At Digikey you can purchase 10 128MB compact FLASH for $524.42(US). That is a total of 1280 MB of FLASH...
I doubt that the entire disksystem will go over to solid state. Why would you bother? For a lot of things the hard drives are more than fast enough. So you could add in FLASH or something as another level between RAM and Hard Drive. That way the entire program that needs fast access to data could be loaded into FLASH. So if your playing a game the entire game-system could be loaded onto a few gigs of FLASH, for fast access to loading the maps or something. When you finish with the game, the files that have changed on the FLASH (such a a config file) is copied back to the hard drive.
Its also possible to make your own if you want support for any format.
If you just want MP3, well thats easy. There are lots of sites on the web, here is one.
For Ogg there is an entire decoder-on-a-chip thingy, see this project. Or you could probably just use a software version if you got some sort of RISC chip or whatnot (need to be fairly fast)
Some are the memory only type, where the card just has some sort of (normally secured) memory on it.
Then there are also the microcontroller cards. These cards have memory and a microcontroller built into them. You can write a program on it to do something, however you don't exactly have a lot of I/O lines or anything (just a communications link actually).
Most of the microcontroller smartcards have built-in encryption and decryption as well.
Java is pretty popular for programming smartcards, but they even have BASIC for smartcards.
The microcontroller only needs an external clock and power source, and will execute whatever program is on it.
I have used many of Atmel's products, and was suprised that they were in it. However, they make the fritz chip (and have sold lots already they say) now, which is why I would assume they are in (duh).
I have serious doubts that Atmel would make the chip so Linux doesn't run. Why? Well because one of their growing markets is the Atmel AVR RISC microcontrollers.
These microcontrollers are often programmed in AVR-GCC with avr-libc, which of course are open source. LOTS of universities use this when they teach the AVR for their microcontroller course, which of course helps Atmel.
Some companies use the AVR-GCC compiler as well for their AVR. Atmel would (a) lose buisness and (b) enrage a lot of people. These are both things they won't want to do. Atmel isn't a very 'oh just screw everyone' company in my experience. I doubt that this thing will end up being a Linux killer.
Also note: Atmel is a very international company (Norway for instance), so I also doubt that they would be as US-centric (for stuff like DMCA and whatnot) as some other companies (ie: the evil Microsoft;).
You can check out the module at http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/ doc5010.pdf that Atmel makes.
Not too hard I would think to coat the motherboard.
Its called 'Conformal Coating', avaliable in silicon or acrylic as a spray-on.
You could just mask off a few sections of the motherboard (CPU socket, card connectors) and spray the board. Or just assemble it and spray the whole thing...
Why post real text? Just hope they have an ASCII system and use the ASCII equivilent of all the text (ie: take one down.. etc) to be even less legible..
Apparently you haven't even seen the clear power supply mods some people do...
Seriously the switching noise has to cause some problems I'd think... ah well its thier system, not mine;-)
I'd suggest editing the comment, 'Easy' is relative.
Easy? That thing is super-easy! If you didn't have something like that you would have to write your own TCP/IP stack that could fit in your target microcontroller, setup the physical link, and all this other stuff. Sure you can get some TCP/IP stacks for microcontrollers for free or low cost, but there is still a lot of work.
A serial interface couldn't be easier. Most microcontrollers have some sort of hardware serial interface built in hardware, which makes it easy to use!
Downside is that the serial interface to the controller tops out at 300 kbps
That seems pretty fast to me! 300 kbits a second is way more then you need for what these things are designed for. BTW for those who think these things will be useless, here are some applications:
-in office use lets employees log onto a webpage to see who is in the office or not
-datalogger that remotely lets one get the data
-making a LAN with these things for something like a security system (who says it has to connect to the internet)
-remote control of equipment
There are lots more applications, and there are other devices like this (SitePlayer comes to mind).
-Colin
Slashdot Mirror
Or you can use this:
username: plasticuser
password: plastic
Compliments of http://www.plastic.com (slashdot like site)
No one posts the IP of these networks to slashdot....
This is the first time light has ever been generated from a molecule by applying electricity
I always assumed with enough power ANYTHING could emit light.. if only for a brief time
They work better than the probes they sent to mars...
Looks like Amazon has competition... I thought there was a law though that you have to patent something within one year of public exhibition?
Um maybe i'm missing the point, but why not just buy a machine designed specificially for making circuit boards. The price is about the same...
Slashdot even had an article on making your own PCB milling machine a while ago
But for storing data the FLASH might be good.
At Digikey you can purchase 10 128MB compact FLASH for $524.42(US). That is a total of 1280 MB of FLASH...
