OESF Portables Forum
Everything Else => Distros, Development, and Model Specific Forums => Archived Forums => PocketPenguin => Topic started by: Da_Blitz on July 28, 2006, 12:19:30 am
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Just post any hardware you want to see here and we will start discussing it
Suggested so far:
RFID - So far it looks like a No on thi s one, most people wont use it and thier are better ways to implement it
CIR/FIR - its in and alwas has been, should have the extended range that people want for TV
Abient light detector - unkown, there is a posibility but using the camera would be a better option as it has these built in for auto compinsation
Person detector - not feasiable but alternetives exsist
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Just post any hardware you want to see here and we will start discussing it
Suggested so far:
RFID - So far it looks like a No on thi s one, most people wont use it and thier are better ways to implement it
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136673\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
are the current specs posted? if so where? I don't want to start going back over things decided on already.
oops..2 posts down.
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Nothing really is laid in stone however refer to the faq post as that gives you a rundown of what is in it, i would consider that to be the minium or a bit more than the minimum at the moment
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What do you mean the Minimum?
We're running out of I/O, internal physical space, and Battery power. XD
I'd say that was not the minimum but more the almost-limit. . . But sttill, post away any final requests, and I admit, RFID was a bad idea.
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i dont think RFID is that bad however thier are 3 standards that are incompatiblo (as was pointed out) and it can be implemented in better ways
i dont belive RFID has been implemented well to begin with and has been hyped too much. then again i dont trust the goverment or a major company to implement anything in a secrue manner.
almost limit: i guess however i have a strict set of features that i wont budge on, in terms of space compared to most PDAs i have seen we have lots left over providing we keep going for these all in one chips (the RPU, Wifi and Bluetooth are normally 2 or 3 chip designs)
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Well, for the sake of throwing in extra hardware to at least discuss. . . Well, the only thing that hasn't either been officially rejected or included now. . is Serial. . Which seemed to mysteriously disappear.
Any chance of a Serial port for connecting to my Servers? That and an LED torch? (The Sony Erricson that I've been lent till I can get my new Universal has one which I find useful. .) Just a white LED beam torch. And obviously we won't be using a standard 9FD or DTE port. . . But some sort of RS232 IO onboard? That way I can use the PPZ as a Serial Terminal without having to hook up C3PO, my RS232<=>TCPIP translator unit.
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With regards to the display, I can't remember if this was asked before (and I don't want to go back through 29 pages worth of conversations), Is there anyway to get a source of the displays used in the Nokia 770, now that is a sweet display.
Bill
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Too big. Not a "Pocket" device.
We're looking at the screen from the 6000, or as close as we can get to it.
ALSO a sweet display. ^^
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Additional Audio socket for Nokia-Style headsets.
I got a couple of old-favourites that I don't wanna get rid of. My Bakelite Telephone for one.
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Well, for the sake of throwing in extra hardware to at least discuss. . . Well, the only thing that hasn't either been officially rejected or included now. . is Serial. . Which seemed to mysteriously disappear.
Any chance of a Serial port for connecting to my Servers? That and an LED torch? (The Sony Erricson that I've been lent till I can get my new Universal has one which I find useful. .) Just a white LED beam torch. And obviously we won't be using a standard 9FD or DTE port. . . But some sort of RS232 IO onboard? That way I can use the PPZ as a Serial Terminal without having to hook up C3PO, my RS232<=>TCPIP translator unit.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=136743\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
why not just do a usb > serial adapter? the thing won't have any structural material left in the sides with all theses ports
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How would I access that from minicom?
/dev/ttyUS0 Or something like that?
Wait. . . There's a new Driver access system under 2.6.x, isn;t there?
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We do have a spare ttl-serial port free but a usb option is a better idea as it does the 10v and -10v as well as protecting your PDA
yeah it shows up as /dev/ttyUSB0
works well
an LED flashlight is an ekcelent idea, at the moment i just display a white background on the screen and pump up the backlight
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Most of the mobile phones I've seen have one these days. . . Not sure how to implement it, it's usually a bank of 1mm LED's. . .I count 6 on the Sony Erricson. (3 on each side of the camera lense)
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depends where we put it (pocking out the side or on the bottom) if its on the bottom a bank works best otherwise i would think a standard LED would be better
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Well, on the side is more practical, as far as torches go. It's a case of comparative brightness though, I guess.
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1) Some kind of body proximity and/or contact sensor, to determine if the machine's being held (close).
2) keyboard lightning as discussed, also light detector, which has many uses - activating keyboard lightning, setting the backlight level and so on. I guess it would be possible to use the near-screen mounted camera for this so it is more of a software issue then.
