#qi-hardware IRC log for Monday, 2011-07-25

kristianpaulwho like cats?02:50
kristianpaulcheck this coming from #homecmos http://i.imgur.com/vaUXG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Si3XY.png02:50
kristianpaul21:27 < azonenberg> 20um square pixels02:51
kristianpaulhttp://i.imgur.com/uPN5h.jpg :-D03:00
kristianpaulrejon: look that!, homebrew cmos03:00
rejonhuh?03:01
wolfspraulkristianpaul: thanks a lot for helping with the news btw!03:24
kristianpaulphew... write take time03:40
wolfspraul:-)03:43
wolfspraulkristianpaul: I would have never thought :-)03:43
wolfspraulactually one very important reason we need to write good news is also to establish a history for our project, which you can see quite nicely at http://en.qi-hardware.com/wiki/News03:44
kristianpaulhaha, now i understand you every month..03:44
wolfspraulyes it's terribly time consuming03:44
wolfspraulespecially to verify the facts, to find good reference URLs, and to write a short and readable headline03:45
wolfsprauloh, and to find nice pictures or even videos ideally03:45
wolfspraulto clarify their license, convert or upload them into the wiki, and finally embed :-)03:45
wolfspraulkristianpaul: it's very important that we spend some time on really good reference URLs03:45
wolfspraulso the news can serve as a starting point to many other related projects, ideas, plans, success stories, failure stories, etc.03:46
wolfsprauleasier said than done though ;-) So I'm seriously happy that you help!03:46
kristianpaulbtw namuru core is stabilized now in milkymist, i'm working on port or write a basic algorythm to get telemtry from sige..03:46
wolfspraulyou should post some things about that too03:46
kristianpaulk03:47
wolfspraulI don't think namuru or osgps were _ever_ mentioned in the news03:47
kristianpaulhum...03:47
wolfspraulbut even those names, the URLs to their homepages, and what this is is good news and very important for copyleft hardware03:47
wolfspraulyou agree?03:47
kristianpaulyes03:47
wolfspraulbecause we don't want to have a news item one day "super great Openstreetmap contributor device available in shop soandso for xx USD"03:48
kristianpaulokay will that tomorrow at lunch, also document a bit how integratio was made...03:48
wolfsprauland a link to a zip file containing Eagle schematics :-)03:48
kristianpauli have lot of private mails, need to be converted in proper pages..03:48
wolfsprauldon't try to move it to the 'one big cleanup and documentation day', because that day will never come03:48
kristianpaulno no03:48
wolfspraulso instead, throw little snippets at clueless followers like us, for our enlightenment :-)03:49
kristianpaulhhah03:49
wolfspraulthe news format also forces you to think like that, to extract one tidbit/headline03:49
kristianpaulif you said so,03:49
wolfspraulwell it's not easy, you need to extract the news and think how to explain it to others. just as you said it's hard to write those news posts...03:50
wolfspraulbut that's necessary if we want to pull people into the process, not just have them admire the results03:50
kristianpaul(snippets) well, seems osgps move the code for "driving" the gp2021-like chip to a linux module... i'll start checking that...03:50
wolfspraulkristianpaul: so I think even somethnig like this would be great: 'Kristian Paul discovered the namuru GPS ... which may help in his free stack. [url] [url]'03:51
wolfspraulbecause that provides entry/followup points for curious folks03:52
wolfspraulkristianpaul: here's werner's unbeatable quote "Create opportunities to join and actively seek participation"03:53
kristianpauldicovered... well... not that i liked too much03:53
wolfspraulthat's what such a news item helps with03:53
wolfspraulwell sure, but post those snippets so we can follow...03:53
kristianpauli mean no discover it, because i actually was told about it at first place03:53
kristianpaulpost snippets where? (i get a bit confused)03:54
kristianpauls/get/got03:54
kristianpaulcorrect place for snippets is ML i think03:55
kristianpaulahm, you mean news..03:55
wolfspraulyes, news item04:07
wolfsprauljust add a * reminder04:07
wolfspraulat the month's end, we can decide whether to remove it or to write it nicely with source URL, picture, etc.04:07
wolfspraulkristianpaul: maybe you were 'told' about namuru, but that still means you 'discovered' it, no? :-) You can use 'told' if you like that better, I picked 'discover' because it sounds more exciting (to me)...04:08
kristianpaulunder milkymist right?04:10
kristianpaulwell, of course xD run on ir..04:10
akiwiguyI just realized something - I'm at the top of the userlist :P 04:12
kristianpaulhum?04:13
wolfspraulakiwiguy: that's cool!04:14
wolfspraulrejon: you didn't understand that cat picture?04:14
akiwiguy:D 04:15
wolfspraulit's Andrew's DIY semiconductor lab04:15
akiwiguyDarnit I need $99usd04:15
wolfspraulfirst goal is (or was) to replicate the Intel 4004 in his lab04:15
