From: John R. <jo...@ru...> - 2007-02-25 12:53:27
|
I sent a message to the sales address, and got an auto-response that said I should come here. So, here goes. I have some questions from having read through the product pages. 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and connex mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? When will that product be released? 1) I don't find any detailed information about each board (motherboard nor expansion boards), just the comparison charts and a very vague 1 page overview of each board. If the comparison chart had a key explaining its different parts, maybe that would help. In the expansion board comparison chart, what do the following mean (what are their functions): RS232 Serial Ports vs TTL Serial Ports? PWM? I/O Pads? Are these for push-buttons on a case? or something else? 1a) I know what the USB Client port means (the gumstix computer will be a USB device, and not a USB host) ... but what does it allow you to do? Does it just function like a serial console for the linux OS? Or does it allow you to do things like mount the gumstix as a hard drive? or is it configurable as to how you want to treat the device/client? 2) How come you don't have any expansion boards that have USB host ports? (not the USB client ports, which I see are on some boards ... but ports that would allow you to connect a USB device, like a hard drive, to the gumstix computer) 3) What happens if you have an arrangement of gumstix boards that has more than 1 power port? Does it not matter which one you use? If you power any one of them, do all boards receive that power equally? Or if you are using the breakout-gs with the battery, does that mean you have to use the breakout-gs power port in order to charge that battery? (for that matter, can you use the power port to charge the battery? If it's something like a cell-phone battery?) 4) does the breakout gs allow you to access its battery power levels via linux software, so you can treat it like a UPS (shutting down gracefully if the battery level gets under a certain level)? What kinds of batteries can it interface with? Something like common cell phone batteries? 5) It would be nice to see a few variations of your expansion boards: 5a) breakout ul -- take the breakout gs, remove the TTL serial ports and replace them with one or more USB host serial ports. One would be sufficient, but 2 or more would be nice (bonus: one facing the same direction as the USB client interface, one facing the _opposite_ direction as the USB client interface). 5b) breakout uv -- same as 4a, but remove the LCD interface and replace it with a VGA interface (allowing some builders to make thin clients). Perhaps also "breakout ud" which has a DVI interface instead of LCD or VGA. 5c) cfstix2 -- a longer version of the cfstix that has 2 CF slots (stacked, for a thick board, or side by side for a long board) 5d) cfstix-mmc -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and one MMC slot. 5e) audiostix3 -- like audiostix2, but adding: PWM, USB Power, Battery Connector, and perhaps some way to use an internal speaker and microphone instead of the jacks on the audiostix2. 5f) cfstix-usb -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and 1 USB host port. 5g) PC-104 adapter -- I know the gumstix connectors and boards are rather small by PC-104 standards (meaning PC-104 boards would seem to be much larger than the device footprint the gumstix market would be aiming for), but it might be nice to see a connex board (or perhaps something like the tweener board that would also work with non-connex motherboards) that could support a stack of PC-104 peripherals in case someone wants to do that. 5h) apparently there are people who make GSM/GPRS modem chips. It might be interesting to see a connex board that allows you to access the GPRS functionality for IP traffic, and access the GSM functionality for analog modem calls or voice calls. 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or just dumb displays? |
From: Alexis C. <chi...@ya...> - 2007-02-25 16:14:33
|
Hi all, Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to 2.6.18 kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked in.... So my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc implementation on the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side the current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my LCD... I looked on the internet, all I can find is a client using directFB but not a server.... Did anyone in the list try in the past what I want to do, by using either directFB or homemade app ? Best, Alexis. |
From: Lauri K. <lau...@gm...> - 2007-02-26 05:54:21
|
2007/2/25, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...>: > Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to 2.6.18 > kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... > > However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked in.... So > my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc implementation on > the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side the > current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my LCD... Hi Alexis, Do you really need framebuffer? I don't know if this would work, but I would suggest using remote X Window server on your Linux desktop via TCP/IP - assuming the graphical app is an X app. With a nested X server (Xnest or Xephyr) it's possible to simulate screen size of the LCD. -lauri |
From: Alexis C. <chi...@ya...> - 2007-02-26 23:19:08
|
Hi Lauri, The thing is I don't need X at all for my graphical app, as this is going to be a dashboard for my track motorcycle (+ data acquisition, so I thought playing with framebuffer directly would be better. I actually tried to use DirectFB as it seems to be a nice graphical library, managed to cross-compile it but once I try using test apps on the gumstix, I get "segmentation fault" (after some credits text appears so some is working) and don't really know where to look at. Did anyone manage to use directFB here ? I am pretty sure I get the segmentation fault message because of a bad option while compiling, however I used the stock buildroot friendly makefile from SVN. Thx anyway for your help ! Alexis. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lauri Kaila" <lau...@gm...> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." <gum...@li...> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:54 AM Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > 2007/2/25, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...>: > >> Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to 2.6.18 >> kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... >> >> However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked in.... >> So >> my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc implementation on >> the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side the >> current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my >> LCD... > > Hi Alexis, > > Do you really need framebuffer? I don't know if this would work, but I > would suggest using remote X Window server on your Linux desktop via > TCP/IP - assuming the graphical app is an X app. With a nested X > server (Xnest or Xephyr) it's possible to simulate screen size of the > LCD. > > -lauri > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users |
From: Chris D. <chr...@gm...> - 2007-02-27 17:16:56
|
I've not tried directFB, so I can't really comment on that, but I too found X and qtopia to be to heavy for what I really needed for my graphical app. What I ended up using was the gd graphics library to create the images for my display and them mmap() the framebuffer to write the generated gd image to the display. If you wanted to give this a try I could whip up some sample code for you to have a look at. Chris On 2/26/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: > Hi Lauri, > > The thing is I don't need X at all for my graphical app, as this is going to > be a dashboard for my track motorcycle (+ data acquisition, so I thought > playing with framebuffer directly would be better. I actually tried to use > DirectFB as it seems to be a nice graphical library, managed to > cross-compile it but once I try using test apps on the gumstix, I get > "segmentation fault" (after some credits text appears so some is working) > and don't really know where to look at. > > Did anyone manage to use directFB here ? I am pretty sure I get the > segmentation fault message because of a bad option while compiling, however > I used the stock buildroot friendly makefile from SVN. > > Thx anyway for your help ! > > Alexis. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Lauri Kaila" <lau...@gm...> > To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." > <gum...@li...> > Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:54 AM > Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > > > > 2007/2/25, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...>: > > > >> Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to 2.6.18 > >> kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... > >> > >> However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked in.... > >> So > >> my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc implementation on > >> the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side the > >> current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my > >> LCD... > > > > Hi Alexis, > > > > Do you really need framebuffer? I don't know if this would work, but I > > would suggest using remote X Window server on your Linux desktop via > > TCP/IP - assuming the graphical app is an X app. With a nested X > > server (Xnest or Xephyr) it's possible to simulate screen size of the > > LCD. > > > > -lauri > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > > your > > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > > _______________________________________________ > > gumstix-users mailing list > > gum...@li... > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > |
