Red/Blue Edition?
J00 pwn3zrd m3.
 25%  [ 4 ]
I'm lovin' it.
 37%  [ 6 ]
Too much time on your hands, but cool.
 0%  [ 0 ]
Get a life.
 12%  [ 2 ]
Mmm, colors.
 25%  [ 4 ]
Total Votes : 16

Specifically.... ? I still think some ARM variant would be an excellent starting platform. You can run Linux on it, you can run Windows Mobile on it, and you can emulate the z80 and 68k processors on it.
Specifically the SX52/BD.

As for the ARM processor, why not go all out and use FPGA's? Razz

Oh, and another thing; the dev team is rather small, so if we think too big it may not happen at all Wink
Ah, found some info on it:
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=SX52BD
Hmm, looks like a pretty robust chip, not bad at all. How much does that cost in bulk?
Well, my backup chip is the SX48BD, which is $2.77 in bulk, $3.95 individually (odd; I remember them being much cheaper than that)
Hmm, that's not bad. We could probably make a $70-$90 calculator once we figure in ROM and RAM.
Yeah; I was thinking using flash rom and sdram for storage, plus some type of memory module that we could use, like sd cards, cf cards, etc. Maybe even go so far as to implement them like Gameboy cartridges and have the device detect if it's a 'bootable' cartridge or just a storage card.

On another note; we need $. Like $$$ (3 figures). And tools. Remember the LDSO I posted on this board a few weeks ago? While I was talking to the developer, he gave me an updated set of plans for his device, and I was able to make an updated BOM and cost; I need about $125 for parts (minus shipping and handling), and about $50-$100 to make the pcb (I could make one myself, but making a double-sided pcb with through-hole plating is not only difficult, it's expensive; just the through-hole plating material alone comes in bottles worth $40)
Yeah, I know, that stuff is pricey. Hmm, this is giving me some ideas for my senior final project; that's two and a half years away (if I get there Very Happy), but it's still something to think about. You can do through-hole plating yourself without a machine other than a drill?
Is that last comment supposed to be a question? Btw, a good cordless or corded drill are not that expensive, a drill press can be though.
Sorry, that was very badly phrased. I meant to say:
Can you do through-hole plating yourself with no other machine than a drill? I believe you need something else to let you do the plating.
You might want something to make an indentation in the mental before you drill, but a hand tool can do that (if you use a handhell drill).
rivereye wrote:
You might want something to make an indentation in the mental before you drill, but a hand tool can do that (if you use a handhell drill).
The problem is that it's plexiglass: somehow you have to get metal in the hole that touches the solderpads on both sides of the board. You could use solder, but I think the rosin core would be repelled / would repel the plexiglass.
plexiglass can be drilled, but you do have to be carefull (I have done it before, but same thing, you want an indentation before you start drilling).
Yes, plexiglass is extremely difficult to drill. The slightest error and you've got a crack. Sad
jpez wrote:
Yes, plexiglass is extremely difficult to drill. The slightest error and you've got a crack. Sad
Argh, that sucks. Then how do you drill PCBs? All the etching kits I've gotten provide a very small drillbit to use for the holes.
PCB's aren't made out of plexiglas.

Quote:
You can do through-hole plating yourself without a machine other than a drill?


Yes (well, you might need a small squeege), and I have instructions...somewhere...here

The problem with it is that you need some preety expensive chemicals to pull it off, but compared to $100 for a professional PCB, it's worth it. And did I mention it takes a good amount and skill to pull this off?

As for drilling PCB's, I have a Dremel MiniMite (I'm hoping to upgrade to an XPR + drill press attachment when I have the money), and I have a 1/32" drill bit (has to be specially ordered though; you won't find it at Home Depot Razz)

And for the record, I use photoresist to develop my boards, so I can already make detailed boards and drill them (I had pictures on the old forum of this), I just need to buy the chemicals for through-hole plating and live will be that much simpler Good Idea
KermMartian wrote:
jpez wrote:
Yes, plexiglass is extremely difficult to drill. The slightest error and you've got a crack. Sad
Argh, that sucks. Then how do you drill PCBs? All the etching kits I've gotten provide a very small drillbit to use for the holes.
I'm not saying it's impossible, because I have been successful with it before. You just have to go very slowly, use a very small drillbit, and hope for a little bit of good luck as well.
I remember what happened when I tried to use a 5/16" drillbit on an ABS battery case from Radio Shack. Needless to say, that went less than well. Razz
God those things are a pain in the @$$ to drill holes through >_< I had the drill spin off and hit my finger trying to drill through that. Later I used a couple clamps and drilled through it successfully.

Also, where do you guys get your pcb's? Because you guys seem to have a lot of problems drilling through them...
1. I was using a drill press, and I had it clamped into a 5-lb clamp, and it still managed to screw up.

2. Haven't tried to drill a PCB yet. I was just theorizing. Sounds like jpez has though.
Quote:
1. I was using a drill press, and I had it clamped into a 5-lb clamp, and it still managed to screw up.

2. Haven't tried to drill a PCB yet. I was just theorizing. Sounds like jpez has though.


So then what were you drilling? Confused
  
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