Re: [myhdl-list] myHDL First Project: Audio Effects System

[Christopher F. <chr...@gm...>]

My thoughts and opinions (opinions are like ...)

On 9/29/11 1:04 PM, Bob Cunningham wrote:
> I want to attack a useful stand-alone application as my first myHDL project, with the primary goal being to become intimately familiar with all aspects of the myHDL-to-hardware development process (making full use of the expertise captured on the myHDL site), and the secondary goal being to start learning digital design by examining the work of others and porting it to myHDL.
>
> To the greatest extent possible, code will be released under an appropriate Open license on OpenCores, GitHub and/or the myHDL site.
>
I would use GitHub or Bitbucket.  Clean interfaces and you have the 
potential to include interested parties outside of the MyHDL community. 
  The first item on you list should be determining the license you want 
to use.

<snip>
> B. Implementation constraints:
>    - Initial hardware target is a Spartan 3E-500-4 FPGA with external SRAM available.
>    - My initial dev board: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/794668827/aliencortex-av
>    - Use PWM on a standard digital output with RC filter to implement a 44.1 KHz ~10-bit DAC.
>    - Use an LVDS comparator to implement a successive-approximation or sigma-delta 44.1 KHz ~10-bit ADC.
>    - Allow for future use of external ADCs/DACs (SPI, parallel) and other streaming data sources (PC, S/PDIF).

I would not use a kickstarter board, simply because your project is then 
dependent on the kickstarter project.

Personally, for a project like this I would make it board agnostic.  You 
haven't indicated anything that would tie you to a particular board.  I 
would focus on the project development versus the hardware platform but 
you provide "examples" for a particular board.  This also allows folks 
with other dev boards to participate without having to get the "project" 
board.

Tangent, the online back and forth (claims) of the AlienCortex project 
and the PapilioOne are, as Bohr would say, interesting.

<snip>

>
> Before going any further, I'd like to solicit suggestions and recommendations from the myHDL community:

There can be benefit of completely defining the goals and specification 
of a project and developing the project to the specification.  I think 
for this "project" you can start building the IP/cores/blocks. 
Completely define the interfaces required to build the system and 
completely define and document the cores as you build them.  Unless you 
are looking to do a kickstarter type project, I would start basic and 
create some inertia, keeping in mind you final goal.

Start simple:

   * Select your licensing scheme (source code and documentation)
   * Select your hosting site
   * Select one of the "cores" and *start* working on it.

I assume you are interested in building the project completely in 
Python/MyHDL versus system design, i.e. integrating a bunch of blocks. 
If that is the case, capture the overall project in a simple sentence or 
two and start building the IP for the project.

If you start with the DAC check out a previous MyHDL community member's 
work, http://www.myhdl.org/doku.php/projects:dsx1000.

>
> 1. Would you be interested in supporting this project with mentoring, infrastructure, and/or code?
>
> 2. I think I'd like to document project progress on a wiki.  Recommendations?  Alternatives?  Should I use a page on the myHDL wiki?  Or would a blog be better (possibly with a wiki)?
>

The wiki is a possible spot, also, Sphinx is a popular method for 
documenting Python projects.  Both GitHub and BitBucket support static 
pages where you can post the Sphinx output.

> 3. Is it OK to use the myHDL list as a forum for this project, or should it get its own facilities?

I don't see an issue (I am just one vote though).  If the day came were 
core development and user discussion activity is too high, I imagine a 
dev and user groups could be created.

Regards,
Chris Felton

>
> 4. What is this project missing?
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> -BobC
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> All the data continuously generated in your IT infrastructure contains a
> definitive record of customers, application performance, security
> threats, fraudulent activity and more. Splunk takes this data and makes
> sense of it. Business sense. IT sense. Common sense.
> http://p.sf.net/sfu/splunk-d2dcopy1