From: Alexis C. <chi...@ya...> - 2007-02-27 17:45:56
|
Thanks Chris, I would certainly appreciate some sample files ! In the meantime, I'll start cross-compiling the library (from www.libgd.org. right ?) Best, Alexis. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Dollar" <chr...@gm...> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." <gum...@li...> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:16 PM Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > I've not tried directFB, so I can't really comment on that, but I too > found X and qtopia to be to heavy for what I really needed for my > graphical app. What I ended up using was the gd graphics library to > create the images for my display and them mmap() the framebuffer to > write the generated gd image to the display. If you wanted to give > this a try I could whip up some sample code for you to have a look at. > > Chris > > On 2/26/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: >> Hi Lauri, >> >> The thing is I don't need X at all for my graphical app, as this is going >> to >> be a dashboard for my track motorcycle (+ data acquisition, so I thought >> playing with framebuffer directly would be better. I actually tried to >> use >> DirectFB as it seems to be a nice graphical library, managed to >> cross-compile it but once I try using test apps on the gumstix, I get >> "segmentation fault" (after some credits text appears so some is working) >> and don't really know where to look at. >> >> Did anyone manage to use directFB here ? I am pretty sure I get the >> segmentation fault message because of a bad option while compiling, >> however >> I used the stock buildroot friendly makefile from SVN. >> >> Thx anyway for your help ! >> >> Alexis. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Lauri Kaila" <lau...@gm...> >> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." >> <gum...@li...> >> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:54 AM >> Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... >> >> >> > 2007/2/25, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...>: >> > >> >> Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to 2.6.18 >> >> kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... >> >> >> >> However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked >> >> in.... >> >> So >> >> my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc implementation >> >> on >> >> the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side the >> >> current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my >> >> LCD... >> > >> > Hi Alexis, >> > >> > Do you really need framebuffer? I don't know if this would work, but I >> > would suggest using remote X Window server on your Linux desktop via >> > TCP/IP - assuming the graphical app is an X app. With a nested X >> > server (Xnest or Xephyr) it's possible to simulate screen size of the >> > LCD. >> > >> > -lauri >> > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> > your >> > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> > _______________________________________________ >> > gumstix-users mailing list >> > gum...@li... >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> your >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> _______________________________________________ >> gumstix-users mailing list >> gum...@li... >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users |
From: Chris D. <chr...@gm...> - 2007-02-27 17:54:38
|
Even easier... just drop this makefile in <gumstix-buildroot>/packages/gd (you'll have to make that directory) and then do a 'make gd' from the main gumstix-buildroot directory http://svn.gumstix.org/gumstix-buildroot/branches/users/cdollar/trunk/package/gd/gd.mk This makefile includes support for the freetype font library (already a package in the buildroot) so you'll also need to select that in your menuconfig so it is built or you can edit the makefile to not use it. The gd library has built-in fonts, but freetype allows you to use truetype fonts. I'll get some sample code posted a little later today. Chris On 2/27/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: > Thanks Chris, I would certainly appreciate some sample files ! In the > meantime, I'll start cross-compiling the library (from www.libgd.org. right > ?) > > Best, > > Alexis. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Chris Dollar" <chr...@gm...> > To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." > <gum...@li...> > Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:16 PM > Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > > > > I've not tried directFB, so I can't really comment on that, but I too > > found X and qtopia to be to heavy for what I really needed for my > > graphical app. What I ended up using was the gd graphics library to > > create the images for my display and them mmap() the framebuffer to > > write the generated gd image to the display. If you wanted to give > > this a try I could whip up some sample code for you to have a look at. > > > > Chris > > > > On 2/26/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: > >> Hi Lauri, > >> > >> The thing is I don't need X at all for my graphical app, as this is going > >> to > >> be a dashboard for my track motorcycle (+ data acquisition, so I thought > >> playing with framebuffer directly would be better. I actually tried to > >> use > >> DirectFB as it seems to be a nice graphical library, managed to > >> cross-compile it but once I try using test apps on the gumstix, I get > >> "segmentation fault" (after some credits text appears so some is working) > >> and don't really know where to look at. > >> > >> Did anyone manage to use directFB here ? I am pretty sure I get the > >> segmentation fault message because of a bad option while compiling, > >> however > >> I used the stock buildroot friendly makefile from SVN. > >> > >> Thx anyway for your help ! > >> > >> Alexis. > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Lauri Kaila" <lau...@gm...> > >> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." > >> <gum...@li...> > >> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:54 AM > >> Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > >> > >> > >> > 2007/2/25, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...>: > >> > > >> >> Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to 2.6.18 > >> >> kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... > >> >> > >> >> However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked > >> >> in.... > >> >> So > >> >> my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc implementation > >> >> on > >> >> the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side the > >> >> current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my > >> >> LCD... > >> > > >> > Hi Alexis, > >> > > >> > Do you really need framebuffer? I don't know if this would work, but I > >> > would suggest using remote X Window server on your Linux desktop via > >> > TCP/IP - assuming the graphical app is an X app. With a nested X > >> > server (Xnest or Xephyr) it's possible to simulate screen size of the > >> > LCD. > >> > > >> > -lauri > >> > > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > >> > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > >> > your > >> > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > >> > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > >> > _______________________________________________ > >> > gumstix-users mailing list > >> > gum...@li... > >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > >> > >> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > >> your > >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > >> _______________________________________________ > >> gumstix-users mailing list > >> gum...@li... > >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > >> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > > your > > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > > _______________________________________________ > > gumstix-users mailing list > > gum...@li... > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > |