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Is IR still onboard? I'd love an all-in-one remote capability I know there are two standards (one for data and one for remote control) could we support both? If not - I've never used the data one in my life
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I think the IR was still on, I just continually forget to put it in my hardware list. . . DB, if you could update it please?
As far as I know, with a standard IR port it's more a case of range, and software. After all, the Clie and other palms (Even my wristwatch) can do it, but only the clie has a powerful enough IR port to go the distance (About 3 or 4 metres, although the signal strength doesn't have to be huge at the other end)
So yeah, I doubt IR is likely to be used too often. . Being a VERY legacy device now that bluetooth is out. So it shouldn't be a worry to put in a more powerful port, in terms of battery life. use a similar "Beam recieve" program as found on the Zauri, and only activate automatically when sending data. That would work for IR control happily, as it doesn't need to be constantly on. (If you've ever held a TV remote in front of a cheap camcorder and pressed the button, you'll see the IR led only activates when the button is depressed)
With a good application, we could do well with that. . One advantage I saw before was the ability to learn codes. . . You add a new button to your onscreen remote, and the PDA begins to recieve data, then all you have to do is press the corresponding button on the remote control, and the PDA will record the code it recieves. A function like that, making the setup for the IRTVC wholly-GUI, and we have yet another thing, that linux does better than WM. (Windows Mobile PDA's need you to select a manufacturer and model, if I remember my Microsoft correctly - Same with the Sony Clie application.)
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for the irda i belive you are talking about CIR, which is part of IRDA but only tells you to use a really powerfull transmitter, nothing more nothing less otherwise its FIR or fast infra red which goes up to 4mbps, there is also an industrial version that geos up to 16mbps but i havent seen it in a real product
i belive CIR and FIR are part of the design i havent seen a bluetooth remote for my TV (but i have for mythtv)
for anything infra red realated (windows or linux) look up "lirc" it can simulate and recive any IR signal you can imagine
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updated first post
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A body-proximity sensor. . . That's a good question. . There'll be sevaral different ways to hold a PPZ, depanding on what you're doing with it, the orientation of it. . etc.
We'd either have to find a universal contact point where the sensor is always under pressure from the skin, or use a thermal method. . but thermal methods could be affected by other factors: room heating, internal heat production by electrical resistance. . .
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i think the complexity kind of kills it, i belive that the best way is smart software that detects button pushes and starts a counter, when that counter hits zero it assumes you have walked away, it also activly monitors processors for some specific prcosses (say mplayer) that you will use but not interact with.
we can adapted the cpufreqd code in a way
i will added it to the list as "not feasiable but alternetives exsist"
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OK, it's not 3G, but it's an interesting product - an entire cellphone in the area of (I guess) a CF card:
http://www.silabs.com/tgwWebApp/public/web...e/en/Si4905.htm (http://www.silabs.com/tgwWebApp/public/web_content/products/Wireless/AeroFone/en/Si4905.htm)
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Here is a (another?) source for the screens used in the 6000
Solar Technologies (http://www.lcdsolar.com/product_detail.php?part_id=6196&from_page=solutions)
Bill
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On the screen: I don't think that's the same as the 6000, as it's not CGS. However, it IS exactly the specification we want (4" VGA Tansflex) So I say it's hopeful.
Before anyone reccomends that we drop the MCX300-30 for the GPRS chip, it still needs a stack to operate. So no go there. We might as well keep the separate chipset (RFX300-20) and continue as planned with the MXC based design.
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yep thats another "compleate cell phone on a chip" with the DSP and the user stuff done on the same cpu, in fact you all you need to do is wire up a keypad, perhaps an sd card, anntenna and a battery and you have yourself a cell phone
pearsonnly i would love to see a phone that small without a screen that does audio over bluetooth only
that screen link is handy, it looks like they deal in surpluss as wel (i hope thats not thier primary source, think of the 6000's)
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quick look aver that screen and that is definiattly a sharp product code (you can pick sharp from a mile away) and they have a touch screen option, the only thing i dont like is haw they want you to check for avalibility and dont have it on thier site leading me to think that it is surplus
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Has embedded GPS been discarded? (It might be useful to add things that have been discussed and discarded to the hardware list?) I know you can get GPS units which comunicate over bluetooth but, as always, having it onboard means one less thing to carry...
