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[Werner Almesberger]

joerg reisenweber wrote:
> clean up whole audio stuff, eliminate useless amp chip.

Ah yes, forgot about this one.

> Use WM8753 IRQ to put to function the builtin mic-detect and 
> hold_detect functions, as well as overtemp-shutdown detect.

That's the interface change. Okay, that's doable with little
risk as well.

> There are nice 3G-modules with GPS out there. Alas no analog audio IF.
> http://www.telit.com/en/products/umts-hsdpa.php?p_id=14&p_ac=show&p=14

Hmm, page 50 of http://www.telit.com/module/infopool/download.php?id=623
shows analog audio ?

> Or add some other means to multiply/multiplex SDIO.

Oh please no. We've been through this one already. Multiplexers
are evil. External SDIO chips that do 1.8 V don't seem to exist
either. Besides, they'd probably drive the capacitative bus load
to levels that prevent it from running at full speed - just like
Glamo and NOR did.

>>>    4. GTA02 -G+E+P  add 6410
> 
> I seem to know this by the name "GTA03" aka "3D7K", no?

Hmm, I guess the "GTA02" refers to the case.

> That's the trick. Support from cam-manuf usually is Wincrap blob. Sometimes 
> you might get the source under NDA I'd guess. Been there? Seems I heard 
> before...

In our case, the camera just need some 1000 parameters to be set
correctly. We already have an Open Source driver for the camera
interface of the 6410. We "just" need to clean up the data path
and get the camera settings right.

>> I'm not sure how feasible it would be to convert the existing material
>> into something sufficiently free tools can use. PADS to KiCad, Pro/E
>> to HeeksCAD ? :)
> 
> I don't feel optimistic here.

It may be more reliable to just redo things manually, yes. The question
is whether any of the Free tools are really up to the task. KiCad seems
to be the only real choice for a reasonably powerful Open Source and
platform-independent EDA system, but it has its limitations. E.g., I'm
not convinced by its autorouter and I find it rather time-consuming to
do manual layouts.

I don't know enough about the CAD world to tell what's good or bad.
I spent some time last week trying to figure out what's around. The
Linux-friendly Open Source choices for 3D CAD/modelers include: BRL-CAD
(ancient but powerful), Blender (popular, although not as CAD), Wings
3D (recommended for making KiCad package drawings), Art of Illusion
(RepRap's choice, Java), FreeCAD (scriptable, uses mighty OpenCASCADE),
and HeeksCAD (similar to FreeCAD, has a CAM extension).

There's also gCAD3D which seems to be pretty powerful but for some
reason isn't Open Source. And then there's also VARKON, which I
couldn't really make sense of. On the 2D front, there are QCad and
mysterious sagCAD.

> Still I wonder where this thread is going to take us to. Implementitis again? 
> Steve?

I think it's the search for low-hanging fruits, and finding out just
how high they're hanging. I like the approach of trying to reuse what
we already know, i.e., things that have gone through some serious
vetting already.

- Werner