From: Alexis C. <chi...@ya...> - 2007-02-27 22:04:02
|
Thx Chris, Managed to install Gdlib, very easy with the buildroot friendly Makefile... Started to play with it a bit, but having sample files will definitely help, so whenever you have time, please post :)) One more, one guy already asked this a bit more than a year ago without getting an answer, but I'll try again : - Is there anyway to use graphics double buffering to avoid flickering on the gumstix ? My application will update the screen quite frequently and I am afraid I don't get a smooth and flicker free animation because the framebuffer will be updated by my app while being read by the driver and send to the LCD... A known technique is to have two framebuffers and switch between one another but not sure how to implement this on the gumstix (Virtual Frame buffer ?), I may need to write a driver or modify the current PXAFB but if someone already gave it a shot, I'd like to know. Thx !! Alexis. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Dollar" <chr...@gm...> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." <gum...@li...> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:54 PM Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > Even easier... just drop this makefile in > <gumstix-buildroot>/packages/gd (you'll have to make that directory) > and then do a 'make gd' from the main gumstix-buildroot directory > http://svn.gumstix.org/gumstix-buildroot/branches/users/cdollar/trunk/package/gd/gd.mk > This makefile includes support for the freetype font library > (already a package in the buildroot) so you'll also need to select > that in your menuconfig so it is built or you can edit the makefile to > not use it. The gd library has built-in fonts, but freetype allows > you to use truetype fonts. > > I'll get some sample code posted a little later today. > > Chris > > On 2/27/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: >> Thanks Chris, I would certainly appreciate some sample files ! In the >> meantime, I'll start cross-compiling the library (from www.libgd.org. >> right >> ?) >> >> Best, >> >> Alexis. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Chris Dollar" <chr...@gm...> >> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." >> <gum...@li...> >> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:16 PM >> Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... >> >> >> > I've not tried directFB, so I can't really comment on that, but I too >> > found X and qtopia to be to heavy for what I really needed for my >> > graphical app. What I ended up using was the gd graphics library to >> > create the images for my display and them mmap() the framebuffer to >> > write the generated gd image to the display. If you wanted to give >> > this a try I could whip up some sample code for you to have a look at. >> > >> > Chris >> > >> > On 2/26/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: >> >> Hi Lauri, >> >> >> >> The thing is I don't need X at all for my graphical app, as this is >> >> going >> >> to >> >> be a dashboard for my track motorcycle (+ data acquisition, so I >> >> thought >> >> playing with framebuffer directly would be better. I actually tried to >> >> use >> >> DirectFB as it seems to be a nice graphical library, managed to >> >> cross-compile it but once I try using test apps on the gumstix, I get >> >> "segmentation fault" (after some credits text appears so some is >> >> working) >> >> and don't really know where to look at. >> >> >> >> Did anyone manage to use directFB here ? I am pretty sure I get the >> >> segmentation fault message because of a bad option while compiling, >> >> however >> >> I used the stock buildroot friendly makefile from SVN. >> >> >> >> Thx anyway for your help ! >> >> >> >> Alexis. >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> >> From: "Lauri Kaila" <lau...@gm...> >> >> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." >> >> <gum...@li...> >> >> Sent: Monday, February 26, 2007 12:54 AM >> >> Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... >> >> >> >> >> >> > 2007/2/25, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...>: >> >> > >> >> >> Since I managed to have a framebuffer working by downgrading to >> >> >> 2.6.18 >> >> >> kernel, time for me to program my graphical app... >> >> >> >> >> >> However, the funny thing is that I still don't have any LCD hooked >> >> >> in.... >> >> >> So >> >> >> my question is : is there any way to have a sort of vnc >> >> >> implementation >> >> >> on >> >> >> the gumstix ? What I want is "simple" : just send to a client side >> >> >> the >> >> >> current content of my framebuffer so I can delay the purchase of my >> >> >> LCD... >> >> > >> >> > Hi Alexis, >> >> > >> >> > Do you really need framebuffer? I don't know if this would work, but >> >> > I >> >> > would suggest using remote X Window server on your Linux desktop via >> >> > TCP/IP - assuming the graphical app is an X app. With a nested X >> >> > server (Xnest or Xephyr) it's possible to simulate screen size of >> >> > the >> >> > LCD. >> >> > >> >> > -lauri >> >> > >> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> >> > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to >> >> > share >> >> > your >> >> > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> >> > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> >> > gumstix-users mailing list >> >> > gum...@li... >> >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to >> >> share >> >> your >> >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> gumstix-users mailing list >> >> gum...@li... >> >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> >> > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> > your >> > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> > _______________________________________________ >> > gumstix-users mailing list >> > gum...@li... >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> your >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> _______________________________________________ >> gumstix-users mailing list >> gum...@li... >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users |
From: Dave H. <dhy...@gm...> - 2007-02-27 23:42:29
|
Hi Alexis, > - Is there anyway to use graphics double buffering to avoid flickering on > the gumstix ? My application will update the screen quite frequently and I > am afraid I don't get a smooth and flicker free animation because the > framebuffer will be updated by my app while being read by the driver and > send to the LCD... A known technique is to have two framebuffers and switch > between one another but not sure how to implement this on the gumstix > (Virtual Frame buffer ?), I may need to write a driver or modify the current > PXAFB but if someone already gave it a shot, I'd like to know. Not only do you need to do the double buffering, but you also need to synchronize with the LCD's VSYNC or you'll still get flickers (sometimes referred to as tearing), because you'll have a portion of the display with the old frame and a portion with the new frame. -- Dave Hylands Vancouver, BC, Canada http://www.DaveHylands.com/ |
From: Alexis C. <chi...@ya...> - 2007-02-28 00:05:41
|
Agree on that Dave, I guess there is no other choice than writing a kernel driver to catch the Vsync interrupt, correct ? I guess I'll have to read some docs as I am not too familiar with interrupts and kernel drivers, unless someone already did it.... Thx, Alexis. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Hylands" <dhy...@gm...> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." <gum...@li...> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 6:42 PM Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > Hi Alexis, > >> - Is there anyway to use graphics double buffering to avoid flickering on >> the gumstix ? My application will update the screen quite frequently and >> I >> am afraid I don't get a smooth and flicker free animation because the >> framebuffer will be updated by my app while being read by the driver and >> send to the LCD... A known technique is to have two framebuffers and >> switch >> between one another but not sure how to implement this on the gumstix >> (Virtual Frame buffer ?), I may need to write a driver or modify the >> current >> PXAFB but if someone already gave it a shot, I'd like to know. > > Not only do you need to do the double buffering, but you also need to > synchronize with the LCD's VSYNC or you'll still get flickers > (sometimes referred to as tearing), because you'll have a portion of > the display with the old frame and a portion with the new frame. > > -- > Dave Hylands > Vancouver, BC, Canada > http://www.DaveHylands.com/ > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users |
From: Chris D. <chr...@gm...> - 2007-02-28 17:21:03
Attachments:
libgdSample.tar.gz
|
Hi Alexis, Attached is some sample code to demonstrate libgd and the framebuffer. The basics of mmapping the framebuffer I got from here http://sumitbirla.com/braindump/index.php/Sample_Framebuffer_code and most of the gd functions are from here http://www.boutell.com/gd/manual2.0.33.html The makefile is just Dave's sample makefile from the wiki with a few mods, and it expects the libgdSample/ directory to be parallel to the gumstix-buildroot directory (the libgdSample directory is part of the tar.gz, so you don't have to explicitly create it). The sample code also shows how to use freetype, so make sure that you have it selected and built in your buildroot. Once you have the source built you'll need to copy both the libgdSample binary and the arial.ttf font file to your stix and make sure they both are in the same directory or the program won't be able to find the font. I've only tested this on one lcd, but I'm sure it will work on any lcd compatible with the pxa framebuffer. The code doesn't do much, but it should at least demonstrate the basics. On the note about screen flicker, my app that uses the gd stuff is reading from gpsd and generates and draws a map to the display with each fix update that comes in from gpsd (assuming the gps has a fix). So usually that means its only drawing to the display at most twice per second, and usually only once per second. I don't double buffer the display or anything, and I don't have any noticeable flicker, but I guess 1-2 redraws per second really isn't that much. Anyway, hope this will work for what you're wanting to do. If you do get the double buffering working I'd be interested to hear about it... Chris On 2/27/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: > Agree on that Dave, I guess there is no other choice than writing a kernel > driver to catch the Vsync interrupt, correct ? I guess I'll have to read > some docs as I am not too familiar with interrupts and kernel drivers, > unless someone already did it.... > > Thx, > > Alexis. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dave Hylands" <dhy...@gm...> > To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." > <gum...@li...> > Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 6:42 PM > Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > > > > Hi Alexis, > > > >> - Is there anyway to use graphics double buffering to avoid flickering on > >> the gumstix ? My application will update the screen quite frequently and > >> I > >> am afraid I don't get a smooth and flicker free animation because the > >> framebuffer will be updated by my app while being read by the driver and > >> send to the LCD... A known technique is to have two framebuffers and > >> switch > >> between one another but not sure how to implement this on the gumstix > >> (Virtual Frame buffer ?), I may need to write a driver or modify the > >> current > >> PXAFB but if someone already gave it a shot, I'd like to know. > > > > Not only do you need to do the double buffering, but you also need to > > synchronize with the LCD's VSYNC or you'll still get flickers > > (sometimes referred to as tearing), because you'll have a portion of > > the display with the old frame and a portion with the new frame. > > > > -- > > Dave Hylands > > Vancouver, BC, Canada > > http://www.DaveHylands.com/ > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > > your > > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > > _______________________________________________ > > gumstix-users mailing list > > gum...@li... > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > |
From: Craig H. <cr...@gu...> - 2007-02-28 19:10:11
|
I've committed a modified version of Chris' gd package to the trunk; it will automatically add libpng/freetype support if you select those packages too, or turn support off if you don't include those package. For some reason, when linking against jpeg, it was trying to link my local (x86_64) libjpeg instead of the ARM one which was in staging_dir, so I've commented out the auto-jpeg thing for now (jpeg is always off in gd for now). If anyone figures out the jpeg thing, lmk and I'll patch it. I don't have enough time right now to track it down myself... C On Feb 28, 2007, at 9:19 AM, Chris Dollar wrote: > Hi Alexis, > > Attached is some sample code to demonstrate libgd and the framebuffer. > The basics of mmapping the framebuffer I got from here > http://sumitbirla.com/braindump/index.php/Sample_Framebuffer_code and > most of the gd functions are from here > http://www.boutell.com/gd/manual2.0.33.html > > The makefile is just Dave's sample makefile from the wiki with a few > mods, and it expects the libgdSample/ directory to be parallel to the > gumstix-buildroot directory (the libgdSample directory is part of the > tar.gz, so you don't have to explicitly create it). The sample code > also shows how to use freetype, so make sure that you have it selected > and built in your buildroot. Once you have the source built you'll > need to copy both the libgdSample binary and the arial.ttf font file > to your stix and make sure they both are in the same directory or the > program won't be able to find the font. > > I've only tested this on one lcd, but I'm sure it will work on any lcd > compatible with the pxa framebuffer. The code doesn't do much, but it > should at least demonstrate the basics. > > On the note about screen flicker, my app that uses the gd stuff is > reading from gpsd and generates and draws a map to the display with > each fix update that comes in from gpsd (assuming the gps has a fix). > So usually that means its only drawing to the display at most twice > per second, and usually only once per second. I don't double buffer > the display or anything, and I don't have any noticeable flicker, but > I guess 1-2 redraws per second really isn't that much. > > Anyway, hope this will work for what you're wanting to do. If you do > get the double buffering working I'd be interested to hear about it... > > Chris > > On 2/27/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: >> Agree on that Dave, I guess there is no other choice than writing >> a kernel >> driver to catch the Vsync interrupt, correct ? I guess I'll have >> to read >> some docs as I am not too familiar with interrupts and kernel >> drivers, >> unless someone already did it.... >> >> Thx, >> >> Alexis. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Dave Hylands" <dhy...@gm...> >> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." >> <gum...@li...> >> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 6:42 PM >> Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... >> >> >> > Hi Alexis, >> > >> >> - Is there anyway to use graphics double buffering to avoid >> flickering on >> >> the gumstix ? My application will update the screen quite >> frequently and >> >> I >> >> am afraid I don't get a smooth and flicker free animation >> because the >> >> framebuffer will be updated by my app while being read by the >> driver and >> >> send to the LCD... A known technique is to have two >> framebuffers and >> >> switch >> >> between one another but not sure how to implement this on the >> gumstix >> >> (Virtual Frame buffer ?), I may need to write a driver or >> modify the >> >> current >> >> PXAFB but if someone already gave it a shot, I'd like to know. >> > >> > Not only do you need to do the double buffering, but you also >> need to >> > synchronize with the LCD's VSYNC or you'll still get flickers >> > (sometimes referred to as tearing), because you'll have a >> portion of >> > the display with the old frame and a portion with the new frame. >> > >> > -- >> > Dave Hylands >> > Vancouver, BC, Canada >> > http://www.DaveHylands.com/ >> > >> > >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> ---- >> > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance >> to share >> > your >> > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn >> cash >> > http://www.techsay.com/default.php? >> page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> > _______________________________________________ >> > gumstix-users mailing list >> > gum...@li... >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> ---- >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to >> share your >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php? >> page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> _______________________________________________ >> gumstix-users mailing list >> gum...@li... >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> <libgdSample.tar.gz> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > --- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to > share your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php? > page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV________________________________ > _______________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users |
From: Alexis C. <chi...@ya...> - 2007-02-28 19:53:16
|
