Announcements related to Neo900
 

Transfer period ends Friday, August 8

When the reorganization began, we announced that all donations that had been made to Golden Delicious Computers GmbH (GDC) and were subsequently transferred to Neo900 UG would retain the same benefits as the original donation, both regarding the original amount and the original date.

Since the reorganization is long over, it's time to also end this transfer period.
Therefore, all donations sent after Friday August 8, 2014 will be considered as "new".

This means that, if you still have a donation pending at GDC and have not asked for a transfer to Neo900 UG yet, you still have time to do so without losing any benefits.

Likewise, if you have requested a refund (to you) instead of a transfer to Neo900 UG, but wish to rejoin the project, then please transfer the refunded amount to Neo900 UG before the deadline.

Further details on transferring donations from GDC can be found here:
http://neo900.org/donate-gdc

Two examples:

1) If you donated EUR 200 in January and asked GDC to transfer the donation to Neo900 UG, we will have received about EUR 173.60 and we will treat this as a donation of EUR 200 made in January.

2) If you donated EUR 200 in January, have not decided yet, but will ask GDC in the middle of August - after the deadline - to transfer your donation to Neo900 UG, we will treat this as a donation of EUR 173.60 made in August.

- Werner (on behalf of the Neo900 team)

Re: Announcements
 

EUR 1500+ donations: "pioneering" period ends

As you will remember, donors who donated EUR 1500+ can ask for one prototype kit at their choosing, plus one final device. This is intended as a "pioneer" benefit for early supporters.

Since the pioneering days are long over, we want to update the conditions that will apply to future donations of EUR 1500+ or more.

For current donors, everything stays the same.
However, from now on donations of EUR 1500+ will still be good for a prototype kit, but will no longer include a final device.

Of course, no EUR 1500+ donor is obliged to ask for a prototype kit. Anyone who doesn't get a prototype kit will have their donation treated as a regular EUR 100+ donation.

Please note that prototypes will have to be requested before the prototype run since we can't be sure to have any spares. If you're interested in requesting a v2 prototype, please contact us at contact@neo900.org as soon as possible to discuss further details.

- Werner (on behalf of the Neo900 team)

Re: Announcements
 

So, when is the "prototype run" going to happen? What is the advantage of a prototype over a final device? And would a donation of 1600+ be good now for a prototype kit + a final device?
What is the difference between v2 prototype and v1 prototype?..
My apologies if it was asked-and-answered earlier.
Best wishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Per aspera ad astra...

Re: Announcements
 

Joerg and I prepared a white paper describing the planned infrared subsystem:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir.pdf

To a large part, this is a specification of what we'd like to have in the end, but there may still be changes if issues crop up. We expect to update the document from time to time as things settle down.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir-20140827.pdf

The source can be found at
http://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=ir

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

Sorry for not replying earlier. I must have missed the notification :-( We don't have a date for the v2 prototype assembly yet. I wouldn't expect it to happen before late September, probably around the middle of October.

The excitement of having something long before others do ? :-)

The purpose of the current prototypes is to verify parts of the design. They aren't really meant for use outside the lab. E.g., v2 will have no CPU but a cable going to an external CPU board.

On the software side, v2 should already be useful for some amount of low-level work, e.g., driver development and/or testing.

Prototypes can also include additional components we need for experiments, and which will be removed later on. E.g., we'll experiment with the use of the 5 GHz ISM band on v2. That's something N900 didn't have, so we'll have to see whether we can still use the 2.4 GHz antenna, how well a chip antenna performs, and so on.

Later prototypes will be closer to what we actually want to have in the end, but the speed of that progress will also depend on how many problems we encounter along the way. E.g., if v2 works great, we can have an ambitious v3. On the other hand, if we encounter lots of issues in v2, we may want to dedicate the v3 run to fixing these before putting more on our plates.

A donation of EUR 1600 would get you the option to ask for a prototype and it would also imply that we'll include one more final device in our planning. It would, however, not cover the full cost of that final device (that is, unless you never request a prototype.)

v1 was mainly a collection of electromechanical items, with the goal of testing that things would actually be the right shape and end up at the right place in a N900 case. I joined the project long after v1, but as far as I know, it had only very limited electronic functionality.

v2 will have a lot more components. Except for the CPU and its immediate surroundings, most components will be on the board pair. The CPU is omitted this time since it is the most complex part and requires a more advanced and also more expensive PCB.