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yep thats another "compleate cell phone on a chip" with the DSP and the user stuff done on the same cpu, in fact you all you need to do is wire up a keypad, perhaps an sd card, anntenna and a battery and you have yourself a cell phone
pearsonnly i would love to see a phone that small without a screen that does audio over bluetooth only
that screen link is handy, it looks like they deal in surpluss as wel (i hope thats not thier primary source, think of the 6000's)
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=137117\")
deep in my memory I remember there was an NEC phone that had no keyboard, microphone or speaker and was pretty small. hmmm, looks like it took a long time to come to market... here's the blurb:
[a href=\"http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/credit_card_sized_handset_pops_up.php]http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/cred...set_pops_up.php[/url]
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quick look aver that screen and that is definiattly a sharp product code (you can pick sharp from a mile away) and they have a touch screen option, the only thing i dont like is haw they want you to check for avalibility and dont have it on thier site leading me to think that it is surplus
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=137118\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
I sent them an email as I want a replacement screen for my broken 6000, asking for prices for small numbers of them; no response so far at all.
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yep thats another "compleate cell phone on a chip" with the DSP and the user stuff done on the same cpu, in fact you all you need to do is wire up a keypad, perhaps an sd card, anntenna and a battery and you have yourself a cell phone
pearsonnly i would love to see a phone that small without a screen that does audio over bluetooth only
that screen link is handy, it looks like they deal in surpluss as wel (i hope thats not thier primary source, think of the 6000's)
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=137117\")
deep in my memory I remember there was an NEC phone that had no keyboard, microphone or speaker and was pretty small. hmmm, looks like it took a long time to come to market... here's the blurb:
[a href=\"http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/credit_card_sized_handset_pops_up.php]http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/cred...set_pops_up.php[/url]
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=137131\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
I see a microphone and speaker in that picture. A phone would be pretty useless without those IMO
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Yeah, the GPS got dropped. Just as a note, we still need the External Aerial outputs. . .
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deep in my memory I remember there was an NEC phone that had no keyboard, microphone or speaker and was pretty small. hmmm, looks like it took a long time to come to market... here's the blurb:
http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/cred...set_pops_up.php (http://www.mobile-weblog.com/50226711/credit_card_sized_handset_pops_up.php)
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=137131\")
I see a microphone and speaker in that picture. A phone would be pretty useless without those IMO
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=137135\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
yeah, like I said, it was a LONG time ago when I first heard of the NEC concept - it was going to be totally reliant on a headset (I found a link but it's not relevant any more). They clearly changed their mind, going for a soft keyboard.
anyway, this is off topic. I know you guys want 3G, but would 2.5G be OK? In which case the Wavecom modules GS64 or GR64 might be suitable?
[a href=\"http://www.wavecom.com/modules/movie/scenes/support/index.php?fuseAction=page&rubric=WMspecificationsSheets&article=WMspecificationsSheets]http://www.wavecom.com/modules/movie/scene...ficationsSheets[/url]
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well, what do you know, the 3G data problem seems to have been resolved by the arrival of a USB dongle:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/01/vo...hsdpa_3g_modem/ (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/08/01/vodafone_hsdpa_3g_modem/)
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Vodafone only. Which means UK and Japan. . .
I still think that the integrated 3G modem is the best way to go. EVEN if we have to license a stack. This way we can do alot of stuff that we wouldn't be able to do otherwise. To use a module-based modem would mean that we'd have to have the iMX running all the time to wait for incoming calls. . . Chips like the MXC which are designed for it, take up alot less power. . .
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we have vodaphone here in australia
the only thing i am really aiming for is compatability with the austrialian networks as that is all i have to test it with
quick anyone remeber if wavecomm is open source friendly, 2.5g is alright however the definition of 2.5g is diffrent between some people, for me its gsm+gprs but wikipedia does mention EDGE in there as well
looks like those were modules, and there site is not what i would call friendly. it seems they are a large bulk only manufacturer
I still think that the integrated 3G modem is the best way to go. EVEN if we have to license a stack. This way we can do alot of stuff that we wouldn't be able to do otherwise. To use a module-based modem would mean that we'd have to have the iMX running all the time to wait for incoming calls. . . Chips like the MXC which are designed for it, take up alot less power. . .
not true at all, we can just wake the iMX up by an external interupt, if we are using the serial port then that should be built into the serial port hardware
modules are fine however they will add bulk and i then have to design around them rather than slapping everything in the best posible spot, from what i gather those moudles are huge but i assue its a perspective thing (and the fact i havent read the datasheet yet
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With reguards to the LCD, I think we should be looking at widescreen (800x480) panels, such as the ones iRiver is using in their G10 in their hand held video players, as many people will undoubtably be using it for playing videos (and most are widescreen nowdays).