Thanks Chris ! I'll give it a shot ASAP. Concerning the double buffering, I am currectly looking at it as my app is likely to refresh the screen 15 times a sec, so it is quite important for me. I'll let you know my progress. Alexis. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Dollar" <chr...@gm...> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." <gum...@li...> Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 12:19 PM Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... > Hi Alexis, > > Attached is some sample code to demonstrate libgd and the framebuffer. > The basics of mmapping the framebuffer I got from here > http://sumitbirla.com/braindump/index.php/Sample_Framebuffer_code and > most of the gd functions are from here > http://www.boutell.com/gd/manual2.0.33.html > > The makefile is just Dave's sample makefile from the wiki with a few > mods, and it expects the libgdSample/ directory to be parallel to the > gumstix-buildroot directory (the libgdSample directory is part of the > tar.gz, so you don't have to explicitly create it). The sample code > also shows how to use freetype, so make sure that you have it selected > and built in your buildroot. Once you have the source built you'll > need to copy both the libgdSample binary and the arial.ttf font file > to your stix and make sure they both are in the same directory or the > program won't be able to find the font. > > I've only tested this on one lcd, but I'm sure it will work on any lcd > compatible with the pxa framebuffer. The code doesn't do much, but it > should at least demonstrate the basics. > > On the note about screen flicker, my app that uses the gd stuff is > reading from gpsd and generates and draws a map to the display with > each fix update that comes in from gpsd (assuming the gps has a fix). > So usually that means its only drawing to the display at most twice > per second, and usually only once per second. I don't double buffer > the display or anything, and I don't have any noticeable flicker, but > I guess 1-2 redraws per second really isn't that much. > > Anyway, hope this will work for what you're wanting to do. If you do > get the double buffering working I'd be interested to hear about it... > > Chris > > On 2/27/07, Alexis Chiarello <chi...@ya...> wrote: >> Agree on that Dave, I guess there is no other choice than writing a >> kernel >> driver to catch the Vsync interrupt, correct ? I guess I'll have to read >> some docs as I am not too familiar with interrupts and kernel drivers, >> unless someone already did it.... >> >> Thx, >> >> Alexis. >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Dave Hylands" <dhy...@gm...> >> To: "General mailing list for gumstix users." >> <gum...@li...> >> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 6:42 PM >> Subject: Re: [Gumstix-users] Remote display, directfb, vncserver.... >> >> >> > Hi Alexis, >> > >> >> - Is there anyway to use graphics double buffering to avoid flickering >> >> on >> >> the gumstix ? My application will update the screen quite frequently >> >> and >> >> I >> >> am afraid I don't get a smooth and flicker free animation because the >> >> framebuffer will be updated by my app while being read by the driver >> >> and >> >> send to the LCD... A known technique is to have two framebuffers and >> >> switch >> >> between one another but not sure how to implement this on the gumstix >> >> (Virtual Frame buffer ?), I may need to write a driver or modify the >> >> current >> >> PXAFB but if someone already gave it a shot, I'd like to know. >> > >> > Not only do you need to do the double buffering, but you also need to >> > synchronize with the LCD's VSYNC or you'll still get flickers >> > (sometimes referred to as tearing), because you'll have a portion of >> > the display with the old frame and a portion with the new frame. >> > >> > -- >> > Dave Hylands >> > Vancouver, BC, Canada >> > http://www.DaveHylands.com/ >> > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> > your >> > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> > _______________________________________________ >> > gumstix-users mailing list >> > gum...@li... >> > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> your >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> _______________________________________________ >> gumstix-users mailing list >> gum...@li... >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users >> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > |
From: Luiz O. <lui...@ya...> - 2007-02-25 17:45:07
|
I totally agree with the USB Host requirement. It will add a lot more flexibility in terms of available devices that could be connected to the boards. Why pay US$99 for Wifi if there are USB adapters for far less than that? And they are smaller too. Not mentioning Hard Disks, Bluetooth, even serial (RS232) to USB. Even memory expansion: why have dedicated CF or MMC? It may add more circuitry to the board that could easily be cut with the USB approach. I have heard comments about drivers not being standard for USB, but I can't comment on that. Regards, Luiz ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Rudd" <jo...@ru...> To: <gum...@li...> Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 7:53 AM Subject: [Gumstix-users] Questions and thoughts about Gumstix boards > > I sent a message to the sales address, and got an auto-response that > said I should come here. So, here goes. > > I have some questions from having read through the product pages. > > > 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and connex > mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? When > will that product be released? > > > 1) I don't find any detailed information about each board (motherboard > nor expansion boards), just the comparison charts and a very vague 1 > page overview of each board. If the comparison chart had a key > explaining its different parts, maybe that would help. > > In the expansion board comparison chart, what do the following mean > (what are their functions): > > RS232 Serial Ports vs TTL Serial Ports? > PWM? > I/O Pads? Are these for push-buttons on a case? or something else? > > > 1a) I know what the USB Client port means (the gumstix computer will be > a USB device, and not a USB host) ... but what does it allow you to do? > Does it just function like a serial console for the linux OS? Or does > it allow you to do things like mount the gumstix as a hard drive? or is > it configurable as to how you want to treat the device/client? > > > 2) How come you don't have any expansion boards that have USB host > ports? (not the USB client ports, which I see are on some boards ... but > ports that would allow you to connect a USB device, like a hard drive, > to the gumstix computer) > > > 3) What happens if you have an arrangement of gumstix boards that has > more than 1 power port? Does it not matter which one you use? If you > power any one of them, do all boards receive that power equally? Or if > you are using the breakout-gs with the battery, does that mean you have > to use the breakout-gs power port in order to charge that battery? > > (for that matter, can you use the power port to charge the battery? > If it's something like a cell-phone battery?) > > > 4) does the breakout gs allow you to access its battery power levels via > linux software, so you can treat it like a UPS (shutting down gracefully > if the battery level gets under a certain level)? What kinds of > batteries can it interface with? Something like common cell phone > batteries? > > > 5) It would be nice to see a few variations of your expansion boards: > > 5a) breakout ul -- take the breakout gs, remove the TTL serial ports and > replace them with one or more USB host serial ports. One would be > sufficient, but 2 or more would be nice (bonus: one facing the same > direction as the USB client interface, one facing the _opposite_ > direction as the USB client interface). > > 5b) breakout uv -- same as 4a, but remove the LCD interface and replace > it with a VGA interface (allowing some builders to make thin clients). > Perhaps also "breakout ud" which has a DVI interface instead of LCD or > VGA. > > 5c) cfstix2 -- a longer version of the cfstix that has 2 CF slots > (stacked, for a thick board, or side by side for a long board) > > 5d) cfstix-mmc -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and one MMC > slot. > > 5e) audiostix3 -- like audiostix2, but adding: PWM, USB Power, Battery > Connector, and perhaps some way to use an internal speaker and > microphone instead of the jacks on the audiostix2. > > 5f) cfstix-usb -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and 1 USB > host port. > > 5g) PC-104 adapter -- I know the gumstix connectors and boards are > rather small by PC-104 standards (meaning PC-104 boards would seem to be > much larger than the device footprint the gumstix market would be aiming > for), but it might be nice to see a connex board (or perhaps something > like the tweener board that would also work with non-connex > motherboards) that could support a stack of PC-104 peripherals in case > someone wants to do that. > > 5h) apparently there are people who make GSM/GPRS modem chips. It might > be interesting to see a connex board that allows you to access the GPRS > functionality for IP traffic, and access the GSM functionality for > analog modem calls or voice calls. > > > 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or > just dumb displays? > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > |
