<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><div>Eric,<br>Excitement anf faith in a technical project only get you so far, sometimes it clouds judgement. <br><br>What I'm advocating is the same thing Bob said in his reply to my post. We need to use sound engineering practices and reviews to go through the designs. There is no hurry to get a passive backplane out the door, better to wait and get a high quality, working system sometime "this summer". Just building something without making sure it works does not help to advance the state-of-the-art for amateur radio. If there are unforseen design problems, it will only frustrate people trying to use the HPDSR and hurt the process.<br><br>There are still a number of basic questions unanswered, things like, but not limited to:<br>What
are the form factors for the plug-in cards? <br>What are the specifics of the ATLAS bus (some of it is written down, but there are a bunch of blanks)?<br>Is a 10MHz or a 1pps reference signal going to be supported? If so, it it going to be distributed over the backplane? <br>Are the JTAG connectors going to be put in a common location on the top of each plug-in card? <br>Does OZY have the throughput to handle both a MERCURY and a JANUS board operating at the same time? <br><br>What the project need is some design documentation, so that folks who want to design a curcuit know how to integrate it in. I'd be tickled pink with some block diagrams!<br><br>So, yes, I would hold my order until the group has a baselined design for JANUS, OZY and ATLAS. JANUS is going through a redesign currently! If I have to I'll run a set of boards myself.<br><br>I am more than happy to work on documentation, but it's going to take lots of questions and the corresponding answers.<br>A valid
answer to a question can be "we don't know yet".<br><br>Alex, N3NP<br><br>----- Original Message ----<br>From: Eric Ellison <ecellison@comcast.net><br>To: Alex <harvilchuck@yahoo.com>; hpsdr@hpsdr.org<br>Sent: Monday, May 8, 2006 11:06:32 PM<br>Subject: RE: [hpsdr] Atlas Update - From whence we have come<br><br>
<style>
<!--
_filtered {
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
_filtered {font-family:Tahoma;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.emailstyle17
{font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{
font-family:Arial;
color:navy;}
_filtered {
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{}
-->
</style>
<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Alex</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Hmmmm good question(s).</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">I have faith in the excitement! I have
faith in the project leaders. I have faith and proof that we will get to Ozy board
2 and have an operational experimental platform. I have faith in all the
contributors and even the lurkers who respond when I ‘ping’.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">I also have faith because of people like Chris
Day who is sending me his entire alpha Atlas setup in the mail so that Lyle can
show ‘first light’ at Dayton ,
and all the contributors who are part of the village and giving like Chris.
Also that we will reach the goal(s) without being overly structured by ‘time
lines’ production schedules etc.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">I guess the shorter answer, is that my
wife would only let me have $2000 to upfront purchase of the Atlas boards. Also
I only have about $800 in PlayPal money to sponsor a few Alpha boards for each
project leader. (shhhh She who must be obeyed, does not know I have the PlayPal
money!)</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">If you have a lot of faith as a user,
order as many boards as you need. If you have only a little faith, don’t
order any. Net – Net, you only lose about $15 per board if the house of
cards folds.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">I’m sort of angling that I’ll
get enough funds back in from the Atlas to turn around and offer the Ozy and
Janus! With the crude ‘operation’ I have set up, I can
produce and get the current 175 board orders out in about 15 days. It’s a
lot easier than sponsoring a group buy. That MAY come, but for now it’s
strictly a village and not a corporation.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">In the end? It’s inspiring to be
alive and a ham radio operator with this group, each moving a grain of sand!</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Eric</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="navy" face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
<hr tabindex="-1" align="center" size="2" width="100%">
</span></font></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma; font-weight: bold;">From:</span></font></b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"> Alex
[mailto:harvilchuck@yahoo.com] <br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Monday, May 08, 2006 9:49 PM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Eric Ellison; hpsdr@hpsdr.org<br>
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [hpsdr] Atlas Update
- From whence we have come</span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></font></p>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Not to throw a wet
blanket on the enthusiasm, but why order the boards for ATLAS when there isn't
a reviewed and baselined design for the JANUS and OZYMANDIAS cards? The better
thing to do would be order the three board set at once. <br>
<br>
What if a date is sat to complete design reviews on OZYMANDIAS v1.0 and
JANUS v1.0? How about June 8th?<br>
If the date is met, then shoot for board ordering in mid-june.<br>
<br>
Personally, I'm thinking of ordering a couple, but I'd like to see that there
is a working system, not just a passive backplane.<br>
<br>
I've read that the ATLAS is using standard PC case spacing between cards. Are
the actual cards going to have a physical size of a full-height, half-length
PCI card (so as to effectively use the PC-case)? <br>
<br>
What is being done is good, but just like building Eagle, there has to be a
little order and structure and documentation.<br>
I'm willing to contribute with the documentation and coordination, because this
is one of the "skunkworks" of amateur radio.<br>
<br>
Alex, N3NP<br>
<br>
<br>
----- Original Message ----<br>
From: Eric Ellison <ecellison@comcast.net><br>
To: hpsdr@hpsdr.org<br>
Sent: Sunday, May 7, 2006 2:41:49 PM<br>
Subject: [hpsdr] Atlas Update - From whence we have come</span></font></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">***** High Performance
Software Defined Radio Discussion List *****</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Folks</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">We now have 170 orders for the Atlas board. WOW! To me this
indicates that the flywheel of the project is accelerating! To think this all
came about from a Teamspeak Friday Night fourm mention by Phil – VK6APH
in late November 2005 regarding the Xylo work he was doing!!!! With Phil
– N8VB’s Ozy board coming along it will mark a fully working
product! This first of many! YEA! </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Thanks EVERYONE no matter what your contribution, including
those just lurking and waiting till it all works! I see this project as
“Hardware which just keeps getting better”. We are a
‘village’ and our population is growing! Viva open ideas! Viva open
source! Viva Open hardware! It IS, to me what Amateur Radio is all about ----
always on the forefront of technology!</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">I am planning to order the Atlas boards next week. I
estimate that shipment of boards will be before the end of the month. Still no
final decision on the production house, but it will be RoHS compliant board.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Thanks!</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;">Eric – AA4SW</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">_______________________________________________<br>
HPSDR Discussion List<br>
To post msg: hpsdr@hpsdr.org<br>
Subscription help: <a id="bodyLinks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://lists.hpsdr.org/listinfo.cgi/hpsdr-hpsdr.org">http://lists.hpsdr.org/listinfo.cgi/hpsdr-hpsdr.org</a><br>
HPSDR web page: <a id="bodyLinks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://hpsdr.org">http://hpsdr.org</a><br>
Archives: <a id="bodyLinks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://lists.hpsdr.org/pipermail/hpsdr-hpsdr.org/">http://lists.hpsdr.org/pipermail/hpsdr-hpsdr.org/</a></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div></div></body></html>