getting started and we thank you for your interest in our work.