Next gen gumstix
From GumstixDocsWiki
Processor
new processor
What about supporting a new processor like the PXA270? It would be nice to have a powerful frame grabber and a usb host on board. plus the additional processing power... <edit> Intel just scheduled the termination of the PXA26x series. It will only accept orders until Jan. 18th, 2006. One more reason to look into new cpus.
I'd only want to see PXA27x based boards if they actually perform better. I've heard PXA27x processors perform slower than PXA255s at the same clock speed. -- DiabloD3
Must have :
- an FPU
- a vectorial unit
Nice to have : - x86 compatible (geode, via, transmetta, intel...)
done in Q1/2007 with PXA270-based verdex motherboards.
J2ME (FPGA?) coprocessor
Yeah, I would really like to see Gumstix turned into an open PDA/Smartphone platform. :) Managing to let it run J2ME code, with support for the nifty extensions, would be a step in the right way. The following are JSRs supported by newer mobile phones:
- MIDP 2.0
- CLDC 1.1
- Wireless Messaging API (JSR-120) (SMS)
- Wireless Messaging API 2.0 (JSR-205) (MMS)
- Mobile Media API (JSR-135) (Audio/Video)
- Mobile 3D Graphics API (JSR-184) (games!!!)
- JTWI (JSR-185) (standardizes and enhances communication stuff for wireless mobile gadgets)
- FileConnection and PIM API (JSR-75) (Without it java apps do not have general access to files and such)
- Bluetooth API (JSR-82 No OBEX)
- Scalable 2D graphics (JSR-226) (SVG)
Just to get started running java bytecode, a FPGA would come in handy. There are many other projects which would benefit from a general-purpose configurable FPGA coprocessor. This (the FPGA) would open a whole Pandora's box of gumstixing tinkerdom (in the good sense). Just look below how many ideas could start based on it.
Storage
More memory
Simple as that; I would like more memory (RAM, not flash) on the gumstix, something in the range of 80MB-128MB total memory.
done in Q1/2007 with verdex motherboards and verdex model XL6P.
Hard Drive Attachment
I'd love to see a hard drive attachment daughtercard, with at least two connectors.
I'd like to use the Gumstix platform to make a small, low power networked file backup server, possibly with software RAID.
// One connector is enough for my interest, but yes, this would be great. But beware, it could increase power usage significantly.
// You can use a microdrive, they connect via a CF II interface, but, as said, it would increase power usage.
Id love to see a hard drive interface. I'd like to use a gumstix for remote data collection, but data storage is always the issue. I dont know enough about the interface to deduce if it can be done without changing the motherboard design...
Display
Led
How about two solder points for an LED on the main board so people can optionally add a 5V led for debug (attached to one of the digital I/Os - with sample C code of course ;-)
Video out
The ability to output video as composite and/or s-video would open up the possiblity of using the gumstix in the home theatre space. It would make a very small control/display unit for decoding content stored on a network attached PC or local USB drive. I'm not sure about the capability of the CPU's that are in the gumstix at the moment, but PocketPC's could certainly do this sort of task if they had the video-out and digital audio-out connectors.
FPGA or DSP expansion board
An expansion board with an FPGA or DSP chip. This would create many options for high bandwidth real time signal processing for audio and video. Compression research, video conferencing, object detection and tracking, and many other applications would become possible. The schematic and layout wouldn’t be difficult; the main issue would be the cost of parts and manufacturing for a low volume run. A Motorola DSP might be better for a hobbyist then a TI DSP because the cost of the TI JTAG setup is very expensive.
JTAG price can be solved by USBProg a multi purpose Programmer/JTAG. It cost 32€ assembled.
led/lcd terminal
A useful new add-on board would be a miniature terminal. This would be a board with an LCD panel and rubber QWERTY keyboard. This could be used to build devices like the Motorola TXTR D7 wireless SMS terminal for a mobile phone. This is a 54 x 18 mm unit with a 4 line x 20 character LCD screen and Qwerty Keyboard.
But a unit with a larger 5.6 inch VGA screen and keyboard may be more useful. This might be made inter-operable with the Microsoft Ford Sync car computer. It could then be used for playing music and video from a mobile device, as well as operating a mobile phone remotely. This could be built into a car dashboard, used in the home or made as a portable device. Another use would be for building a low cost educational computer.
