Timothy Normand Miller wrote:
> On 12/15/07, Dieter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>   
>>> [If some of you guys develop a
>>> programmable engine and all the surrounding software before we get
>>> around to OGA1, we'll use your design.]
>>>       
>> Sounds like Timothy wants the discussion moved off the OGP list.
>> Feel free to move it to the Open Hardware list, which was created in
>> part to handle discussions that are partly or completely off-topic
>> for the OGP list.
>>     
>
> The discussion is not irrelevant.  It's just premature.  There a hell
> of a lot of work to do, and I see energy that could be redirected to
> more immediate needs.
>
>   

I am quite surprised at the tack the whole discussion took.  I was
expecting more discussion on the fact that we actually had a company
release a complete, commercial processor under the GPL.  Regardless, let
me remind everybody of one thing.  Somebody has already done everything
we are trying to do, before we have.  Right now, the Sun processor is
about the only large scale body of work from which we can use code.  It
doesn't matter what architecture approach we use or what we are doing. 
The first question in everybody's mind should be "Can I find someone
else's code that does this so that we don't have to do it from
scratch?"  The second question should be  "Can I legally use it?",
followed by "If it doesn't work, why and is it easier to do it from
scratch or change what I doing so it does work?".  So maybe we don't use
a full SIMD unit.  Has anyone stopped to think that we now have access
to a professionally developed hardware multiplier that we can study? 
Same thing for the adder.  We don't have to take the whole SIMD unit. 
For that matter, we don't have to take all of any module in the
processor.  We have the ability to re-use any code we can.  This is one
of the biggest arguments for Open Source RTL code.  We don't have to
re-invent the wheel just because we want to build a car.  We can use
someone else's wheel and spend more time on making our care go better.

>
>         An analog to digital board or box.  Digital oscilloscope, spectrum 
> analyzer.
>         Increase frequency range of SA using mixer in TV tuner chip (e.g. 
> TUA6034).
>   
>
> A scope would be nice!  Getting ADCs that work in the GHz range might
> be tough, though.
>   

This is very very tough.  Maxim has some very nice ADCs that have 2Gsps+
sample rates, however getting them to sample anything over about 700Msps
takes some real analog black magic on the front end. 

That said, a well designed analog daughter board could turn OGD1 into a
very nice digital scope.

Patrick M
_______________________________________________
Open-graphics mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.duskglow.com/mailman/listinfo/open-graphics
List service provided by Duskglow Consulting, LLC (www.duskglow.com)

Reply via email to