LittleFoot Elegance Photo > Off-Topic Discussion

Little Foot Display Firmware

<< < (7/7)

SurfaceCleanerZ:
Hi,
the board is also open source!

Using newer Atmels is possible if you reroute it... But I know, what you mean! But the code is interesting for every hardware!

I just wanted to give the link to get some code bits for the development!

Why invent always a new wheel?

regards,
Stefan

the_lizardking:
I think we will never get code,... and the current code is anyway so buggy that we will need to re-write most of the things except the standard function that are almost running ok.

So we code create a new code simply, that would be a possible solution,...

cs

Astroquattro:

--- Quote from: SurfaceCleanerZ on Tuesday, 19.11.13 - 18:29:44 - CET ---
Why invent always a new wheel?

--- End quote ---

That isn't the problem, because the algorithms, what is behind every implementation doesn't change. The problem is, that with every new piece of hardware, with every new board the implementation has to be change to get straight with it.
One solution which is used in modern computers since 2004 is something which is called acpi-handler which can talk to hardware and tell it what it has to do leaving code once written as it is, so changes in production series won't bring up the issue of changing the code.
You know that problem from the time prism-chips in network cards on windows needed up to 37 different drivers. Based on that problem the building of the acpi-handler was triggered.

All in all that's why I was looking for open hardware like arduino and stuff where you can leave the original coding as it is because the libraries of the different hardware are standards and do the trick.
Python will come in handy, too, because you can just write one implementation and be platform independent. Pyduino is really a way to go.


--- Quote ---I think we will never get code,... and the current code is anyway so buggy that we will need to re-write most of the things except the standard function that are almost running ok.

So we code create a new code simply, that would be a possible solution,...

cs
--- End quote ---
You are right about we will never get the complete code, which isn't really neccessary anymore because the hardware itself got old and there are better ways to go. If we just port what was achieved to more modern and open hardware we just have to choose the right programming language and implement the code once because with the right selection one use parsers to transfer the code later to more modern languages in the future without having to re-implement again. That is code recycling at it's most, and I think the best way to go.
Writing special code for special closed hardware is the past.

Anotherway to go is, transfering our guiding tasks to FPGA's which won't be a solution to not having to invent the wheel again but is a solution to react on hardware and task changes very quickly and very inexpensive.

I prefer the first solution because we don't have to invent the hardware ourselves and the availability correlates with the market.

cheers

the_lizardking:
You are for sure right,... the hardware is old,... too old meantime,...

Astroquattro:
I would say, let's leave it like it is and concentrate on having a new tracking control based an open hardware and on languages which evolve with the same pace. The concepts behind each realisation didn't change since the 70ths but what was expensive by hardware those days is low-cost today and what was available and ugly in the 90ths is fine and sophisticated today.

I think the main problem will be time to implement things.
We already started a thread on what should a new version contain. Next step is to bring all the guys who want to participate up to speed with python3, pyduino, firmata, qt and maybe qpython (if one wants to have android support).

The basic stuff like running the motors in tracking speed will be short to have. The more convenient stuff like knowing where the scope is pointing at, parking position and how to slew to coordinates will take a bit ans finally having a nice gui with Guide 9's precision and stellarium's transparent look may come in to existence at the end in phase 3. We should manage such a project with a pms where every piece of work can be split up into task and everyone participating can choose his/her task without being forced to anything. Those project management systems do have links to sourceforge or are able to use version control systems like gitorious, subversion or darcs. Today we are in the comfortable position to have all these features compared with the time 15 years ago where such tools were restricted to professionals and nerds.

But we got off-topic for a bit.
The display firmware is obsolete with the new tracking control.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page