At the same time, we expect few surprises then it comes to the CPU since Neo900 aka GTA04b7 will largely reuse the proven design of GTA04A.

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

Exciting news on the 5GHz WiFi testing, it will be very interesting to hear how this can be done. One of the main downsides of the N900 for me was the shared Bluetooth/WiFi antenna which required time division multiplexing when both were in use, switching was only just fast enough for most uses but came up short when streaming A2DP from an internet source. Being able to use 5 GHz WiFi on the N9 removed that multiplexing problem.

I am sure you will be testing for interference with all radios active at the same time but would like to request that you please can you measure the latencies of simultaneous A2DP Bluetooth audio from a source over WiFi.

Finally, does this mean you have settled on a WiFi chipset?

Re: Announcements
 

We've prepared a draft of a white paper describing the overall NFC ecosystem and what choices we have for NFC in Neo900:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/nfc-draft.pdf

This still needs some vetting and a few technical verifications, but it should give an idea of the general lay of the land and the direction we're taking. Once we've decided on a specific implementation, the no longer pertinent bits should be (re)moved and more details regarding that implementation added.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/nfc-draft-20150105.pdf

The source can be found at
http://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=nfc

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

Joerg and I prepared a white paper describing the Hackerbus interface:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb.pdf

To a large part, this is a specification of what we'd like to have in the end, but there are still some details that will be defined later and there may be changes if issues crop up.
We expect to update the document from time to time as things settle down.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb-20150225.pdf

The source can be found at
http://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=hb

Since we design this device for you, we'd like to get comments. Please tell us if you're happy with this.

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

We updated the white paper for the infrared subsystem:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir.pdf

The main changes:
- defined the placement of the IR diodes: section 5,
- changed the photodiode to VEMD10940F due to size constraints,
- defined (and simplified) the IR RX circuit: sections 2.6 and 9, and
- simplified and clarified the control inputs (e.g., bq.GPIO is all the receiver needs, and "CPU off" simply means that the whole system is powered down).

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir-20150314.pdf

The source can be found at
http://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=ir

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

We have a first prototype of the spacer frame. There are still a few small errors and missing features in the model, but by and large this is what we expect to use in the end.

First the ray-traced CAD model:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...ray-traced.png

The blocks in the keyboard and display opening reduce the volume the CNC mill has to remove, making the milling faster. I'm using transparent acrylic. Next, the mill did its work:

https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...-it-begins.jpg
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...ours-later.jpg
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...t-the-dust.jpg

After cleaning and a slight modification (there is one cut the mill can't make, so I did it manually) it looks like this:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...th-key-mat.jpg

And this is what the whole assembly looks like:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...-05-closed.jpg
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...er-06-open.jpg

If anyone wants to try it on their 3D printer, here is the STL:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spacer/1/spacer.stl

And the scripts that generate the model in FreeCAD are here:
https://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=spacer

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

Could we see a picture of both an original n900 and one with the spacer frame (neo900), just to see the difference between them.

Re: Announcements
 

I only have one N900 here, and all the spacer frame prototypes (at the moment, the one shown and an earlier one). But at the camp we should have plenty of devices to "upgrade". Then we can snap some pictures. Good idea, thanks !

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

We have updated the NFC draft, mainly with details needed for the upcoming implementation:

https://neo900.org/stuff/papers/nfc-draft.pdf

The main changes:
- introduce KL16 as KL26 alternative (adds dual-SWP capability)
- clarify use of TRF7970A EN and EN2 pins
- add discussion of NXP CLRC663
- assume that a SIM does not need full activation before use with SWP
- fixed incorrect Voh (min) value (reported by Matthew Blue)

This specific version is at
https://neo900.org/stuff/papers/nfc-draft-20150909.pdf

The source can be found at
https://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=nfc

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

As Joerg already mentioned, we now also have a description of the
design of the SIM switch:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/simsw.pdf

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/simsw-20151229.pdf

The source can be found at
https://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=simsw

This also prompted a few small updates to the NFC draft:

https://neo900.org/stuff/papers/nfc-draft.pdf

Changes:
- add reference to the now released SIM switch document,
- add SWP_nRESET signal,
- renamed SWIO_A/_B (and related signals) to _1/_2, like in the SIM switch document.

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

What is the project at the moment?
Whether there are fresh photos, video?