Audio
Audio+lcd Expansion board
I'd like to see an audio expansion board with the LCD controller pins available for use. That would make audio applications much more flexible.
On the AudioStix2 it would be nice to expose a few more signals
Specifically, I'm looking for the audio in/out left/right/gnd and VBATT signals exposed on pin headers. This would make it easier to make daughter cards that connect via the SIP headers and provide these functions via alternate connectors.
How about a buddy board with an audio in/audio out connector linked to the PXA AC97 function?
done: with our audiostix expansion board.
FPGA for HW encryption, OGG/MP3 decoding, etc
Could all become possible over time using expansion board with a FPGA, so that various tasks can be accelerated (first thing which comes to mind is encryption (VPN), second is audio/video decoding) Opencores has a wealth of stuff which can be used, Gumstixers with a FPGA can use it to enhance several stuff. Additionally, if the conversations with the OGP people are fruitful, the FPGA could be the foundation for the Screen module for the PDA above.
//coment by 'thebrain' this could also tie in with robotics.
// I don't see an FPGA helping with Ogg encoding. Ogg and MP3 decoding should already be possible in software. Ogg encoding (with the current encoder) needs floating point arithmetic. It would be great to have a processor with an FPU, but that probably means abandoning the ARM/XSCale unless Intel changes their approach. --phr
A FPU wouldn't help with Vorbis decoding, there already is an all integer decoder called Tremor designed especially for ARM-based platforms, such as the iPod. -- DiabloD3
Connectivity
Wireless 802.11a/b/g
done with the new wifistix expansion board.
More Ethernet
How about NetTrio or NetQuad expansion boards? I want to build a small firewall with support for a DMZ, and maybe put my Wifi AP on its own network segment as well.
Even More Ethernet, falls in line with AP request above
An AP literally would only need a wifi chip and two ethernet jacks. (Broadcom based solutions such as the WRT54G get around this by using a switch that supports vlan tagging, so the 4 lan jacks and the interweb jack are all on the same switch, which is plugged into an internal ethernet jack on the broadcom board). So, the only thing that would actually complete the Gumstix platform is a cross between NetCF and NetDuo: a Netstix expansion board that has a CF slot and two ethernet jacks. -- DiabloD3
In addition, many broadcom-based WRT clones have USB host functionality to support external mass storage devices and printers to do file sharing and print sharing. If breakout-gs could be altered to do USB host instead of client, people could actually turn around and build cheap yet superior alternatives to WRT setups. (For comparison, some WRT clones go for upwards of $200. For about $250, you could get all the parts you need except for the switch to build a Gumstix based router that both performs well, and can perform other complex tasks.) -- Diablo-D3
USB Host
Instead of just a USB client, how about having a USB host controller, so the gumstix can control USB devices: ethernet dongles, storage, class-A bluetooth (100m range), more serial ports, web cam, audio I/O (analog or digital), even a keyboard and display.
semi-done: the linux kernel in 2.6.12 includes a driver for this Ratoc card, which can be used with cfstix~~
USB 2.0 (host) support.
done in Q1, 2007 with verdex motherboards.
USB again
I'd like to urge a serious USB host board. I know about using that CF USB thing in the CF adapter board but I'm talking about something with multiple ports, USB 2.0 high speed, and the ability to source significant amounts of power over the USB bus. It would probably need its own power input, which could be +5 regulated if necessary (that's what it has to provide over the bus), or it would really be cool if there was a dc/dc converter on the board that could run on 7.2 in or even 3.6 in. Having this with (say) 4 ports would solve a lot of the requests people are making. You could plug in a USB hard drive, bluetooth and wifi devices, audiophile a/d converters, keyboard/mouse/display, pretty much anything you can imagine. The wimpy CF thing is just not up to this task. --phr
done in Q1, 2007 with verdex motherboards.
- No, Verdex doesn't support usb2 high speed (480 mbps). --phr
Serial
Export RS-232 -compatable (at least electrically) connections for all four UARTs if possible.
