[Prism54-devel] Re: Open hardware wireless cards

[Jean-Baptiste Note]

mcgrof at ruslug.rutgers.edu (Luis R. Rodriguez) said :
> I'll see if I can get people from Conexant to agree to let us use the
> old fullmac chipset design for starters, since we already have that
> driver in the stock kernel.

I don't mean to discourage you, but I think you're dreaming Luis :)
Given that Fullmac chipsets can run in softmac mode as the usb devices
suggest, it seems to that softmac chips are only cut-down, simpler
versions of their fullmac counterparts (less memory, less CPU power,
less cost).

By this i mean that if Conexant gives you the fullmac chipset, they give
you the softmac ones as well. Or do you only mean to get them to
re-manufacture to a third party, without you being aware of the design ?

> Cool we should get an estimate to see how many cards they'd need in
> order to start a bulk order.

If you want to design a wifi card, the hard part (from my viewpoint)
would be the analog part (emitter, and so on). The binary logic part can
be put in an FPGA. 

The people at GNURadio want to make a RF design, i think. Maybe it would
be pretty neat idea to tell them our interest so that they include the
necessary radio devices for operating in 802.11 frequency range, and we
could build upon this. Maybe with a sufficiently versatile device (audio
is not far from RF either), we can reach critical mass that would lead
to, well, "large" production, and dropping prices.

Their card/card project uses off-the-shelf blocks, only the card
manufacturing itself is "handmade" and costly. 

The problem is 100 units / months for a /dedicated silicon chip/ is
*ridiculous*, and the chip will come our *very* expensive (i'd say in
the 200~300$/chip, part of the problem is that the masks for the foundry
will be costly, so you'll need to put $$ on the table from the start),
but feel free to do the maths and correct me.

Ah, the joys of custom hardware. This is pretty cool stuff !

-- 
Jean-Baptiste Note
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jean-baptiste.note at wanadoo.fr