P.S.: If it is possible, a simple language that the Google Translate translated as much as possible precisely :D

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

Joerg posted a short update a few days ago:
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?p=1492838

One more small item: one of the greater headaches we had were the flash LEDs: we couldn't find any as small as the ones Nokia had used, and all the larger ones would have required major contortion in the design. (Really bad things, like having to move the LEDs to the main PCB and out of the optical axis, then somehow constructing a light guide all the while preventing light leaks. Something we have no experience with. This had "engineering disaster" written all over it.) The good news is that we finally did find a (new, I guess) series of LEDs (LUXEON 3020 series) that have almost perfect characteristics and won't need crazy tweaks.

Hmm no, most things we're doing these days are still of the paper-pushing type (whitepapers, component searches, and such).

I just realized that I never made that comparison picture Malakai had asked about. Sorry about that ! Now that I have a few N900 there's no excuse for delaying this. I'll see to it asap.

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

Here we go. First, both at an angle:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...-10-angled.jpg

Then, "Neo900" with N900 stacked on top:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...11-stacked.jpg

And here they are side by side:
https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/spac...er-12-side.jpg

The mechanical assembly is a bit wobbly because I only have short screws and thus could only attach the case parts (barely) at two points, but you probably couldn't tell in the pictures.

I measured the overall thickness with a micrometer (not for precision but to get repeatable pressure), and obtained 17.9 mm for the unmodified N900 and 21.0-21.2 mm for the "Neo900", i.e., the height difference of nominally 3.3 mm is indeed there.

I hope this shows clearly enough how the two compare. And sorry for taking so long !

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

We have just released an update of the Hackerbus white paper, with quite a number of improvements (see below).

Link to the latest version of the document:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb.pdf

There are several significant changes. The highlights:

- Hackerbus now uses a dedicated USB High-Speed host port, with D+/D- directly accessible on the main Hackerbus connector (replacing two GPIOs). This reduces the risk of upsetting regular USB (OTG) operation.

- Access to USB OTG is still possible, but now uses spring-loaded contacts on the user circuit. This allows the mating contacts in the Neo900 to be simple PCB holes (instead of large header pins), reducing the risk of interference and signal degradation.

- More details on current limits and over-current protection.

- The optional (shared with GPIO) regulated power rail is now 2.7 V instead of 3.3 V. This simplifies the circuit (we already have a 2.7 V rail for various components, but may not have a 3.3 V rail), and most chips that operate with 3.3 V also accept 2.7 V.

- Appendix describing the board-to-board connection between BOB and LOWER. We need to consider this also for the Hackerbus design as it affects the placement of items and each imposes constraints on the other.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb-20160211.pdf

The source can be found at
http://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=hb

As always, comments are welcome.

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

A small but important update of the Hackerbus paper:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb.pdf

There is only one change (it's all in the appendix, since it doesn't affect Hackerbus itself but the connection to LOWER that is also described in this document):

We moved the flash LED controller from the break-out-board (BOB, the little board with the memory card holder, hanging off the main PCB) to LOWER. The main reason is to make room for the extra signals needed for the privacy LED, which changes from monochrome to RGB in Neo900.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb-20160529.pdf

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We have released an update of the SIM switch document:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/simsw.pdf

We have extended counter-surveillance of the modem and related parts of the system by adding current monitoring also for the SIM cards. This is described in section 4.

Furthermore we discuss the physical placement of the card holder for the second SIM card in appendix A.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/simsw-20160614.pdf

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We have a new white paper ! This one discusses IO expanders:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/iox.pdf

An IO expander is a chip that connects to the CPU (in our case via I2C) and provides a number of IO ports. Neo900 will need IO expanders because the CPU doesn't have quite enough pins for all the signals. As an added bonus, IO expanders can also lower the number of signals that have to pass between UPPER and LOWER.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/iox-20160622.pdf

The source can be found at
https://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=iox

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

Please consider evaluating if gpios on the io extender should have wake-up capability, as that will affect power usage etc.

"The two system-wide I2C busses in Neo900 operate at 400 kHz (I2C#2) and 100 kHz (I2C#3)." - I doubt this is correct, i2c1 should operate on 2.2MHz, at it is used to control twl4030 regulators (SmartReflex that is).

Also, IR diode on N900 is not driven by a simple gpio, but through PWM output. If TX diode on Neo900 is going to use the same, then it cannot be attached to iox.

In addition, twl4030 have 18 GPIOs, are all of them used?