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it all comes down to what we can get, if you can find a supplier (not a surpluss dealer) then i will consider it, so far i think we have had only one link that i would even consider with the rest bieng links to surpluss dealers that might not have the part in 3 months time
remeber that the larger the screen the more power it takes to drive it as well as cpu time and ddr bus time. it is slightly slower for palying video and games because of this and it tends to be larger
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do we need an LCD when we could use one of these:
http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials...scellphones.php (http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/laserprojectorscellphones.php)
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Yeah, the GPS got dropped. Just as a note, we still need the External Aerial outputs. . .
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=137143\")
could we consider adding back the GPS?
[a href=\"http://www.cieonline.co.uk/cie2/articlen.asp?pid=1272&id=14104]http://www.cieonline.co.uk/cie2/articlen.a...d=1272&id=14104[/url]
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Is there room for a universal digital TV receiver?
http://www.cieonline.co.uk/cie2/articlen.a...d=1272&id=14073 (http://www.cieonline.co.uk/cie2/articlen.asp?pid=1272&id=14073)
OK, maybe this is a bit big for a PDA, but it would be a nice module for the deskpenguin!
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Better to leave that out, because those who don't use it may still get picked up by the TV licensing guys just for having one. Seriously. Those guys are more devious than Steve Jobs.
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i have no idea what you are refering to, i belive that it has to do with recording free to air, which is legal (at least here in australia it is)
i really dont want to deal with upstarts, however there may be an advantage to diong so, i was hoping to stick with the one manufactutrer (look at the infeon GPS chips)
i would love to chuk that display module in, it would be like a futristic vt102 terminal, green as well
with the amount of RF stuff on there i dont want to touch the DVB stuff, however if we do want an DVB chip then i suggest we start by seeing what linux supports that is USB compatible (just get the linux source code) and work from there, at least in a pinch we can unsolder the chip and solder it onto the PP
actually that brings up a good point, why dont i look and see what is supported in the kernel to reduce developer time, make sense to me
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the union FS wont be too hard, in my opinion the setup in konoppix is overly complicated
what we really need is "overlays" in the kernel allowing wore than one filesystem to be mounted in the same spot (eg have 2 filesystems mounted on /) and have them merged automagically instead of the symlink hell that konoopix uses (havent used it scince 3.9 so correct me if i am worng, i assume that all folders except /mnt are symlinked into /mnt/<rw root> with a ro file system on /mnt/<ro root> and there is another /mnt/<w root> that is a tmpfs folder, with the 2 merged into /mnt/<rw root>
there might be a trick where we can chroot into the rw root but i bet there is somthing that will stuff up.
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... because those who don't use it may still get picked up by the TV licensing guys just for having one.
i have no idea what you are refering to, i belive that it has to do with recording free to air, which is legal (at least here in australia it is)
In the UK, the non-commercial TV channels, ie BBC, is funded by the TV license. Every household that owns a TV has to pay an annual fee (regardless of whether they actually watch the BBC channels). So to clamp down on the TV cheats, there are fleets of detector vans that sit outside of homes that have not paid the TV license and they point some sort of receiver into the lounge area of the house hoping to pickup the secondary radiation from the TV screens. This apparently can give a good enough image that they can tell whether you are watching broadcast TV, if they catch you doing so without having paid the license you're in B-I-G trouble
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So, since Broadcast TV is also on DVB-T, they catch me, I'm frooked. It's unlikely, but I'm not risking it. Save the USB port and use it for something else, the DVB-T will have better signal and be cheaper if you just use a £50 commercial USB adaptor.
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thats.... a..... bit..... wierd......
anyway we will be using an LCD screen so eric van phreaking radiation should be low enogh that it cant be read from a distance, not to mention the metal in this case would help block the signals
not only that consider that you will be mobile.
also if you dont want it then dont order it in your final design, nice and simple that is if we put it in
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I hadn't really been able to conjure the right image....I keep seeing jackbooted tv police hauling off grannies from illicit tea n telly parties...... not rally an image one associats with england
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I hadn't really been able to conjure the right image....I keep seeing jackbooted tv police hauling off grannies from illicit tea n telly parties...... not rally an image one associats with england
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140582\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
TV licensing in the Uk is now no longer run directly by the gov't, but the people who do resort to many bullying tactics - they send REALLY nasty letters, usually with big red fonts saying "your house is under surveillance for not having a license", making it clear there's a GBP2000/US$3500 fine (maximum in small letters; in practise it's 100 - 200 for a first offence), and basically making people afraid to not have one even if (like me) you don't have an aerial/tuner nor want to watch the "idiot lantern".
Anyway, we're well off the topic now. Normal programming will be resumed...