More Serial
Fix the Tweener, so that if one wants to use it between the Gumstix and the Robostix and keep the serial for the Gumstix console, one doesn't have to cut a teeny-tiny little trace less than a scant mm from other traces. Either place the traces to cut out in the open, at least 3-4 mm away from other traces, or use a jumper, or *something* other than how it is now, for how it currently is sucks. add Y0_RTS and Y0_CTS signals to Tweener serial out.
PCMCIA expansion
Title says it all, many expansion possibilities arise having that. Any chance of having 2 PCMCIA slots?
Firewire
I need to put these in a UAV with a lot of data coming from a firewire camera. Data needs to be stored on a big CF, or transmitted wirelessly over tcp/ip. These would be fantastic glue.
Bluetooth ad-hoc networks with other Waysmalls? Or with a central controller?
Getting TCP/IP running over bluetooth to a remote machine would be a big win. done: There is a TCP/IP over bluetooth protocol service called PAN (or personal area network). PAN is provided on linux by the pand daemon, which is configured to run automatically in continuously-scanning client mode on the gumstix. ~~ Also: see the BluetoothHowto for a step-by-step guide.
Zigbee
... market still developing, but there are three or four different 801.15.4 transceivers that could connect using SPI (SSP or NSSP) for wireless sensor networks. Put one of those onto your robot, with your Robostix, and have Linux manage a swarm of mobile sensors... or maybe just use static ones to figure out what to do next. The transceiver and its support, even antennas, wouldn't take much boardspace at all.
Backplane
Boards or ribbon cables that can be combined in various geometries to add additional bus or hirose connectors and give you an arbitrarily large backplane for adding boards. That way you can have ethernet, audio, usb, cf, etc. and have it in a planar or stack geometry.
I'm thinking along the lines of riser cards only made of ribbons, I'd also like to reference the prior 'waysmall' suggestion by another user.
A 5-10 cm flexible printed circuit with hirose connectors on each end would make a great accessory. Like these
More Capable Expansion Board
A slightly bigger expansion board that wraps up the functionality of your existing expansion boards into one: etherstix, signal break-outs so we could interface an LCD, audiostix and the waysmall boards all in one. Even a flash memory expansion if possible. Maybe some jumpers so that we could have access to the serial signals before the line drivers. It seems like a lot of applications require functionality that exists on several of your boards.
Single-cable expansion / dev board
An expansion board with only a USB connector. Power the Gumstix via the USB cable, and map all of the Gumstix serial ports to USB (perhaps with jumpers to enable disable BTUART/HWUART mapping for BT-enabled Gumstix), as well as the regular USB device interface. Thus by attaching a single cable to the host computer one can have TCP/IP connectivity (over USB), a console, and access to the other serial ports. (This might require a host-powered USB hub built into the board to multiplex the serial ports onto a single USB cable?) The convenience would be nice, the fewer cables the better IMO.
Netstix Development Board
A business card sized development board that includes I/O breakout and USER breadboard area and fits in a case with a full netstix. Nice if included other small requests like LEDs, POE, regulator, switches, and external (through case) access to Hirose 60 connector (via cable). Add a DS2480B (Dallas Semi, SOIC-8) and pickup 1-wire!!! Very nice if socket for low cost Vinculum VDRIVE USB host. Could be barebones and user adds application specific parts as desired.
flat flex cable adapters
How about an adapter board for DF12 male/female to two 30-position FH19 flat flex cable connectors and an adapter board for FX11L male/female to two 50-position FH19 flat flex cable connectors.
The board layout for each adapter would have one gender of DF12 or FX11L on each side for connection to either either platform or expansion boards (or interposed between one of each, like the Tweener) and a FH19 on each side for connection to a pair of flat flex cables.
These adapters could then be used to adapt either platform or expansion boards, interpose between platform and expansion boards, stack with each other for multiple vertical flat flex cable connections, and wire between each other via flat flex cable.
Note that the reason I suggest interconnection using two flat flex cables is based on easy availability of 30-position and 50-position cables in small quantities since this seems to be an appropriate design goal for a prototyping/hobbyist platform.
Someone skilled in board layout could probably easily design what I've described and have small quantities of boards built relatively cheaply by the existing online PCB houses.
