[Gta04-owner] GTA04-Custom: EAGLE schematics and board file blueprint for developing expansion/adapter boards

[Dr. H. Nikolaus Schaller]

Am 03.03.2012 um 11:00 schrieb Lionel Broche:

> Coming back to the original message, is it possible for an averaged-skilled person to carry out the customisation of the GTA04 board to change the connector? 

> Also, would it be feasible to make a GTA04 module that could be connected to external screens while powered, so that you could switch from tablet to phone? I just ask out of curiosity, but it would be fun to connect your phone to a large display in your car for easier sat nav, then take it back as a phone.


Well,
retrofitting the display connector is only one part. This needs quite sophisticated equipment.
I was not able to do it myself even under a microscope (0.3 mm pin distance!).

The second aspect is that the interface is not designed to be capable of automatically switching
displays.

The GTA04-Custom board has some components removed that either need space or are
electronically in the way and to make the bottom side really flat. This are usually:

display connector, touch screen controller, backlight converter
battery spring contacts, speaker pogo pins, usb-otg socket, RS232 socket, backup battery/supercap,
pushbuttons, LEDs, microphone, headset jack, IrDA.

And, we use a variant without GPS, UMTS, and the FM-TRX in a PDA style device.

This of course makes the board cheaper than a fully populated GTA04 board
(as replacement for the GTA01/02 or an OpenPhoenux).

Therefore you should see them as two different variants (with very much similar software,
e.g. QtMoko runs on the PDA version with 3.5 inch screen after disabling the GSM modem
functions).

To summarize: yes, you can build a PDA around the GTA04-custom board but it is
not exchangeable on the fly.

Nikolaus