From: Jesse W. <jes...@gm...> - 2007-02-25 19:22:09
|
For embedded environments that run on battery, alot of the USB add ons are impractical. For a mini server it makes sense but for a robotic application or other kinds of remote sensing and serving it doesn't. Best to have the options though, I agree. On 2/25/07, Luiz Omori <lui...@ya...> wrote: > I totally agree with the USB Host requirement. It will add a lot more > flexibility in terms of available devices that could be connected to the > boards. Why pay US$99 for Wifi if there are USB adapters for far less than > that? And they are smaller too. Not mentioning Hard Disks, Bluetooth, even > serial (RS232) to USB. Even memory expansion: why have dedicated CF or MMC? > It may add more circuitry to the board that could easily be cut with the USB > approach. I have heard comments about drivers not being standard for USB, > but I can't comment on that. > > Regards, > Luiz > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Rudd" <jo...@ru...> > To: <gum...@li...> > Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 7:53 AM > Subject: [Gumstix-users] Questions and thoughts about Gumstix boards > > > > > > I sent a message to the sales address, and got an auto-response that > > said I should come here. So, here goes. > > > > I have some questions from having read through the product pages. > > > > > > 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and connex > > mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? When > > will that product be released? > > > > > > 1) I don't find any detailed information about each board (motherboard > > nor expansion boards), just the comparison charts and a very vague 1 > > page overview of each board. If the comparison chart had a key > > explaining its different parts, maybe that would help. > > > > In the expansion board comparison chart, what do the following mean > > (what are their functions): > > > > RS232 Serial Ports vs TTL Serial Ports? > > PWM? > > I/O Pads? Are these for push-buttons on a case? or something else? > > > > > > 1a) I know what the USB Client port means (the gumstix computer will be > > a USB device, and not a USB host) ... but what does it allow you to do? > > Does it just function like a serial console for the linux OS? Or does > > it allow you to do things like mount the gumstix as a hard drive? or is > > it configurable as to how you want to treat the device/client? > > > > > > 2) How come you don't have any expansion boards that have USB host > > ports? (not the USB client ports, which I see are on some boards ... but > > ports that would allow you to connect a USB device, like a hard drive, > > to the gumstix computer) > > > > > > 3) What happens if you have an arrangement of gumstix boards that has > > more than 1 power port? Does it not matter which one you use? If you > > power any one of them, do all boards receive that power equally? Or if > > you are using the breakout-gs with the battery, does that mean you have > > to use the breakout-gs power port in order to charge that battery? > > > > (for that matter, can you use the power port to charge the battery? > > If it's something like a cell-phone battery?) > > > > > > 4) does the breakout gs allow you to access its battery power levels via > > linux software, so you can treat it like a UPS (shutting down gracefully > > if the battery level gets under a certain level)? What kinds of > > batteries can it interface with? Something like common cell phone > > batteries? > > > > > > 5) It would be nice to see a few variations of your expansion boards: > > > > 5a) breakout ul -- take the breakout gs, remove the TTL serial ports and > > replace them with one or more USB host serial ports. One would be > > sufficient, but 2 or more would be nice (bonus: one facing the same > > direction as the USB client interface, one facing the _opposite_ > > direction as the USB client interface). > > > > 5b) breakout uv -- same as 4a, but remove the LCD interface and replace > > it with a VGA interface (allowing some builders to make thin clients). > > Perhaps also "breakout ud" which has a DVI interface instead of LCD or > > VGA. > > > > 5c) cfstix2 -- a longer version of the cfstix that has 2 CF slots > > (stacked, for a thick board, or side by side for a long board) > > > > 5d) cfstix-mmc -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and one MMC > > slot. > > > > 5e) audiostix3 -- like audiostix2, but adding: PWM, USB Power, Battery > > Connector, and perhaps some way to use an internal speaker and > > microphone instead of the jacks on the audiostix2. > > > > 5f) cfstix-usb -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and 1 USB > > host port. > > > > 5g) PC-104 adapter -- I know the gumstix connectors and boards are > > rather small by PC-104 standards (meaning PC-104 boards would seem to be > > much larger than the device footprint the gumstix market would be aiming > > for), but it might be nice to see a connex board (or perhaps something > > like the tweener board that would also work with non-connex > > motherboards) that could support a stack of PC-104 peripherals in case > > someone wants to do that. > > > > 5h) apparently there are people who make GSM/GPRS modem chips. It might > > be interesting to see a connex board that allows you to access the GPRS > > functionality for IP traffic, and access the GSM functionality for > > analog modem calls or voice calls. > > > > > > 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or > > just dumb displays? > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share > > your > > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > > _______________________________________________ > > gumstix-users mailing list > > gum...@li... > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT > Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your > opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash > http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV > _______________________________________________ > gumstix-users mailing list > gum...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gumstix-users > -- -Jesse W. |
From: Sam G. <sam...@gm...> - 2007-02-25 18:29:55
|
Hi John, > 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and connex > mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? When > will that product be released? It has USB hosting! They're not saying when it will be released. Sam |
From: Dave H. <dhy...@gm...> - 2007-02-25 20:12:40
|
HI John, > 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and connex > mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? When > will that product be released? Are you referring to the nextgen gumtix? Perhaps a reference to what exactly you're referring to? > 1) I don't find any detailed information about each board (motherboard > nor expansion boards), just the comparison charts and a very vague 1 > page overview of each board. If the comparison chart had a key > explaining its different parts, maybe that would help. Schematics for the boards are posted over here: http://pubs.gumstix.com/boards Most of the functionality on the daughtercards is a straight forward implementation of the corresponding functionality of the PXA255 chip. You should skim through the pxa255 Developer's manual. I have a copy here: <http://davehylands.com/gumstix-wiki/pxa255/> > In the expansion board comparison chart, what do the following mean > (what are their functions): > > RS232 Serial Ports vs TTL Serial Ports? See: <http://docswiki.gumstix.com/Serial_voltages> > PWM? PWM = Pulse Width Modulation. The intent of the PWM pins on the pxa255 is to control backlight LEDS for an LCD display. > I/O Pads? Are these for push-buttons on a case? or something else? They're for whatever you'd like them to be for that's compatible. You could use them for pushbuttons. You could use them to connect up external peripherals. > 1a) I know what the USB Client port means (the gumstix computer will be > a USB device, and not a USB host) ... but what does it allow you to do? You can do usbnet, which makes it look like your gumstix is on a network. > Does it just function like a serial console for the linux OS? Or does > it allow you to do things like mount the gumstix as a hard drive? or is > it configurable as to how you want to treat the device/client? Linux has builtin support for a few USB gadgets: usbnet, serial, and mass storage. > 2) How come you don't have any expansion boards that have USB host > ports? (not the USB