GTA02 PCB layout files found!

Spacefalcon the Outlaw falcon at ivan.Harhan.ORG
Sat Apr 11 16:33:21 UTC 2015


Nick <openmoko-community at njw.me.uk> wrote:

> Where does that leave the indiegogo campaign? Is the money not 
> needed now?

It is indeed no longer needed for the original purpose for which the
campaign was started when the original PCB files were believed to have
been lost.  The campaign page has been updated to reflect this new
development.  However, if anyone would like to continue donating, the
money would help me and Shannon - see the update at the bottom of the
"story" page.

> Eventually you'll need more funds, presumably, for the 
> production parts of the project.

Yes, and I am not even considering "production" as in "production for
sale" at all at this point - way too premature to even think about it.
Instead, what the project may need money for in a few months will be
physical production of the first lab prototypes.

I am approaching this project in a very different way from how a
business person would do it.  Business people always talk about what
they call opportunity costs, and whenever they consider doing any
project or venture, they always consider the option of *not* doing it.
When they look at costs, they generally estimate the total cost upfront
(the total cost to get to the end result), and decide whether or not
to do the project based on that total cost among other factors.

But I work differently: I concentrate all of my effort, energy and
attention on whatever is the immediate next step at each given moment,
and deliberately abstain from thinking about what costs or challenges
lie ahead.  I deviate from the "proper business" way because in that
"proper business" way the purpose of realistically estimating the
total cost to the finish line is to decide whether or not to do the
project at all, and for me not doing my project is NOT an option: I
need this project in order to give my life purpose and meaning.
Therefore, I keep my attention focused on the immediate next step, and
simply hope for the best when it comes to future difficulties and/or
costs further down the road.

Right now the immediate next step is for me and my PCB layout partner
to produce our own layout for the first prototype we seek to build,
based on the just-recovered Openmoko one and other available references
like the Pirelli DP-L10.  This step is pure desk work, i.e., editing
design files on a computer with the appropriate software tools, so no
money is needed for the project itself at this point - although my
family could very much use any help given.

After this step is done, the results of it will be publicly released:
a PCB design file in a free EDA tool format and a set of gerbers which
one can send to a fab to produce a physical board.  (In fact, all work
is being done in a public source repository, so it's really in a state
of continuous release, no need to wait for completion.)  Only after
the design is complete and we have the gerbers for the first prototype
will I start looking into how much it would cost to physically produce
that first prototype board from those gerbers.  It will probably be
several months from now, so hopefully by then my personal/family
financial situation will improve (the current hardship is expected to
last about 4 months), and I may be able to afford that step on my own
- and if not, it'll be time for another crowdfunding campaign then.

> Speaking of which, are you planning 
> to sell the phones you produce yourself, eventually? Or outsource 
> it?

I do plan on offering finished products (initially standalone modems
for playful use with laptops etc, and later phones) up for retail sale
to end users, but whenever someone complains about my asking price
being too high, I'll point them to the freely released gerber, BOM etc
files and invite them to try producing it themselves for less.

VLR,
SF



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