I doubt that the entire disksystem will go over to solid state. Why would you bother? For a lot of things the hard drives are more than fast enough. So you could add in FLASH or something as another level between RAM and Hard Drive. That way the entire program that needs fast access to data could be loaded into FLASH. So if your playing a game the entire game-system could be loaded onto a few gigs of FLASH, for fast access to loading the maps or something. When you finish with the game, the files that have changed on the FLASH (such a a config file) is copied back to the hard drive.
They could use FRAM (Ferromagnetic Random Access Memory)
It is as fast as RAM, but is non-volatile. Oh, and its endurance is unlimited. Right now they aren't big enough, but a the technology improves...
Its also possible to make your own if you want support for any format.
If you just want MP3, well thats easy. There are lots of sites on the web, here is one.
For Ogg there is an entire decoder-on-a-chip thingy, see this project. Or you could probably just use a software version if you got some sort of RISC chip or whatnot (need to be fairly fast)
There are many types of smartcards.
Some are the memory only type, where the card just has some sort of (normally secured) memory on it.
Then there are also the microcontroller cards. These cards have memory and a microcontroller built into them. You can write a program on it to do something, however you don't exactly have a lot of I/O lines or anything (just a communications link actually).
Most of the microcontroller smartcards have built-in encryption and decryption as well.
Java is pretty popular for programming smartcards, but they even have BASIC for smartcards.
The microcontroller only needs an external clock and power source, and will execute whatever program is on it.
Vhet? Joost use-a zee incheffereezer. Bork Bork Bork!
Zee Svedeesh Cheff!
I think we have a replacement for 'In Soviet Russia....'!!!!!
-Colin
PS: In Soviet Russia Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and Promise Ultra ATA RAID redundant drive arrays build YOU into Slackware 9!
Are these '1337' software engineers not capable of running a webserver that doesn't get slashdotted so fast!?
Hello,
;).
/ doc5010.pdf that Atmel makes.
I have used many of Atmel's products, and was suprised that they were in it. However, they make the fritz chip (and have sold lots already they say) now, which is why I would assume they are in (duh).
I have serious doubts that Atmel would make the chip so Linux doesn't run. Why? Well because one of their growing markets is the Atmel AVR RISC microcontrollers.
These microcontrollers are often programmed in AVR-GCC with avr-libc, which of course are open source. LOTS of universities use this when they teach the AVR for their microcontroller course, which of course helps Atmel.
Some companies use the AVR-GCC compiler as well for their AVR. Atmel would (a) lose buisness and (b) enrage a lot of people. These are both things they won't want to do. Atmel isn't a very 'oh just screw everyone' company in my experience. I doubt that this thing will end up being a Linux killer.
Also note: Atmel is a very international company (Norway for instance), so I also doubt that they would be as US-centric (for stuff like DMCA and whatnot) as some other companies (ie: the evil Microsoft
You can check out the module at http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents
-Colin
I bet there was a lot of people's reaction to the title that went something like this:
"I hope this doesn't change anything about my JPEG pr0n"
Don't forget http://www.opencores.org/ or opencores.org
Poptronics is gone now though :(
They recently killed the mag.
The 'this' was supposed to be:
t er.cfm in my last post.
http://www.pentalogix.com/Products/ViewMate/regis
you can't just blindly trust your layout software to do the Right Thing.
Thats what something like this is for. Or there are lots of other free gerber viewers...
Not too hard I would think to coat the motherboard.
Its called 'Conformal Coating', avaliable in silicon or acrylic as a spray-on.
You could just mask off a few sections of the motherboard (CPU socket, card connectors) and spray the board. Or just assemble it and spray the whole thing...
Why post real text? Just hope they have an ASCII system and use the ASCII equivilent of all the text (ie: take one down.. etc) to be even less legible..
Apparently you haven't even seen the clear power supply mods some people do... Seriously the switching noise has to cause some problems I'd think... ah well its thier system, not mine ;-)
At 1 mph you would never get your head out of the way....
I'd suggest editing the comment, 'Easy' is relative. Easy? That thing is super-easy! If you didn't have something like that you would have to write your own TCP/IP stack that could fit in your target microcontroller, setup the physical link, and all this other stuff. Sure you can get some TCP/IP stacks for microcontrollers for free or low cost, but there is still a lot of work. A serial interface couldn't be easier. Most microcontrollers have some sort of hardware serial interface built in hardware, which makes it easy to use! Downside is that the serial interface to the controller tops out at 300 kbps That seems pretty fast to me! 300 kbits a second is way more then you need for what these things are designed for. BTW for those who think these things will be useless, here are some applications: -in office use lets employees log onto a webpage to see who is in the office or not -datalogger that remotely lets one get the data -making a LAN with these things for something like a security system (who says it has to connect to the internet) -remote control of equipment There are lots more applications, and there are other devices like this (SitePlayer comes to mind). -Colin
127.0.0.1