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eric van phreaking radiatio
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140578\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
"van Eck radiation" or "van Eck phreaking"
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thanks for that, havent visited that topic in awhile
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I hadn't really been able to conjure the right image....I keep seeing jackbooted tv police hauling off grannies from illicit tea n telly parties...... not rally an image one associats with england
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140582\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
TV licensing in the Uk is now no longer run directly by the gov't, but the people who do resort to many bullying tactics - they send REALLY nasty letters, usually with big red fonts saying "your house is under surveillance for not having a license", making it clear there's a GBP2000/US$3500 fine (maximum in small letters; in practise it's 100 - 200 for a first offence), and basically making people afraid to not have one even if (like me) you don't have an aerial/tuner nor want to watch the "idiot lantern".
Anyway, we're well off the topic now. Normal programming will be resumed...
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140595\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
It was quite funny when Michael Moor did a segment on TV Nation, he couldnt belive you can ultimatly go to jail for watching TV in the UK
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back on topic, here's some really tiny GPS modules, or chipsets, is there room?
http://www.u-blox.com/products/a4products.html (http://www.u-blox.com/products/a4products.html)
you can buy them online too
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back on topic, here's some really tiny GPS modules, or chipsets, is there room?
http://www.u-blox.com/products/a4products.html (http://www.u-blox.com/products/a4products.html)
you can buy them online too
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140929\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
GPS would be kinda cool... if we had software that did something with it. Any ideas on the software? Given a phone for a persistant connection and a decent amount of ram & storage, something could surely be done--- but all that comes to mind is roadmap and google earth. We talked about this earlier. I think it got kinda put aside for lack of a worthwhile application....
Maybe we should and lest get a list of possibly portable and already ported mapping/gps progs for linux?
On the other hand, other than street directions, I'd probably rather use a less expensive and less fragile system for my gps needs. I don't really fancy navigating around fjords (we Do have them in Ak) in a small boat in the rain using my likely very water permeable PP.
Given, then that i have a real need (and own a couple) for rugged waterproof dedicated gps units, I'm at best lukewarm abou t this. If we can get it to replace a tomtom, though.... that'd be a whole different story
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all hail speculatrix
thanks for the link, if we can buy from them then i am happy to chuck it in without debate, if i have room it willl go in, if there is none left i will keep a serial port and a 3.3v/5v line free
i dont want maps for GPS, what i want is to know where i am in relation to where i should be, i like the idea of getting coords and getting there myself rather than following the maps, i can usually navigate the long distances quite well, its just knowing which building that tends to get me
all tomtom needs is gps, i cant belive the have a linux bassed product and dont sell it for linux PDAs, sure its a small market but considering the profit margin in GPS software and how easy it would be for them to do it (as they have already paid for development). i guess they just dont want to annoy microsoft and thier winCE PDAs
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I've a question which is kinda hardware based; what software is going to be used for the circuit design? I had a quick hunt last night and the CadSoft EAGLE looks OK and there's a free version available (with a few limitations, mainly the dimensions and number of signal layers).
I was kinda hoping that as the device developed through component choice, schematic layout, board design I could follow along...
J.
Oops, forgot the link! http://www.cadsoftusa.com/ (http://www.cadsoftusa.com/)
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actually this is one of those things i hoped would never be raised.
i dont know of any good cad software that will do what i want thats free, i am looking into kicad (open source). i have used cadsoft eagle before and its good and most likly be what we will use for the final design, but you will need the full version to da any usefull work with it as this will be a multilayer board
if i could i would use protel DXP, i have used it before (and have been trained on it for PCB and FPGA design) and know it like the back of my hand, plus its auto routers are great. the problem is that it blows the budget for the progect by an order of magnitude
if you know of any good software post it here, order of prefrence is
good autorouter
runs on linux (optinal but recomended)
price (with prefrence for free)
open source
the auto router will make a huge diffrence in this project so thats why its on the list, if it runs under windows only that is fine, i have a spare windows xp licsence or two that i never use and just upgraded to a new AMD chip just because of the virtulisation tech (so i didnt have to reboot to work on this stuff) as the CAD software is normally unstable as it is when you install other apps
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forgot to add that if we use egale it looks like i will have to buy the full profesinol ediion ($1200 USD) and for that price i think it would be worth looking into the protel /altium stuff
anyone know what the open video card guys use?
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all hail speculatrix
thanks for the link, if we can buy from them then i am happy to chuck it in
all tomtom needs is gps, i cant belive the have a linux bassed product and dont sell it for linux PDAs
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140931\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
FX: blush
Whenever I have some spare time (I've not had time for my Z in a couple of months what with holidays, building work at home), I've been trying to get tomtom to run on the Z, with some moderate success.
