Hello, just info for storytellers: (since the themme is open source hardware and rme ) stoneages ago i made an open source hardwarecard, called MAAS (see http://iem.kug.ac.at/ritsch/hardware/maas/main.html ) So I made a four layer dsp-card for use with ,many ption including standalone, but the main problem was bugs in the dspcore (pci interface) and so on. I was a kind of followup of a project of elector, a german electronic magazine, where also a first SPDIf was a project (i think using an fpga), where rme followed witheir first RME card ;-) and I ended up with writing the first kernel-driver for rme-hammerfall, since their product was better and more costless than the open source hardware (if i calculate the assembly work as money), even if i had the the work writing the linux-kernel driver, i needed for my project. Doing a study project (and open source hardware) and a product for distribution is quite another thing and a big step, so open source hardware is a different than software, since somebody has to build it and this is work. But anyhow, I like the idea... maybe somebody want continue to do the MAAS, nowadays this should be much cheaper.... mfg winfried ritsch Am Mittwoch, 15. Dezember 2004 22:03 schrieb Fernando Lopez-Lezcano: > On Wed, 2004-12-15 at 11:24, Mark Knecht wrote: > > On 15 Dec 2004 10:29:38 -0800, Fernando Lopez-Lezcano > > > > <nando@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > > On Tue, 2004-12-14 at 09:46, Mark Knecht wrote: > > > > On 14 Dec 2004 10:03:31 +0100, Andreas Kuckartz <A.Kuckartz@xxxxxxx> wrote: > > > > > Lee Revell wrote: > > > > > > Christ, what the fuck country do you live in? Don't you > > > > > > understand the concept of people having bills to pay? Or do you > > > > > > just assume the RME guys are independenly wealthy and just design > > > > > > sound cards for fun? > > > > > > > > > > Interestingly some people seem to be existing who are working on > > > > > Linux for fun. Also there is a concept known as "Open Source > > > > > Hardware" which was mentioned here before. > > > > > > > > Actually, it was Lee and I (I think) who were the main proponents of > > > > the Open Source Sound Card idea. Funny how that works out at times. > > > > > > > > My current thought is that there aren't enough people interested in > > > > doing it. Maybe I'm wrong? > > > > > > Maybe, maybe not. One quick question I have been meaning to ask. Would > > > it be possible to completely drive the card with firmware? What I mean, > > > can all the packet processing be handled by an onboard processor in the > > > soundcard? No gate arrays? What I picture is of-the-shelf components > > > only... [*] > > > > I believe this is (more or less) completely possible. Let's use two > > of the recently maligned RME's products as an example - the HDSP 9652 > > and the Hammerfall Light. (Hey - imagine that?! I chose the two cards > > I own!) ;-) > > > > [MUNCH] > > > > With the price of Xilinx chips coming down all the time, and with > > functionality going up, I see a small card with one large FPGA, a > > small eeprom to enable a PCI enterface in the chip, and some > > transceivers for ADAT and/or s/pdif. I am just guessing that even in > > small volumes this can probably be built for under $300/card. (That's > > a total guess.) > > > > The nice thing about this, in my mind, is that when Xilinx comes > > out with each new generation you can imagine putting a bigger Xilinx > > chip on the same card and programming more interesting things, like > > hardware mixers. This is rally all RME did between the Hammerfall and > > HDSP line. (I'm being purposely simplistic here.) > > > > There are certainly HUGE challenges for a group of folks like us > > doing this. Verilog (or VHDL) design, which I don't do, compiling that > > code into something that programs the Xilinx chips (Symplicity?) > > assembly, testing, etc., but none of it is unsurmountable. It just > > takes some vision and, unfortunately, some money unless we can get > > access to some Open Source tools or, possibly, commercial tools > > through some friendly company. > > > > Doing this as a 1394-based external unit is really interesting, but > > is more complicated. Maybe PCI is the best for now. > > I'm not so sure PCI would be the best answer for a project like this > one, and that was the point of the question. I would be concerned about > the tools. Xilinx arrays will probably need closed source and expensive > software. > > What I was thinking about was this: > - 1394 chip (off the shelf, no programming) > - (high speed?) ucontroller (off the shelf, use one that has open > source tools for programming it). > - line drivers for spdif and/or ADAT (driven from the ucontroller) > - DA/AD chips (driven from the ucontroller) > > So, this approach would reduce the problem to hardware interconnection > of logic parts (rather easy) and firmware for the ucontroller (hard). > > The question would be, it this doable with available ucontrollers that > have open source compiler toolchains? > > -- Fernando -- -- - ao.Univ.Prof. DI Winfried Ritsch - ritsch@xxxxxx - http://iem.at/ritsch - Institut fuer Elektronische Musik und Akustik - University of Music and Dramatic Art Graz - Tel. ++43-316-389-3510 (3170) Fax ++43-316-389-3171 - PGP-ID 69617A69 (see keyserver http://wwwkeys.at.gpg.net/) --