client ports, which I see are on some boards ... but > ports that would allow you to connect a USB device, like a hard drive, > to the gumstix computer) It would be possible to add USB host port support, by creating a board with a USB host controller, and writing the driver software to talk to it. So far, I don't think anybody has done this. I believe that the next generation of gumstix motherboards is based on the pxa270, which has USB host support built-in and I'm pretty sure that the kernel has builtin support for it. > 3) What happens if you have an arrangement of gumstix boards that has > more than 1 power port? Does it not matter which one you use? If you > power any one of them, do all boards receive that power equally? Or if > you are using the breakout-gs with the battery, does that mean you have > to use the breakout-gs power port in order to charge that battery? > (for that matter, can you use the power port to charge the battery? > If it's something like a cell-phone battery?) For the most part, all of the power connector are wired in parallel. The exception is with the robostix. None of the boards have support for charing a battery, You'd need to provide that circuitry yourself. > 4) does the breakout gs allow you to access its battery power levels via > linux software, so you can treat it like a UPS (shutting down gracefully > if the battery level gets under a certain level)? What kinds of > batteries can it interface with? Something like common cell phone > batteries? The gumstix doesn't have any ADC ports, so there isn't anything to measure the voltage levels. The UCB1400 (on the audiostix) and the robostix have ADCs on them which could be used to montor the voltage. You'd also need some external circuitry to actually turn the gumstix off. > 5) It would be nice to see a few variations of your expansion boards: I can't answer for gumstix. > 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or > just dumb displays? There is some touch screen support on the UCB1400 daughtercards. -- Dave Hylands Vancouver, BC, Canada http://www.DaveHylands.com/ |
From: Craig H. <cr...@gu...> - 2007-02-26 21:46:44
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On Feb 25, 2007, at 12:12 PM, Dave Hylands wrote: > You should skim through the pxa255 Developer's manual. I have a copy > here: > <http://davehylands.com/gumstix-wiki/pxa255/> FYI everyone, I just uploaded all the PXA255 and PXA270 docs I had from Intel to: <http://pubs.gumstix.com/documents/PXA%20Documentation/> C |
From: John R. <jo...@ru...> - 2007-02-26 02:06:27
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Dave Hylands wrote: > HI John, > >> 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and connex >> mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? When >> will that product be released? > > Are you referring to the nextgen gumtix? Perhaps a reference to what > exactly you're referring to? http://docwiki.gumstix.org/Gumstix_motherboard_I/O The "verdex" motherboard, in the table about half way down the page. I do notice that the 24 pin connector has some USBH* pins on it, so maybe that answers my question about USB Host support in the future. I'm just curious when the verdex line is coming out, and what things it has in comparison to the other motherboards (it has a 60 pin connector, so I expect it works with the regular gumstix expansion boards ... but it has a 120 pin connector instead of the 92 pin connector, making me wonder if it will be compatible with the connex expansion boards or not). >> 1) I don't find any detailed information about each board (motherboard >> nor expansion boards), just the comparison charts and a very vague 1 >> page overview of each board. If the comparison chart had a key >> explaining its different parts, maybe that would help. > > Schematics for the boards are posted over here: > http://pubs.gumstix.com/boards Actually, for me, schematics is probably TOO much detail. I'm looking for something between "chart with no column explanations" and "the raw technical details". I'm more software oriented than hardware oriented, but I have a couple ideas that the gumstix line seems to _almost_ meet ... so I'm looking for some information in between those two levels of detail. (when I was in college, the half-joking response would have gone "I'm a computer science major, not a computer engineering major." :-) ) >> Does it just function like a serial console for the linux OS? Or does >> it allow you to do things like mount the gumstix as a hard drive? or is >> it configurable as to how you want to treat the device/client? > > Linux has builtin support for a few USB gadgets: usbnet, serial, and > mass storage. Do you know where I can get more information about how Linux behaves/is-configured, etc. for usbnet and mass storage? (I'm also more of a freebsd guy than linux, but it seems that I have to finally make the linux leap if I want to work on the ideas I have) I hadn't even heard of usbnet until now. >> 2) How come you don't have any expansion boards that have USB host >> ports? (not the USB client ports, which I see are on some boards ... but >> ports that would allow you to connect a USB device, like a hard drive, >> to the gumstix computer) > > It would be possible to add USB host port support, by creating a board > with a USB host controller, and writing the driver software to talk to > it. So far, I don't think anybody has done this. > > I believe that the next generation of gumstix motherboards is based on > the pxa270, which has USB host support built-in and I'm pretty sure > that the kernel has builtin support for it. Yeah, the verdex says "PF270", so maybe the "270" refers to the PXA270. Though, Marvell has barely any information about the Xscale 2xx processors, and seems to be focusing more on the 3xx processors. I wonder when/if gumstix will make the leap to the 3xx series. >> 3) What happens if you have an arrangement of gumstix boards that has >> more than 1 power port? Does it not matter which one you use? If you >> power any one of them, do all boards receive that power equally? Or if >> you are using the breakout-gs with the battery, does that mean you have >> to use the breakout-gs power port in order to charge that battery? >> (for that matter, can you use the power port to charge the battery? >> If it's something like a cell-phone battery?) > > For the most part, all of the power connector are wired in parallel. > The exception is with the robostix. > > None of the boards have support for charing a battery, You'd need to > provide that circuitry yourself. So, then, what functionality IS provided by the battery connector on the breakout gs board? >> 4) does the breakout gs allow you to access its battery power levels via >> linux software, so you can treat it like a UPS (shutting down gracefully >> if the battery level gets under a certain level)? What kinds of >> batteries can it interface with? Something like common cell phone >> batteries? > > The gumstix doesn't have any ADC ports, so there isn't anything to > measure the voltage levels. The UCB1400 (on the audiostix) and the > robostix have ADCs on them which could be used to montor the voltage. > You'd also need some external circuitry to actually turn the gumstix > off. The different boards/designs don't have on/off switches anywhere? You just unplug the power? >> 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or >> just dumb displays? > > There is some touch screen support on the UCB1400 daughtercards. And which daughter cards/expansion boards have a UCB1400 on them? Is that what the "LCD Signals" column in the table means? It has a UCB1400 for LCD support? |
From: Dave H. <dhy...@gm...> - 2007-02-26 05:16:24
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Hi John, > http://docwiki.gumstix.org/Gumstix_motherboard_I/O > > The "verdex" motherboard, in the table about half way down the page. Yeah - that would be the next gen gumstix, and it should have USB host support. I'm not sure when exactly it will be released. > I'm just curious when the verdex line is coming out, and what things it > has in comparison to the other motherboards (it has a 60 pin connector, > so I expect it works with the regular gumstix expansion boards ... but > it has a 120 pin connector instead of the 92 pin connector, making me > wonder if it will be compatible with the connex expansion boards or not). The 120 pin connector will require new daughtercards to plug into, but the 60 pin connector should be largely compatible. > > Linux has builtin support for a few USB gadgets: usbnet, serial, and > > mass storage. > > Do you know where I can get more information about how Linux > behaves/is-configured, etc. for usbnet and mass storage? (I'm also more > of a freebsd guy than linux, but it seems that I have to finally make > the linux leap if I want to work on the ideas I have) I hadn't even > heard of usbnet until now. usbnet is mentioned a bit over here: <http://www.linux-usb.org/usbnet/> and here: <http://www.linux-usb.org/gadget/> Look in the gadget drivers section. > > None of the boards have support for charing a battery, You'd need to > > provide that circuitry yourself. > > So, then, what functionality IS provided by the battery connector on the > breakout gs board? It's just a place to plug in a battery if you were going to use a battery to power the gumstix. > The different boards/designs don't have on/off switches anywhere? You > just unplug the power? Yeah - although issuing a halt command first is the best thing to do. > >> 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or > >> just dumb displays? > > > > There is some touch screen support on the UCB1400 daughtercards. > > > And which daughter cards/expansion boards have a UCB1400 on them? Is > that what the "LCD Signals" column in the table means? It has a UCB1400 > for LCD support? The audiostix2 and gpsstix have the UCB1400 on it. You don't need the UCB1400 for LCD support, which comes directly from the pxa255. The UCB1400 provides audio support plus a few other miscellaneous functions (like some A/Ds and gpios. -- Dave Hylands Vancouver, BC, Canada http://www.DaveHylands.com/ |
