[aprssig] USB host controller chip, and single chip GPS.

[John Gleichweit]

Sounds like a job for you, Scott! ;@)

There's several small-footprint SBCs out there, many that have a CF memory
slot, and a couple of PCMCIA slots, along with the standard KVM, USB and
AC97 ports. Many of the Free-WiFi Net crowd uses units like this to build
their nodes.

--
John "Smokey Behr" Gleichweit FF1/EMT, CCNA, MCSE
IPN-CAL023 N6FOG UP Fresno Sub MP183.5 ECV1852
List Owner x6, Moderator x4 CA-OES 51-507
http://smokeybehr.blogspot.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org
[mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]On Behalf Of scott at opentrac.org
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 7:58 AM
To: 'TAPR APRS Mailing List'
Subject: RE: [aprssig] USB host controller chip, and single chip GPS.


I've looked at a few of those.  Aside from being a little difficult to
implement in a low-cost device (they all seem to require a full address/data
bus and possibly a DMA controller), the big problem is drivers.  Even if
you're running one of the supported operating systems you're still probably
going to have to write a Garmin driver, and possibly a couple of drivers for
non-standard serial converter chips.

Yeah, it's possible, but it's still much easier at this point to go with an
embedded Linux box.  If I had time, I'd love to be able to develop a
packaged single-board computer with a couple of good radio interfaces and a
customized Linux build that'd let you do APRS, IRLP, and so forth without a
lot of hassle.  But right now I don't have the time for another project of
that scale.

Or maybe it's already been done.  I've seen some Linux distros and Knoppix
CDs, but does anyone sell a low-cost Linux SBC that comes with radio
interface hardware?

Scott
N1VG

> -----Original Message-----
> From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org
> [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org] On Behalf Of Dave Baxter
> Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2006 6:01 AM
> To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
> Subject: [aprssig] USB host controller chip, and single chip GPS.
>
> This could be usefull me thinks, to someone who knows how to integrate
> the thing....
>
> http://tinyurl.com/rq65j (pdf file)
>
> Two USB ports, one is always a "Host" the other can be a
> Host, Device or
> OnTheGo port.
>
> The route to using USB only GPS's in trackers?  Maybe, this
> is just one
> device, seems there are several dozen out there, but many seem to be
> fairly power hungry.
>
> Found during an idle lunchtime with a web browser..
>
> I also found something to do with a 62mW GPS receiver chip...
>
> http://tinyurl.com/nljaa (web page)
>
> Like the bit about the "Expensive RS232" interface it does not need...
>
> Pity I don't have the time or facilities to play with this stuff any
> more...
>
> 73..
>
> Dave G0WBX.
>
> _______________________________________________
> aprssig mailing list
> aprssig at lists.tapr.org
> https://lists.tapr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aprssig
>
>




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