Subject: RE: [linux-audio-dev] open-source like hardware
From: Pieter (pieter.palmers_AT_student.kuleuven.ac.be)
Date: Mon Jan 14 2002 - 12:26:53 EET
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-linux-audio-dev_AT_music.columbia.edu
> [mailto:owner-linux-audio-dev_AT_music.columbia.edu]On Behalf Of Remco
> Poelstra
> Sent: zondag 13 januari 2002 20:25
> To: linux-audio-dev_AT_music.columbia.edu
> Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] open-source like hardware
>
>
> On 2002.01.12 10:12 Pieter wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm lurking this list for some time now, and I've now seen
> > several threads about bad hardware support (drivers).
> > It got me thinking about creating a (pro-) soundcard, specifically
> > for the linux community. Not an easy job, it should be possible,
> > although I'm not sure if I can do it (as I'm a student, I'm pretty low
> > on budget... designing DSP H/W isn't a low-budget thing :)
> > I'm interested in hearing any comments and/or suggestions.
> >
> > A less challenging project:
> > As I skimmed the specs of the midiman usb midi interfaces, I noticed
> > that the hardware part of these devices is pretty simple... well, the
> > electronics, dunno about the mechanical details like case and so.
> > I didn't read the manuals to look for advanced features, but I'm
> > pretty sure that I can design such devices... that might be a more
> > easy start. The equivalent of a midiman 1x1 should have a hardware
> > cost of about 40$-60$ when using low volume pricing of components.
> > This is a very rough estimate.
> >
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm also an electrical engineering student and my current praticum
> exercise is to build an micro processor in an Xilinx FPGA (Spartan 2).
> I've such a thing on university, but since it's in a box, I don't have
> very much capabilities to use it to build some DSP thing. I do have the
> software to design chips and upload it all into the FPGA.
I've had similar exercises, so I guess you also got a copy of the
XilinX foundation manager...
> From my experience it's horrible to work wit hthem, becuase they hardly
> ever work. (Might be my experience with them, or the low quality software
> we got from uni).
we also had a lot of problems with foundation manager.
The fact that they don't work probably is, no offense, a bad design. My
expierence is that these designs are very complex (timing stuff etc...).
Most of my designs on FPGA didn't work either.
Besides, there are no linux tools to program fpga's, as far as I know.
> But what is ti you guys want to build? An soundcard with on board DSP for
> SB Live! like fun or do you want to design your own DSP?
> I think it's best to use a standard DSP and make a soundcard using it, so
> that's user programmable, might be intern or extern, just what's
> easier/cheaper.
>
why design a DSP when the market is full of them, indeed.
I already typed this in a prior post: using a standard dsp would make it
possible
to have anybody designing 'firmware' for the card. Using self designed dsp's
it would be almost impossible. Besides, designing your own dsp takes months
with
a team of >100 people, lots more if you don't have any IP to start with.
> BTW, if such a project really starts, I like to join.
>
great
CU
Pieter
----------------------------------------------------------------------
pieter.palmers_AT_esat.kuleuven.ac.be
Currently getting my
Masters in Science and Engineering, (micro-electronics)
@ ESAT laboratory, KULeuven, Belgium.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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