From: Craig H. <cr...@gu...> - 2007-02-26 21:50:32
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On Feb 25, 2007, at 6:06 PM, John Rudd wrote: > Yeah, the verdex says "PF270", so maybe the "270" refers to the > PXA270. > Though, Marvell has barely any information about the Xscale 2xx > processors, and seems to be focusing more on the 3xx processors. Yes, the verdex is PXA270-based. > I wonder when/if gumstix will make the leap to the 3xx series. It's looking less and less likely as Marvell continues to screw developers with poor access to documentation and/or driver code. We're still looking at it, but also talking to other vendors. Whatever we end up doing, we're committed to making the generation- transition as easy as possible for people who are building on top of gumstix. C |
From: Craig H. <cr...@gu...> - 2007-02-26 21:51:01
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On Feb 25, 2007, at 6:06 PM, John Rudd wrote: > So, then, what functionality IS provided by the battery connector > on the > breakout gs board? Two solder points to be able to solder on a battery connector which will feed the board with power. In case you want to hard-wire a power connection instead of using the power jack. C |
From: Craig H. <cr...@gu...> - 2007-02-26 20:25:38
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On Feb 25, 2007, at 4:53 AM, John Rudd wrote: > 0) The wiki mentions a third motherboard besides the waysmall and > connex > mothboards. When are the details on that product going to be out? > When > will that product be released? The release date is not yet announced. > 1) I don't find any detailed information about each board (motherboard > nor expansion boards), just the comparison charts and a very vague 1 > page overview of each board. If the comparison chart had a key > explaining its different parts, maybe that would help. > > In the expansion board comparison chart, what do the following mean > (what are their functions): > > RS232 Serial Ports vs TTL Serial Ports? <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rs232#Voltage_levels> vs <http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor-transistor_logic> (the latter is 3.3V on gumstix) > PWM? PWM stands for "Pulse Width Modulation". Basically it's a controller which turns a line off and on repeatedly with the ratio and duration of off:on being software controllable. > I/O Pads? Are these for push-buttons on a case? or something > else? yes. > 1a) I know what the USB Client port means (the gumstix computer > will be > a USB device, and not a USB host) ... but what does it allow you to > do? > Does it just function like a serial console for the linux OS? Or > does > it allow you to do things like mount the gumstix as a hard drive? > or is > it configurable as to how you want to treat the device/client? It's configurable. See this page: <http://www.linux-usb.org/gadget/> > 2) How come you don't have any expansion boards that have USB host > ports? (not the USB client ports, which I see are on some > boards ... but > ports that would allow you to connect a USB device, like a hard drive, > to the gumstix computer) The PXA255 CPU does not have an integrated USB host controller. The newer PXA270 does, and the PXA270-based gumstix (which you mentioned above under #0) will have USB host capability. > 3) What happens if you have an arrangement of gumstix boards that has > more than 1 power port? Does it not matter which one you use? If you > power any one of them, do all boards receive that power equally? > Or if > you are using the breakout-gs with the battery, does that mean you > have > to use the breakout-gs power port in order to charge that battery? There is one common power bus which runs through the full gumstix + daughtercards stack (except for robostix which is a little different). You only generally need to plug in one board. > (for that matter, can you use the power port to charge the > battery? > If it's something like a cell-phone battery?) Yes, if you build a battery charging circuit. There is no battery charger on any existing gumstix board. > 4) does the breakout gs allow you to access its battery power > levels via > linux software, so you can treat it like a UPS (shutting down > gracefully > if the battery level gets under a certain level)? What kinds of > batteries can it interface with? Something like common cell phone > batteries? You can do something like that by using the A/D on the Audiostix2 or GPSstix. The breakout-gs cannot easily read battery levels. > 5d) cfstix-mmc -- like the cfstix board, but with 1 CF slot and one > MMC > slot. You can't easily do that on the PXA255 -- the CF and MMC controllers use the same I/O lines on the CPU, so you can't really operate both of them at the same time. You could probably do something clever in the drivers to lock the shared lines while using them, but it'd slow both systems down, and probably wouldn't be worth it in the end. > 5e) audiostix3 -- like audiostix2, but adding: PWM, USB Power, Battery > Connector, and perhaps some way to use an internal speaker and > microphone instead of the jacks on the audiostix2. Audiostix2 has PWM; USB power I think is just a matter of populating a ferrite bead somewhere, iirc. Battery charge circuit is more complex, but we're working on that. Internal speaker/mic would mean picking one, and we always have trouble picking I/O components since everyone seems to want something different... > 5h) apparently there are people who make GSM/GPRS modem chips. It > might > be interesting to see a connex board that allows you to access the > GPRS > functionality for IP traffic, and access the GSM functionality for > analog modem calls or voice calls. We're working on this. But it'd be a 60-pin board. And it might be that the best way of connecting the GSM module to the CPU is via USB, which would likely mean it'll need the 270-based gumstix. But on the plus side, using USB speed connection means that we could go for HSDPA not just GPRS. > 6) Do the boards that have the LCD interface support touch screens, or > just dumb displays? The LCD interface is just "out". But the audiostix has a touchscreen- in interface. LCD and touchscreen are logically somewhat different units. C |
From: Daniel O'S. <da...@oz...> - 2007-03-01 00:31:06
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Craig Hughes wrote: > The PXA255 CPU does not have an integrated USB host controller. The > newer PXA270 does, and the PXA270-based gumstix (which you mentioned > above under #0) will have USB host capability. ...does this mean USB ports on all of the current expansion boards will be usable in host mode when connected to the new motherboard, or will they be stuck as client only? |
From: Craig H. <cr...@gu...> - 2007-03-01 02:01:29
Attachments:
netcf-verdex-thumbstix-usbdrive.jpg
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On Feb 28, 2007, at 4:31 PM, Daniel O'Shea wrote: > Craig Hughes wrote: >> The PXA255 CPU does not have an integrated USB host controller. The >> newer PXA270 does, and the PXA270-based gumstix (which you mentioned >> above under #0) will have USB host capability. > > ...does this mean USB ports on all of the current expansion boards > will > be usable in host mode when connected to the new motherboard, or will > they be stuck as client only? Well, the signaling will work for USB host on the existing boards, but those boards generally won't provide the correct voltage for bus- powered USB devices. Often, a simple single-wire connection will add this though, if you have a 5V power supply (since USB wants 5V on the wire). The boards also have the wrong-shaped connector on them to technically be called "USB host" -- the USB spec is very picky about what connector can go on which device type, even though electrically (schematically that is) it's all the same. But check this out: |