What are these exposed copper rectangles for on the mbed NXP LPC1768?

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Today I noticed some exposed copper rectangles on the bottom of an mbed NXP LPC1768 dev board. They don't look like they're meant for components. I think they may just be test points, but I'm curious if there's another answer.

Here's an image of the board with the copper rectangles circled in red:

I'm not sure what the mbed interface chip is. Googling it suggests that it's proprietary. I can't tell where the traces are going.

pcb mbed lpc1768

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asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

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1
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favorite

Today I noticed some exposed copper rectangles on the bottom of an mbed NXP LPC1768 dev board. They don't look like they're meant for components. I think they may just be test points, but I'm curious if there's another answer.

Here's an image of the board with the copper rectangles circled in red:

I'm not sure what the mbed interface chip is. Googling it suggests that it's proprietary. I can't tell where the traces are going.

pcb mbed lpc1768

share|improve this question

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

favorite

up vote
1
down vote

favorite

Today I noticed some exposed copper rectangles on the bottom of an mbed NXP LPC1768 dev board. They don't look like they're meant for components. I think they may just be test points, but I'm curious if there's another answer.

Here's an image of the board with the copper rectangles circled in red:

I'm not sure what the mbed interface chip is. Googling it suggests that it's proprietary. I can't tell where the traces are going.

pcb mbed lpc1768

share|improve this question

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

Today I noticed some exposed copper rectangles on the bottom of an mbed NXP LPC1768 dev board. They don't look like they're meant for components. I think they may just be test points, but I'm curious if there's another answer.

Here's an image of the board with the copper rectangles circled in red:

I'm not sure what the mbed interface chip is. Googling it suggests that it's proprietary. I can't tell where the traces are going.

pcb mbed lpc1768

pcb mbed lpc1768

share|improve this question

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

share|improve this question

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

share|improve this question

share|improve this question

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

asked 1 hour ago

Darius

934319

934319

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

3 Answers
3

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up vote
2
down vote

Those look like test pads and seem large enough for soldering a wired connection.

An educated guess would be JTAG (TCK, TDI, TDO, TMS) plus VCC and GND. VCC and GND could be verified with a multimeter.

Note that the interface chip is also a programmable microcontroller, and thus needs JTAG or SWD for production programming.

share|improve this answer

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

NXP has the schematic for this board, it looks like those pads make up a programming interface for that chip, which as you say is likely custom in some way.

share|improve this answer

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

Sometimes, you see such elements on microwave boards on the microwave lines – then, they serve the purpose of being a capacitive or reactive component (or both); but since this board definitely doesn't look like an upper-GHz RF board:

These are almost certainly test points.

share|improve this answer

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
  – Turbo J
  42 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  pretty much my words :)
  – Marcus Müller
  39 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

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3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

up vote
2
down vote

Those look like test pads and seem large enough for soldering a wired connection.

An educated guess would be JTAG (TCK, TDI, TDO, TMS) plus VCC and GND. VCC and GND could be verified with a multimeter.

Note that the interface chip is also a programmable microcontroller, and thus needs JTAG or SWD for production programming.

share|improve this answer

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

Those look like test pads and seem large enough for soldering a wired connection.

An educated guess would be JTAG (TCK, TDI, TDO, TMS) plus VCC and GND. VCC and GND could be verified with a multimeter.

Note that the interface chip is also a programmable microcontroller, and thus needs JTAG or SWD for production programming.

share|improve this answer

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

up vote
2
down vote

Those look like test pads and seem large enough for soldering a wired connection.

An educated guess would be JTAG (TCK, TDI, TDO, TMS) plus VCC and GND. VCC and GND could be verified with a multimeter.

Note that the interface chip is also a programmable microcontroller, and thus needs JTAG or SWD for production programming.

share|improve this answer

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

Those look like test pads and seem large enough for soldering a wired connection.

An educated guess would be JTAG (TCK, TDI, TDO, TMS) plus VCC and GND. VCC and GND could be verified with a multimeter.

Note that the interface chip is also a programmable microcontroller, and thus needs JTAG or SWD for production programming.

share|improve this answer

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

answered 43 mins ago

Turbo J

8,00411321

8,00411321

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

NXP has the schematic for this board, it looks like those pads make up a programming interface for that chip, which as you say is likely custom in some way.

share|improve this answer

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

NXP has the schematic for this board, it looks like those pads make up a programming interface for that chip, which as you say is likely custom in some way.

share|improve this answer

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

up vote
2
down vote

NXP has the schematic for this board, it looks like those pads make up a programming interface for that chip, which as you say is likely custom in some way.

share|improve this answer

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

NXP has the schematic for this board, it looks like those pads make up a programming interface for that chip, which as you say is likely custom in some way.

share|improve this answer

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

answered 42 mins ago

Phil G

1,37438

1,37438

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

Sometimes, you see such elements on microwave boards on the microwave lines – then, they serve the purpose of being a capacitive or reactive component (or both); but since this board definitely doesn't look like an upper-GHz RF board:

These are almost certainly test points.

share|improve this answer

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
  – Turbo J
  42 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  pretty much my words :)
  – Marcus Müller
  39 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

Sometimes, you see such elements on microwave boards on the microwave lines – then, they serve the purpose of being a capacitive or reactive component (or both); but since this board definitely doesn't look like an upper-GHz RF board:

These are almost certainly test points.

share|improve this answer

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
  – Turbo J
  42 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  pretty much my words :)
  – Marcus Müller
  39 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
1
down vote

up vote
1
down vote

Sometimes, you see such elements on microwave boards on the microwave lines – then, they serve the purpose of being a capacitive or reactive component (or both); but since this board definitely doesn't look like an upper-GHz RF board:

These are almost certainly test points.

share|improve this answer

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

Sometimes, you see such elements on microwave boards on the microwave lines – then, they serve the purpose of being a capacitive or reactive component (or both); but since this board definitely doesn't look like an upper-GHz RF board:

These are almost certainly test points.

share|improve this answer

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

answered 45 mins ago

Marcus Müller

29k35389

29k35389

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
  – Turbo J
  42 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  pretty much my words :)
  – Marcus Müller
  39 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
  – Turbo J
  42 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  pretty much my words :)
  – Marcus Müller
  39 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  

Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
– Turbo J
42 mins ago

Microwave elements require controlled impedance traces, which you don't see on this board.
– Turbo J
42 mins ago

pretty much my words :)
– Marcus Müller
39 mins ago

pretty much my words :)
– Marcus Müller
39 mins ago

add a comment | 

 

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