A-Star Prime Accessory Pack

Overview

This accessory pack contains headers and connectors that can be soldered to an A-Star Prime SV or A-Star Prime LV, allowing it to be easily wired to power sources and other circuits or devices. Also included are some shorting blocks that are useful for making some common jumper connections, as well as a through-hole buzzer.

The pack is primarily intended for use with versions of the A-Star Prime that ship with only SMT components installed:

• A-Star 32U4 Prime LV (SMT Components Only)
• A-Star 32U4 Prime SV (SMT Components Only)
• A-Star 32U4 Prime LV microSD (SMT Components Only)
• A-Star 32U4 Prime SV microSD (SMT Components Only)

With the parts in this pack, you can customise your A-Star Prime by only adding the connectors you need (and leaving off the rest to minimise its weight and volume). The following items are included:

• Four standard Arduino 0.1″ female headers (one 1×6, two 1×8, one 1×10)
• Four 1×25 0.1″ male header strips
• 2×3 0.1″ male header (ISP)
• 2×7 0.1″ male header (LCD)
• 2×7 0.1″female header (LCD)
• 1×2 0.1″ female header
• 1×10 low-profile 0.1″ male header strip
• Three low-profile 0.1″ shorting blocks
• Buzzer
• DC barrel jack
• 2-pin 3.5 mm screw terminal block

An LCD is not included in the accessory pack, but one can be purchased separately; we recommend this 8×2 character LCD, which can plug directly into the board once the included 2×7 female header is soldered to the LCD and the included 2×7 male header is soldered to the A-Star. Other HD44780-compatible displays can be connected to the A-Star with an appropriate cable if the A-Star is assembled with the included 2×7 male LCD header or with a shrouded 2×8 male header (not included).

Assembling an A-Star Prime with the accessory pack

The following pictures show an example of how some of the parts in the accessory pack can be used: the image to the left shows the A-Star 32U4 Prime LV microSD as it ships, and the image to the right shows the parts we install on the A-Star 32U4 Prime LV microSD with LCD.

The diagrams below highlight some suggested locations for installing low-profile male headers, allowing jumper connections to be easily made with the matching low-profile shorting blocks:

For more information on the A-Star Prime, including details about its pinout and components, see the A-Star User’s Guide.