I want to be able to use my Z in three scenarios:
* as a handheld PDA/microlaptop (to replace my Palm T3) with lots of communications interfaces
* as a portable entertainment device when travelling by train or plane - mp3s, ebooks, video
* as an in-car mp3 player and ideally a navigation device
so, hence, it needs wifi + bluetooth, a good display, a reasonably fast processor, lots of storage. Built-in GPS nice to have instead of relying on a serial- or bluetooth-connected widget.
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speculatrix, you really seem to want the same things i want in a PDA
anyway i didnt mean to push you at all, its more aimed at tomtom. if anything i belive our best way to get the software is to catch them in a GPL voliation then licsence the maps from them.
i doubght however that they violated the gpl in anyway . if they did and we had acsess to the software then licsencing the maps would be a win win situation
would it be posible to reverse engineer the map format and work off that (that way they still make money ) or do we offer up a programmer to them to Zed'erize tomtom (like what happened to quake)
actually in truth i havent tourched my Z in awhile as i have been upgrading the infrastructure of my network (dns servers web servers and such on my "slugs")
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http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/en/news-12...+available.html (http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/en/news-12380-7%E2%80%9D+WVGA+LCD+screens+are+available.html)
HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? (apples being WVGA displays-on-chip)
The article says that a 5" one is coming soon too.
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forgot to add that if we use egale it looks like i will have to buy the full profesinol ediion ($1200 USD) and for that price i think it would be worth looking into the protel /altium stuff
anyone know what the open video card guys use?
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140939\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
how many of us are willing to put our money where our mouths are and put some money up-front into this project to buy DaBlitz a license, which could be recovered from sales of the final device? If we added $20 to each PP, we could probably cover the cost... and DaBlitz is "paid" for his work by getting a useful package so he can run his own PCB design business!
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anyway i didnt mean to push you at all, its more aimed at tomtom. if anything i belive our best way to get the software is to catch them in a GPL voliation then licsence the maps from them.
i doubght however that they violated the gpl in anyway . if they did and we had acsess to the software then licsencing the maps would be a win win situation
would it be posible to reverse engineer the map format and work off that (that way they still make money ) or do we offer up a programmer to them to Zed'erize tomtom (like what happened to quake)
actually in truth i havent tourched my Z in awhile as i have been upgrading the infrastructure of my network (dns servers web servers and such on my "slugs")
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140946\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
tomtom have actively published their entire toolchain, and all their kernel patches (on sourceforge), so they are smart dudes. I wouldn't be surprised if some lurk around on here!
the tomtom program does actually execute/start on the zaurus, it successfully opened the touchscreen, gps serial port, etc etc. I originally tried on my 860 running cacko, which was the wrong kernel version, and have only got partway on my 6000 running OZ with k2.6. You can download the tomtom software from their site as an upgrade package, break it apart using tools from the OpenTom project, and thus extract all the binaries. However, you won't have the lock/key values in the eeprom which allow it to unlock the maps etc. Since I have a TomTom GO300, I am able to "use" its license for this, but if other people want to try they will need to buy an old/cheap/part-broken GO to get its license!
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i am sure thier is an infraction there, however i do not belive it is a good idea to strong arm them,
i will not accepet cash or donations for the pocket penguine until i ship a product. there are several reasons, one it obligates me to finish the project, it may seem wierd but i dont want to be forced to finished it, its not my style and i find it counter productive. two there is no garentee that i wont run off with the cash, sad but true. i know i have been around awhile and built up a reputation but i dont feel that is enough to trust me
if we did do this then i recomend establishing the "free hardware foundation" to accept the money on my behalf and distribute it as needed to open hardware projects. initally it would be us and perhaps the open source video card however this isa better way to do it. of course i would sign up to be a member but i would not accept a role as one who handles the finance. unless of course one alread exsists? i know the FSF tinkers with hardware.
ethier way it will happen sooner or latter. i do like the idea of bieng funded to set up my own pcb design house even if it is only every now and again, but once again creating the FHF would be a better way to handel this
keep in mind that i have major plans for this project besides just a "open hardware PDA". several projects depend on it which in turn depend on each other.
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But it's not a PDA. It's a workstation. o.O
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But it's not a PDA. It's a workstation. o.O
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140998\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
along the idea of buying licenses, though.... might it be possible to buy the license for map data use from the tomtom guys? Ther are some problems with this, of course. The will probably want ALL PP's licensed, for example, and maybe the idea of forced purchase of software licenses isn't such a good match to the open hardware concept.
As I said earlier GPS in the PP wouldn't kill me, but I'd be most likely to use it in the truck for directions/addresses. in AK, if you are on the road, you pretty much know where you are, as there are so few roads-- it would just be a matter of finding stuff in anchorage using my PP. Offroad, I think the PP would live in a very protective case. Most of the time ak's climate isn't really all that friendly to electronics. This is a situation where the OLPClooks good, btw. nice weather resistant keyboard, etc...