wolfspraulakiwiguy: to buy a NanoNote!?04:15
akiwiguyI still haven't managed to get enough money for my nanonote - it's been like 6 months of saving04:16
akiwiguywolfspraul: :D Orc04:16
akiwiguyOf course*04:16
akiwiguyDarn autocorrect.04:16
akiwiguyIf I had a nanonote it would be using Ben-wpan and dirtpan and I would be using irssi on that04:17
akiwiguyInstead of having to use an iPad.04:17
wolfspraulaha, the bot showed who's in charge here...04:17
akiwiguyxD04:18
wolfspraulakiwiguy: you save as hard as we work on this thing, at least that's a match already :-)04:18
akiwiguy:D04:18
akiwiguyDoes the nanonote have a working python port?04:18
wolfspraulI'm pretty sure it does04:18
akiwiguyCool, then I can use it as a Na'vi on-the-go translator too :D04:19
wolfspraulI saw xiangfu mentioning some python bug when testing the latest image, but that will be fixed for sure.04:19
wolfsprauland in the current official image I would be surprised if it didn't work04:20
akiwiguyUgh.04:23
akiwiguyI hate being in New Zealand. Shipping here is expensive, exchange rates, etc.04:26
akiwiguyAnd being 14 makes it even worse because I can't get a job so I have to rely on my parents for money04:27
wolfspraulakiwiguy: do you have a strong Linux/free software scene you are part of there? any lugs?04:32
wolfspraulany places you think could be interested in the Milkymist One video synthesizer (that thing is even more expensive thought at 499 USD)04:33
wolfspraulI remember there was one pretty cool blog I followed for a while, out of New Zealand. One sec...04:33
wolfspraulah yes, Michael from http://seabright.co.nz/blog/04:35
akiwiguywolfspraul: I'm a member of 2 lugs04:39
akiwiguyBut i don't know if there would be that much interest in MM104:43
wolfspraulakiwiguy: nice! Get some of the members there to help us with NanoNote hacking, or Linux on Milkymist One.04:43
wolfspraulit depends on how you look at it [m1]04:43
akiwiguyIt's a nice device04:43
wolfspraulfirst we focus on making a great video synthesizer, but you can also see it as a general purpose computing platform04:43
akiwiguyThe SoC seems like a great platform04:43
akiwiguy 04:43
wolfspraulthere's a lot missing to go in that direction, but good Linux (kernel) hackers could help a lot to fulfill this dream04:44
wolfspraulthat's why I think a LUG may still be a good place to bring it up and discuss it, even if it only generates a few more leads or blog posts/tweets.04:44
akiwiguyI could bring it up on the lug's irc channel04:45
wolfspraulthe same is true for ben-wpan of course, it doesn't even need a NanoNote since you can see it from a notebook (USB) perspective only if you like04:45
wolfspraulwell we need to spread the word, for sure :-)04:45
wolfspraulsame thing about ben-wpan - great opportunity for significant progress in the Linux kernel04:46
kristianpaulhad any one here code something to the ISA bus?05:12
rohola05:15
larscISA was long before my time05:15
Action: roh finished the first 3 buttons!!1! ;)05:15
rohkristianpaul: yes. sure.05:15
rohinb/outb05:15
rohsee parport programming documentation.. it only changed addresses and access methods when it became pci05:16
rohpci is usually mmio (map some address, do read/write there)05:17
rjeffriestuxbrain this will be of interest to you, as you were looking for Arduino that might be able to talk to wpwrak ATVen ATusb05:17
rjeffrieshttps://github.com/maniacbug/contiki-avr-zigduino/wiki05:17
rohisa usually pio05:17
kristianpaulah, same as parallel port, nice05:17
wolfspraulrjeffries: you were looking for me the other day. What can I do for you?05:18
rjeffriesZigduion is about $70 that includes teh radio05:18
rjeffrieswolfspraul I was only saying "hi"05:18
wolfsprauland I thought you wanted to order your Ben finally... oh well :-)05:18
kristianpaul;-)05:18
rjeffriesoh, and I see you may need an "armchair General." reporting as ordered, Sir05:19
rjeffries;)05:19
Action: roh wishes for a fast xyz robot with a vacuum-gripper and some easy to train ocr to do the 'glueing'05:30
rohone would still need to peel off tape etc, but the nasty part could be automatized05:31
rjeffrieswpwrak i've been busy elsewhere, so have not folowed recent ATben ATusb news. I think Ben to Ben is working with DirtPan. How about ATusb to ATben or ATusb to ATusb?05:36
qi-botThe build was successfull, see images here: http://fidelio.qi-hardware.com/~xiangfu/compile-log/openwrt-xburst.full_system-07242011-0213/05:39
wpwrakrjeffries has this maddening habit of firing off some questions and then disconnecting instants after ...08:04
akiwiguyLol08:05
wpwrakwolfspraul: did you see this one ? http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/BGH-Nutzung-fremder-Marken-im-Rahmen-von-Adword-Werbung-ist-zulaessig-1284660.html08:22
wpwrakwolfspraul: maybe they're getting a bit more relaxed about trademarks :)08:23
