[hpsdr] kind of Hermes back to open source version

[david garnier]

Hi Mark,

I am saddened to see the industry move away from FPGA and to BGA.
IF something bad happens to BGA chip it's got to returned to the board 
manufacture.
Who has the equipment & X-ray machine to properly locate BGA???
If I had a choice of purchasing a larger board with couple FPGA's instead
BGA's, my choice is for an larger board.  I have been following the 
apache-labs
list and some of the failures concern me.

My second point is ESD.  Please incorporate ESD protection
on logic lines or other where appropriate.
As far as any I/O signals I take a way conservative approach and
would design in opto-couplers.  Background.  Before I retired I used
to do engineering precompliance and compliance testing in A2LA
lab, we always saved any possible destructive ESD testing for last.
Been there done that. In the end analysis it's always amazing to me
where the discharge goes and what gets damaged.

Maybe these concerns have been vetted by smarter people than me.
Please take my comments not as criticism but concerns, I wish your
project well because you are helping all of us.

Thanks & 73's

Dave - wb9own

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