To this end, here are the links for all of the parts from [1].
0.5 mm contact flat flex cable pdf FH19 pdf DF12 pdf FX11L pdf
Simple Hirose 60 to Hirose 60 Cable
I would love to see a hirose cable so I can separate boards for mounting. It is extremely difficult to mount the Connex with multiple expansion boards. If each board could be connected with a flexible cable you could mount boards side by side.
Wireless AP complete package
You already have NetCF, which allows for using a CF wi-fi card. Add a connex CPU and voila! the hardware is done. Now for something that 'Just Works', Instead of reinventing the wheel, You can adapt Sveasoft's Open Source Firmware, possibly co-developing the AP (as Sveatoft's system will possibly need changes to work on the new hardware). Linksys has crippled new AP hardware, they are looking for alternatives now. I believe there is a great opportunity for both companies in this option right now.
Sveasoft has gotten in trouble for GPL violations, he basically uses a hacked up version of OpenWRT. What I'd like to see is OpenWRT for ARM systems. -- DiabloD3
Waysmall
Use short, flat connectors similar to the Hirose DF14 or DF3. Mount the external serial ports to the case of the Waysmall and run short cables to the board. This eliminates stresses on the little electrical connections that some people are breaking.
MiniPCI
How hard would it be to add miniPCI card support?
Power over Ethernet
There was mention several months back of a PoE version of the EtherStix. Has anything happened to this? Ideally I want a NetCFDuo that can accept PoE on one port and get enough juice to run the CF card as well.
How about adding just a small amount of circuitry, such as this National part. http://www.national.com/pf/LM/LM5071.html
Breakout board modification
Add another Hirose 60-pin connector on the other side of the board (like in Tweener) so it could be stacked in between Gumstix and another expansion board (Robostix in my case).
AirPcap
Id like to see a Module for a intregrated version of the AirPcap from Cace.
USB powered waysmall
There should be a box that connects the gumstix to a usb port and is powered directly by the port. --phr
Low power gumstix
There should be a new gumstix board running at much lower power, maybe using one of those mp3 player chips which typically have a 100 mhz arm7 or so. These things will run for 15+ hours on one AAA cell, meaning they draw well under 0.1 watts, or about 1/10th of what a gumstix uses, while still being similar in architecture (the Sandisk C240 mp3 player has a dual core 100 mhz arm7 and 32mb of ram, hardware that should be able to run a Gumstix-like linux just fine). This low power is important for many battery powered applications which can get by less than the current gumstix cpu performance. An integrated dc-dc converter to power the board directly from 1.5 volts (really down to 1.0 volts or so, to accomodate the alkaline discharge curve, and 1.2 volt nimh cells) would be a big plus. --phr
Battery Buddy
A small simple buddy board designed to mount batteries and provide power to Gumstix and whatever other buddy board you plug into it. Stack the board between the hirose connectors. This allows for the most flexibility without impacting the cost and size significantly.
or perhaps a small built in AC adapter to let it plug directly to a wall socket.
Robotics
More for Robotics
It would be nice to see something familiar to the Robostix but with more connections for analog and digital devices. Or create a stackable robostix so that more boards could be added if required.
Switching regulator
The board only accept 5V entry which is not friendly for robotic application. From my little experience 24V batteries are a good compromise, 12 V is too little for a reasonnable power without too much intensity, 36 V and above is a little bit too much, you then need to big regulator.
You could find a lot of 3A switching regulator for 10$ of components, the highly sensible part are the self (for the performance and EMC trouble).
Dual Transceiver Mesh Networking expansion
I'd like to find a low power, low cost-per-node mesh capable platform. I realize Mesh networking is still a developing technology, but there are a large number of possible targets for this. I feel confident that most of the major players in the mesh networking field would love to help integrate their chipsets into an expansion board similar the the NetDuo. Just make sure I can still plug in a RoboStix :) --SpeedBump
Better and Faster ADC
It would be nice to have a better ADC, say 16 bit. The 10 bits are good for some stuff, but in my experience sensing some inertial sensors required amplification to gain accuracy, but at range loss expense.
