Introduction to Pi-Plates
Pi-Plates are a family of stackable and interchangeable add-on circuit boards that allow you to interact with the outside world using a Raspberry Pi Single Board Computer. If you don't have a Raspberry Pi yet, then steer your browser over to RaspberryPi.org and see what you're missing!
Every Pi-Plate is designed to provide a robust set of features at minimal cost while using the fewest pins possible on the RPi header. For example, the DAQCplate only requires two dedicated pins, yet eight of these Pi-Plates can be stacked to provide 64 analog inputs, 64 digital inputs, 56 open collector outputs, and 16 analog outputs. Pi-Plates are mechanically and electrically compatible with all revisions of the Raspberry Pi with 40 pin headers (including the Pi 3 Model B and Pi Zero) and are designed to satisfy the needs of experimenters, professionals, and hobbyists. Customers who have purchased Pi-Plates include the Fluke Corporation, CERN, Villanova University, Spectra Physics, North Carolina State University, Analog Devices, the University of Cincinnati, the Smithsonian Institution, Virginia Tech University, MIT, Argonne National Laboratory, iRobot, Zipline, and Alphabet to name just a few.
For more details, continue reading or visit our Product pages.
Stack Pi-Plates to Increase I/O Ports
Pi-Plates are uniquely designed to be electrically and mechanically stacked on top of each other to provide all of the input/output capabilities that your design needs. Does your application require monitoring 16 precision analog voltages? Then stack two of our ADCplates together and control them with a single RPIplate or MICROpi! Are you building a small 3D printer or CNC and need to drive five stepper motors? Then stack three of our MOTORplates together. Up to eight of each Pi-Plate model can be stacked. So, if you need 64 high voltage relays, then stack eight RELAYplate2s together:
Each Pi-Plate comes with a set of threaded spacers that allow you to build your stack. Nothing extra is required. However, we do recommend that you consider our low cost CASEplate or DINplate to provide a clean and sturdy mount for your stack.
Combine Pi-Plates to Meet Your Needs
You can combine different Pi-Plates in your stack! Need to turn on an AC powered fan when the temperature gets too high? Then use our RELAYplate to control the fan and stack it with a DAQCplate to monitor the temperature through an analog input. When you combine different Pi-Plates on a stack you can still mount up to eight of each kind. For example, you can stack eight DAQC2plates with eight RELAYplates and eight ADCplates - that's a big stack! And they can be placed in any order.
A collection of different Pi-Plates in a single stack.
Specifications and Features Required by Professionals
All Pi-Plates are designed to offer the best features for the lowest price. And, with over 40 years of experience, our electrical engineers ensure that each Pi-Plate is both rugged and safe. Design details that set our products apart from the competition include:
- Protected inputs to prevent damage from overvoltage and electrostatic discharge
- UL60950 compliance to prevent shock and protect equipment on the RELAYplate and the RELAYplate2
- Professional features such as at-a-glace status LEDs
- Intuitive instruction set with both Python and node-RED libraries available.
- Rich documentation
- 100% Tested
- Stored and shipped in electrostatic packaging
Compare our features to any competitive product and you will quickly be convinced that Pi-Plates truly are best in class.
"The board performs as expected. I am measuring three analog voltages and a temperature reference. I'm using python libraries downloaded from Pi-Plates. Construction quality is great."
"Great motor board. Good documentation on seller's website. Product worked as described and service was fast when I had a question. Easy programming to get the motors to work. It took no time to set up the board to control 4 motors for my robot car."
"Just wanted to let you know your product is working great for us and just what we needed"
"This relay board rocks."
"The item arrived promptly. The quality was excellent. I stacked a relay board from the same manufacturer with the DAQC board on a Raspberry Pi 3. The drivers all worked perfectly and I had my prototype working within a few hours. I also purchased the clear plastic case consisting of two plexiglass plates with standoffs to hold the stack together securely. Highly recommended."
For a sample of our documentation, check out one of our User Guides below:
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