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We did a quick evaluation of interrupts, and is seems that most interrupts could end up in a wakeup role. The IO expanders we're interested in are all interrupt-capable (and can mask interrupts from lines that should not generate interrupts), so the CPU can simply wake-up on the interrupt from the GPIO expander.

I2C#1 is not system-wide :-) Only I2C#2 and I2C#3 are. I2C#1 and I2C#4 only connect CPU and the companion chip but don't go to any other components. In any case, most IO expanders don't go above 400 kHz anyway. Only TCA6418 (1 MHz) and MCP23018 (3.4 MHz) are faster, but MCP23018 has only open-drain outputs, which would make it a somewhat inflexible choice. I'm also not sure if it is safe to share the SmartReflex bus with other components.

Yes, CIR is a "fast" data signal, not one of the control signals mentioned in the white paper. In any case, in Neo900 we use the CIR mode of the UART (see IR white paper), which goes to a different pin (uart3_cts_rctx:H18 instead of gpt_9_pwm_evt:Y2; also, Y2 is likely to be occupied by HB USB).

Ah, good point, thanks ! There are indeed some we don't use (yet).

Thanks a lot for the feedback !

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We just made another update of the white paper for the infrared subsystem:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir.pdf

The main changes:

- defined the (pretty tricky) control logic for the IR transmitter,
- simplified the LED driver and at the same time made its design more robust, and
- since the control logic is too complex for an efficient discrete design, we will use a mixed-signal array for it (like for power selection of the SIM switch). This also allows us to remove the two ICs of the receiver circuit, killing two birds with one stone.

With this update, all major aspects of the IR subsystem are now defined, closing one of our oldest "construction sites".

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir-20160701.pdf

The source can be found at
http://neo900.org/git/?p=misc;a=tree;f=ir

- Werner

Re: Announcements
 

We have made another update of the Hackerbus white paper, with the following changes:

- GPIO_d now uses configurable VAUX3 as supply, not a fixed 2.7 V rail

- Documented alternative Hackerbus pin assignment

Link to the latest version of the document:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb.pdf

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/hb-20161121.pdf

The source can be found at
https://neo900.org/git/misc/tree/hb

As always, comments are welcome.

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We made a small update of the white paper for the infrared subsystem:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir.pdf

The changes:

- the IR logic is now controlled through an I2C-accessible register in the logic chip (Silego), not through GPIOs
- the receiver is designed to filter at 30 Hz, not 10 Hz
- added slew rate control for the transmit LED
- added an analog switch to completely disable the receiver

These changes have already been incorporated in the schematics.

This specific version is at
https://neo900.org/stuff/papers/ir-20161222.pdf

The source can be found at
https://neo900.org/git/misc/tree/ir

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We have yet another white paper ! This one is about the v2 prototype:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/v2.pdf

This document gives an overview of the v2 prototype, describes how it is composed, and discusses what roles its various parts play. It also explains the differences between v2 and what will be the final Neo900 design.

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/v2-20161226.pdf

The source can be found in
https://neo900.org/git/misc/tree/v2

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

We updated the IO expander white paper:

http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/iox.pdf

There were quite a number of changes, as the document's role progressed from specifying design requirements towards describing what we did in the schematics.

• document current consumption of IO expander chips
• list signal names of both block diagram and schematics (so far, it was either one or the other)
• add pull-up resistors to shared sensor interrupt lines
• change orientation of LOWER-UPPER connectors from parallel to "T"
• update/correct various signals:
  • add more signals (MIC_nPRESET, SPEAKER_EN, ECI_EN, FM_nRST, MODEM_VMIC_SENSE, CELL_DETECT_IRQ)
  • add section for power configuration/status signals
  • remove IR control signals (we now use I2C for them)
  • update Hackerbus signals
  • add SWD to NFC MCU
  • update/correct reset signals (keyboard, FM, LEDs)
  • better track names in block diagram (BATT_LID, VMIC, the various SIM switch signals)

This specific version is at
http://neo900.org/stuff/papers/iox-20161231.pdf

The source can be found at
https://neo900.org/git/misc/tree/iox

- Werner

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

My heart soars every time I see "Announcements related to Neo900" pop up in Active Topics, only to sink again when I follow the link and read the post. No, it is not an announcement of a working prototype, or at least a finished PCB design. It is just another white paper :(

Re: Announcements related to Neo900
 

Happy new year neo900, see you 'soon'