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i really dont like tomtom, they have some practices that are annoying and invasive
take for example trying to install the software on a PDA, just to install it you have to go throgh a process of ensuring your identity and put your pin here, once the software is on the device you have to do the same on the device as well.
i also feel that thier practice of not making a WM5 update to the older software was a bad idea, i could understand if they charged for it but instead they want you to buy everything again.
there is a bit of a workaround (that works for all PPC software) start the install process but stop before you get to the actualy transfer, at that point navigate to C://document and settings/<your user> then go to ethire application data or the temp folder thier, at this point there should be a cab file in there, that is the program for the PPC minus its ugly install program. ifyou dont see the cab file try hitting the transfer button then looking in the dir and copying it out of there.
i used to have all these CAB files on a SD card with the write protect switch thrown as well as having a text file with all the keys in it so that i could rebuild my PDA in the field (1:1 backups never worked due to an app or two i used to run, eg http and ftp server)
i dont mind a binary but i just know they will try the drm route, simmilar to my fav qoute:
realplayer is imposible to get rid off, it installs itself in the a***h*** of windows
but windows dosent have an a***h***
realplayer installs its own
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i have not been around much but i found a place that sells dev kits for the i.mx31 processor. they also have scematics availible for download if you register.
http://www.logicpd.com/eps/som/freescale/iMX31/ (http://www.logicpd.com/eps/som/freescale/iMX31/)
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very nice, i guess for the software guys who want to get stated it would be great.
the scehematiic should save a bit of time with the deingn (helps reduce the time spent making sure i wired everything up correctlly)
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the tomtom program does actually execute/start on the zaurus, it successfully opened the touchscreen, gps serial port, etc etc. I originally tried on my 860
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=140950\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]
I don't know if you guys noticed, but TomTom now runs on OZ on Zaurus, and also on a Navman with linux ported to it...
this means that the PocketPenguin *must* have a GPS!
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Yes i noticed, still this is a good time to argue if we add it or make it an addon (such as blutetooth, or possibly as a keyboard option over usb
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the tomtom program does actually execute/start on the zaurus, it successfully opened the touchscreen, gps serial port, etc etc. I originally tried on my 860
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=140950\")
I don't know if you guys noticed, but TomTom now runs on OZ on Zaurus, and also on a Navman with linux ported to it...
this means that the PocketPenguin *must* have a GPS!
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[a href=\"http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?cPath=4_17]http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?cPath=4_17[/url]
here are a few modules and what to expect to pay for them. granted these are complete modules that all you have to do is plug them in and recieve i think serial data so you can save cost buy using your own processor and software, but they would be the easiest way to integrate GPS.
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i really dont want to add modules, really really dont want too
i dont belive intergrating gps chips onboard will be that difficult, but i will know more once it has been researched
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if you give us CF anf SD slots we can use the CF slot for anything we want including GPS, since alot of pda gps modules are in CF form. the cost will be about the same buying a module designed for GPS internally as it would be to get one in CF form. that way people wanting gps can get it and people who don't care about it don't pay or it. i have been away for a bit so i m going to have to review all your guys current plans.
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actually development has slowed so you didnt miss much,
GPS wise i always thogth that the CF units were bigger than they needed to be. besides the chips are only a couple o dollars a piece and ethier way it will be cheaper than a CF GPS. just one last thing
There is no CFIO on this thing.
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this looks like a promising bluetooth chip
BR-C46AR
http://www.blueradios.com/orderinfo.htm (http://www.blueradios.com/orderinfo.htm)
it has a serial interface and is a surface mount chip. you can get single quantities from sparkfun for about 50 USD
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_i...products_id=149 (http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=149)
plus they say "All BlueRadios modules support: SDP, SPP, DUN, LAP, FTP, GAP, RFCOMM, L2CAP, Headset, and Audio Gateway." so this bluetooth module should be able to handle almost any bluetooth protocal we can need.