qi-bot[commit] Ayla: Create the "sections" user directory if required, when creating a new link. (master) http://qi-hw.com/p/gmenu2x/4636a8410:08
kristianpaul(pci mmio) hum this is harmfurlly interesting :-)10:41
qi-bot[commit] Werner Almesberger: pkgology/1g-monadic: additional package for single-input 1G chips (master) http://qi-hw.com/p/wernermisc/205414810:58
qi-bot[commit] Werner Almesberger: m1/rc3/gates/rst.sch: removed R60, fixed right-hand circuit, added titles (master) http://qi-hw.com/p/wernermisc/282e44710:58
kristianpaulone of the nice things about getting early from bed, is watch the dawn :)11:05
kodeinthat is mostly impossible for me most of the year, either dawn is way too early, or it's a few hours into regular working hours11:11
wpwrakwolfspraul: thinking of your ya "tablet" design. there may be a way to combine this with a keyboard. the keyboard could be made quite thin and then could go as a cover on the screen. it would need some swivel-and-slide mechanism to position it partially under the screen, to prevent the ya from falling over even worse than the ben. that part may be tricky.13:02
wpwrakthis would combine the simplicity of a tablet design with still having a keyboard13:03
Aylawhat about an on-screen keyboard?13:04
Aylakeep it smart and simple...13:04
wpwrakAyla: and inconvenient to use :)13:09
Aylaa real keyboard would higher a lot the price13:10
Aylas/higher/raise13:10
wpwrakAyla: there is some research into making on-screen keyboards with tactile feedback, but they're still not even at the point of having useful lab prototypes13:10
wpwrakAyla: dunno if it would add all that much to the cost13:10
Aylawell, it would at least increase the complexity of the device13:11
wpwrakthat it would13:11
wpwrakbut what other choices do you have if you want a keyboard ?13:11
Aylaseparate wireless keyboard? :)13:12
Aylaand on-screen keyboard for extreme mobility13:12
wolfspraulsounds complicate [keyboard ideas]13:33
wolfspraulcomplicate13:33
wolfspraulcomplicateD13:33
wolfspraul:-)13:33
AylaI'm looking for a small a cheap FPGA board, do you have any advices?13:51
wolfspraulavnet xilinx dev boards?13:53
wolfspraulbut don't come to me with software support questions, ask the avnet guys they get enough money from xilinx :-)13:54
wolfspraulAyla: what do you want to do with the board?13:54
Aylasome digital signal conversion13:55
AylaI was thinking of something like this: http://www.xess.com/prods/prod047.php13:55
wolfspraulI have no overview at all over 'cheap fpga boards', I gave you the only thing I know :-) (avnet)13:57
wolfspraullooks nice!13:58
wolfspraulI like the fact that they seem to be doing this independently, cool.13:58
wolfspraulif you get it, keep us posted13:59
wolfspraulyou are very welcome to use the Qi projects server for your digital signal conversion sources, if you like14:00
wolfspraulcalling it a day, n814:00
Aylameh, disconnected...14:08
Ayla15:55 < Ayla> some digital signal conversion14:09
Ayla15:55 < Ayla> I was thinking of something like this: http://www.xess.com/prods/prod047.php14:09
wpwrakAyla: that board looks very nice indeed. and it's even copyleft hardware :)16:15
wpwrakAyla: of course, a far cry from what the M1's FPGA can do.16:15
Aylawpwrak, my project is to connect various controllers on my dreamcast's maple bus16:20
Aylalike SNES or megadrive controllers16:20
Aylathat's mostly to teach myself FPGAs16:20
Aylathe bus has a 2Mbps throughput, I believe that this board is strong enough to handle this16:21
qi-bot[commit] Maarten ter Huurne: Removed wallpaper images of which the size did not match the resolution there were used at. (master) http://qi-hw.com/p/gmenu2x/b5698e821:53
mthby the way, does it make sense to have wallpapers as part of a skin?21:55
mthI can imagine a skin might include a wallpaper designed to go well with it, but all existing wallpapers are not related to any particular skin, it seems21:56
mthAyla: you missed this when you got disconnected:22:07
mth[23:57] <mth> by the way, does it make sense to have wallpapers as part of a skin?22:07
mth[23:58] <mth> I can imagine a skin might include a wallpaper designed to go well with it, but all existing wallpapers are not related to any particular skin, it seems22:07
Aylamth: the "wallpapers" menu lists all the wallpapers of the skin, plus all the wallpapers from the Default skin22:08
Aylafrom either the system directory or the user directory22:09
Aylaso if you have general wallpapers unrelated to the skin, put them on the "wallpapers" dir of the Default skin 22:10
mthI guess that works, but it feels a bit weird22:15
AylaI coult make a "wallpapers" directory directly on .gmenu2x, and make a symlink to it on the Default skin directory22:19
Aylacould*22:19
mthsymlinks don't work on vfat though and many people use vfat on SD cards22:26
Aylaah, right22:27
Aylain that case, I can't think of a smart way of doing this22:28
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