Software
Software Requests
build_root that has python, ruby, and perl options. thttpd with php or tcl instead of boa.
build_root options to build "extended" packages to a scratch area to be copied onto an MMC. Packages then could include a native build of the gcc compiler for Gumstix.
Perl Examples
Better Perl documentation with examples and limitations. Specifically, I/O, serial port access, CF usage and CGI environemt how to notes.
PDA
Make some sort of modular pda platform. Something that would encase an lcd controler, usb connector (w/ abillity to power/charge battery), a compact battery connector/controler, a 2x2 CF card array, and io for whatever else (microphones, speakers, headphone jacks, led indicators, IR).
NB: It's possible to charge a li-ion battery using the MAX1555. Little modification of the layout is required, it's even possible to hard-wire it on the audiostix-2. The only problem is that after the modification, only the battery can power the gumstix, the power source (AC / USB) are used exclusively to recharge the battery.
You could chop it up into two boards for clamshell designs, reduce it to 1 CF slot to make room for slim cellphone designs.
More on PDA
yeah, that would rock. I vote for PDA functions too, let me elaborate on everything I would like to see:
- screen modules, having screens would be nice for a do-it-yourself PDA/Smartphone
- from 176x220 to 640x480 (possibly more; personally, I would like to have a 640x360 16:9 touchscreen with a gamepad case ) EDIT: I found out current widescreen (non-HD)TV sets use 852x480 resolution, it may seem odd at first for a computer , but a portable media center which handles full TV resolution would be Good Thing, if small screens at these resolutions exist.
- oddphone(the 176x220 one), 3:4, 16:9 and maybe 16:10 screens
- with and without touchscreen
- from BW to True-color
- PDA case (think HTC) AND gamepad case (think PSP) with analog+digital thumbsticks, several buttons, universal slot which fits any gumstix screen
- Maybe use Nvidia/Radeon chips for video acceleration (they have that closed driver issue though), or talk to the Open Graphics Project people and see if they will be able to provide a slimmed down OGP-Mobile design (they use a FPGA, but plan to do an ASIC after that). HW accel would probably stay on hold for later gerations though.
Smartphone
GSM/GPRS/EDGE/FUBAR module. Maybe there is a CF GSM card somewhere in the world? I have seen a PCMCIA GSM card being sold by Sony-Ericsson, that's a bit more bulky than CF, but IMO it would be a nice addition.
//coment by 'thebrain' I believe most cell phones use a radio with a serial interface so you could probably sell development kits with the radios and drivers without needing any/much hardware engineering - just knowledge of the specs
//possible answer by a1210: check out the AUDIOVOX GSM/GPRS CF KIT. It's a CF card with GSM/GPRS. Dell sells them with handhelds.
Other
Gumstix for kiosks and gaming
A connex board with the SM501 chip would be nice. SM501
The chip offers high resolution accelerated VGA/LCD/TV outputs with dedicated video memory, USB Controller, 64 bits of GPIO, programmable 8051 u-controller, and a bunch of other features. It is known to work on the PXA25x and other systems with a 32-bit local bus.
+1: the SM501 seems to be the perfect complement for those who seeks high graphic power. It's compatible with the PXA so just need a buddy board with that chip (similar to the audiostix with the UCB1400) and the drivers.
It's even being used in some professional thin clients, which shows the chip's graphics power. Turning the Gumstix into a modular thinclient for point-of-sale and lightweight remote access would be great. It would also be useful as a platform for developing special games for helping the disabled perform physical therapy. A few GPIOs to connect to the common head and foot switches used in the physical therapy industry.
Other
WinCe BSP
I know there is a project called "drumstix" which is pretty much a windows ce board support package but i still think it will be great to have an official BSP for our gumstix and you can iven release it as an optional so people how are happy with the embedded linux don't have to pay for a Windows CE licence (i think it's around $6-10 which is not too much).
For up to date information, go to the Windows CE page in the wiki.
FormFactor: Square?
Yep, although I like the form factor of the gumstix, we often have a use for something much smaller, with a more regular footprint... Any chance of getting the gumstix in a chick-lett type form factor? If we had a square gumstix, I could have used it on several of my robots... but the stick is just too long to fit my small cross section.
