The audio IC Wolfson WM8753 is cool :)))))

[Robert Michel]

Salve Koen!

On Tue, 12 Dec 2006, Koen Kooi wrote:
> > PS: Again, it seems that an FPGA between the I/O connectors
> >     and the other chips would encrease the power of the Neo1973,
> >     e.g. the FPGA could switch the second audio jack to mono output.
> 
> As can a GPIO. Stop with the fpga nonsense and get a devboard to play with

Sorry, I'm not a electral engineer (student). So how hardware things are
solved will never be my excellence - and playing with it would maybe not
so fruitfull - so excuse me for posting "some nonsense" in somebody eyes,
but it is *no nonsense* to make as much of the hardware power usable as 
possible and to share ideas for what this additional power could be
used. The full room for development is IMHO very important for the
economic potential of OpenMoko/Neo1973.

From my point it is absolutly not about "having a geek tool to play
with" - my contribution to this list is motivated from the point that
a device with full given access to the hardware power will have
a high economic potential - in the way of selling many devices,
but also that this cheap devices are used in 1001 and more
modifications for special professional solutions. 
And the WM8753 has a high potential!


Just conventional design of a smartphone would wast much of the I/O
power of the SoC (eg. SPI) of the audio ic and of the I/O connector
of the device.

The WM8753 has 2 ADC and 2 DAC +1VoiceDAC  and the possiblity to switch
2 line in and 2 mic in, and has multiple out but no chance to route an
DAC to an ADC line.

And the SoC has several interesting I/Os, but the Neo1973 will have
only a mini-USB and one stereo 2,5mm audio jack (or I hope a second
2,5mm audio jack).

With out ground line makes this 3+2(+2) = 5 (7) lines
with gound connector 4+3(+3) = 7 (10) I/O contacts.

Will a GPIO help to totaly free to switch SPI USB audio in/out to
any to this lines? Could you give me a link for GPIO knowledge?


I've worked 18 month as one and only technican for two radiostations
with many live transmission via ISDN - events with an external studio
and I'm shure that the Neo1973 with a WM8753 has a high potential for
professional use - e.g. by radio stations - 
My horizont is different to "see just a smartphone with MP3/oggVorbis
player potential".

So could you stay constructive and explain how "GPIO" coudl help to use 
the full power given with the WM8753 and S3C2410 and the external
connectors of the Neo1973?

Greetings,
rob