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here is the manual for the commands to control the bluetooth module i posted about above.
http://people.clarkson.edu/~meyer/BlueRadios_AT_Commands.pdf (http://people.clarkson.edu/~meyer/BlueRadios_AT_Commands.pdf)
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as far as i know, linux already has support for this type of bluetooth module (basically all devices have to conform to the same comm spec over ethier serial, usb or dma (DMA in the true sense of the word and not the ancy "data copier" that PC users associate it with)
anyway, i think i can do better than $50 a chip, in fact i think i can do 10 times better than that
i actually fonund another project or two that i need a board like this for so i now have more of an incentive, turns out that companies buy servos for $2 and sell them for $20 to $80 and i now know a supplier, so bring on my new linux powered robotic army
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anyway, i think i can do better than $50 a chip, in fact i think i can do 10 times better than that
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what cn you do better with? plz tell
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i ment get the chipset instead of the module and buy it from someone who deals in bulk (ie digikey or simmilar)
spark is good but they are aimed at making a profit off the hobbiest which means inflatted prices
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the good thing is sparkfun is good for the hobbiest/prototyping, since they will sell in single quantities. they are actually cheaper to buy from in lower quantities since the manufacture sells that chipfor 100 usd for single quantities. if you buy in bulk though you would go to the manufacture and get the chips for about 15-19 USD each. if would be cheaper to get the raw chips and put your own together, but i can't seem to find much info on how you would go about it. if we had to write our own firmware or have to pay extra fees to use one that someone else wrote that would be even more work to do. what we need is someone with experience is stuff like this to help us figure it out. next time i go to my college class i might have to see if they have any books on the low end aspects of bluetooth in the library. they do got some like this on GSM i might have to pick up anyway.
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problem is that the PCB maker will be purchasing for us and can eseily get in bulk.
for example i have seen servos sell for up to $80 but as i know someone who runs a buisness selling those parts i can pick them up for thier cost price ($2)
basically its the power of numbers and scince you will all be getting them from the one manufacturere who buys chips like this already we get a nice little saving
remeber fully made boards are the way to go
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absolutely tiny wifi module from socket:
http://www.clieuk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8361 (http://www.clieuk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?threadid=8361)
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thanks for that, definattly worth looking into.
drivers wont be a problem as they say the have a dev package and they are also what i waould call a trusted company (ie likly to sell to us and actually have a reputation which is more than most companies i have reviewed for chipsets)
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yet another GPS chip, this time a combo with the new European Union's Galileo system: http://www.u-blox.com/technology/u-blox5/index.html (http://www.u-blox.com/technology/u-blox5/index.html)
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i am trying to get ahold of an i.mx21 devkit hopefully it stays i my price range. the i.mx21 is close enough to the i.mx31 that you can start developing software for it until we get working i.mx31 boards.
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i dont really see what there is to develop, its mainly a config problem IMHO, sure the bootloader may be a bit annoying at first but all it needs to de is loada lin kernel after it has setup the ram or we swap it out for uboot which makes my life even easier
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I don't know if this has been mentioned, quick search doesn't show up anything on oesf.org, but anwyays, here it is:
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28146 (http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28146)
Simple and relatively small GPS module, just so you know.
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I don't know if this has been mentioned, quick search doesn't show up anything on oesf.org, but anwyays, here it is:
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28146 (http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28146)
Simple and relatively small GPS module, just so you know.
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look at the price - over US$70 even in larger quantities!
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- WOWZERS. Fall off the earth for six months to find a house, buy it, move, and get set up enough to read OESF again, and look what happens! Went from glimmer of an idea to the PocketPenguin forum. Sheesh!
- Been reading for hours now ... first the 29-page monster thread from OESF, and now I've just started at the top of the hardware thread and began gnawing through the whole thing. Simply amazing, what's been typed and replied, it is.
- I'm very glad RFID got axed. Bad, bad tech, that, and about as secure as a seive holds water. I'm intensely interested in this project, but I'd avoid it like anthrax if it had RFID in it.
- I like the idea of trying to license maps from someone, and TomTom seems the most likely candidate, despite all. (shrug) Doesn't mean it has to be done ... just tossing out my half-nybble, as it were. Even if GPS doesn't have an immediate spiffy application, I think it's still an usable feature, if it's not too much hassle to include it.
- I was bemoaning the loss of the external CF whilst reading the monster 29-page thread, but I think in the long run it's probably not a bad idea to nix it. As mentioned, most things I'd want CF for are built-in, so I'm sure I wouldn't really miss it. One may always make a case for this or that CF peripheral, but the SD-Raid sounds too cool to pass up. I'd take four SD slots for that! (dr00l)
- Now that I have some small bit of time between unpacking, repairing, and installing, I'll try to have a little more reliable presence here.
- Wowzers!...
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Just for completition,
i'm just designing a hardware with a gps module from JCOM.
Have a look at the modules datasheet (http://www.mrccomponents.de/pdf/JGR-SC3-MS_0511xx.pdf).
The price is about 30€ (~36$), the device is directly PCB mounted.
It needs an external antenna or internal planar antenna, but this might be better anyway, because you have the freedom of choice.
scholbert