Kristian Paul's Blog

Finally today, when i think that it may be just was lost, after two moths waiting, it is here, is the XMOS XC-1 kit for my project "XMOS at Home" wich i hopefullty will document on my wiki soon, post more pictures and blog entries

XMOS is a company wich make a new multi core chip wich could change how we work right know with embedded devices, this chip is multi thread capable, XC-1 kit by example can speed up to 1600MIPS, wich is fantastic and have 60pins I/O :D, well, there are lots applications areas like robotics, audio, LED signs and Displays, and of course networking. Also in some way XMOS chips can replace FPGA in some areas, cause you can get software modules to implement ethernet cores, usart, i2c, memory controllers and more as you know is posible on FPGA.

My project is about bring XMOS at HOME, how?, well, i want to control lights (hopefully LED based) and mix it with background sounds, and if is posible connect it to the internet. So i just domotics stuff. Now i must start buying some LEDS, and Audio stuff, but i really hope XMOS could sell those addons too, so i can improve and add it to my kit faster.

There is big issue too, is that some software components in XMOS Sofware are not free software, thats too bad cause my laptop is mips based, and due there is no source code i cant compile it and devel from the netbook, so, asking at xmos irc i get this answer "If/when we get XC working fine on LLVM then I expect it will (have to) be open sourced properly and easier to port to other back-ends as well", thats really great :), i hope will be true in a near future (i really need it), but is the same issue with FPGA Softare too, i know patents are there, but if we free the source, the improvements that will get and benefits are really big, like gnu/linux is so far.

Now i have the Makerbot Cupcake 3D printer may be i can make some stuff, at least cases for xmos too btw :)

KC-1 Pics

Wiki

Xmos Website

Algo de tiempo sin escribir y menos en español, bueno estoy actualizando la galeria principal con nuevas fotos, espero en este año sean otras mas

Hace unos meses antras, en noviembre del año pasado llego el makerbot cupcake una maquina de prototipado de codigo libre que me permitiria inciar la construccion de un reprap, que es una maquina de prototipos o impresora 3D que puede copiar la mayoria de sus partes en plastico. Bueno RepRap va muy bien asi como lo indican las fotos de la galeria, y como van las cosas espero este trabajando a mediados del mes de abril. Luego de esto nuevo protectos iniciaran.

Este año inicio con hardware copyleft, hay una propuesta muy interesante de la gente de QI Hardware, una compañia que esta generando un nuevo ecosistema de hardware que puede ser fabricado sin importar el fabricante original, ya que sus diseños son libres y pueden ser mejorados, mas aun se espera en unos años poder tener chips que han sido fabricados por cualquiera y de los cuales podremos saber como fueron echos ya que hay fuentes, estariamos hablando de un nuevo paso al conocido hardware libre, amenos para ya no depender de intel u otras compañias que fabrican chips :). EL primer producto de Qi es llamado Ben Nanonote, tiene un bajo costo y sus diseños estan echos usando sofware libre, asi que hay buenas cosas por venir.

Por ultimo comentar sobre el Hack Lab que se ha iniciado en mi cudad (Buga), por ahora somos 4 personas que estamos trabajando alrededor de tecnologias libres, arte intercambio de conocimiento y bueno mucho mas por venir. Aun no tenemos un espacio fisico definido para acceso al publico pero se espera tener uno pronto. LLegar a mas personas interesadas en compatir, crear y modificar su entorno

Eso es todo por ahora, espero estar escribiendo mas amenudo (aparte del micronlogging)

New Gallery

RepRap Gallery

Makerbot

RepRap

QI Hardware

Liure Hack Lab

La flisol (Festival latiomerica de instalacion de sofware libre) que se realizo en la ciudad de buga, el sabado 24 pasado fue todo un exito !

La asistencia comparada con el año pasado fue mas del doble, mucha mas gente se acerco por un disco distro libre o para una instalacion o explicacion del proceso de instalacion.

Con la participacion de Alta Impedancia y Orlando Ricon, se dio pie a discusiones variadas sobre el sofware libre, la etica hacker y otros temas

Las tecnologias de fabricacion libre hacen su aparicion de nuevo, RepRap la fabrica libre no puede faltar a estos eventos y seguira asistiendo

Muchas gracias a todos por su asistencia, nos vemos el siguiente año

Fotos cortesia Alta Impedancia

Flisol

I have been listening some recordings from Eben Moglen last days, now i remenber the words "Pratical Revolution".

I agree the fact that an Utopia like many we face today from socialism to capitalism, and more are just dreams, that tend to be polluted in its process, like power that get out control from those who said have the capabillity own it. so..

In my interest about learning/reading sort of human history, somethimes we used to forgot the role of technology in this way of looking for freedom, but as Monglen pointed, techonlogy it self, is ireversible, and our society depends on technologies more than hundres years ago.

The right to read, to think, to make reflexion about our enviroment is essencial freedom to humans understand, what we are, and what is around us, unfortunatelly diferents economies rise in diferents situations and now we are here facing this issues.

Technology is the point from wich must (i think), start changing how we acess, share and create So lets see technology not like something we just pay for it and use.

I got a nanonote some moths ago, it is a copyleft device, well you can read more about in qi-hardware website. There are many ideas of posible uses with the device there is wikipedia, ogg player, some games and thre is open street maps. The last one is now accesible offline trought the nanonote and also is linked to a gps so you can now where you are. I saw that before? surelly yes but now in a copyleft device. If you want read more check the link bellow

GPS on the nanonote

Long time since last blog entry and lots of things happened, well.., i did some quick posts on the microblog but is not same as a blog entry, so here a small resume, and hopefully i'll try not get behind in the remaining of the year and also the incoming one :)
RepRap Mendel is done:


And a talk was given at Campus Party Colombia about it. Also later in Bogota the same talk was given at Maloka and weeks later in the Sofware Freedom day in Barranquilla.

I met Wolfgang Spraul Cparty too, place in wich he give two interesting talks about the Milkymist project and Copyleft Hardware Movement. great man he is !

I got 23 year old in Sep :p

I was too at in really amazing event near to my town, it was about the importance of the organic Seeds and sharing knowldge of our Peasant in Colombia. I must recall that even more now that our times face issues with this "Genetically modified organism"in wich seeds are in that way, and is a DANGER for our food autonomy and Ecosystem diversity let the corporations to take control of life. Also if i want practice permaculture in the long term i need organic Seeds and no faked ones that market starting to sell.

About hardware development i started some weeks ago a project about creating a gps free stack, i have not much to tell now, hope more soon.

I forgot to say i got an AVNET 49usd board, (the cheapest i founded) to start some learning about the Milkymsit platform, right now i'm working in a "How to", wich is based on how to add a counter module to the SoC, more updates will come soon too.



My last event, was in Pereira a City 2hrs away from home, the event name is JSL (Jornadas de Sofware Libre), wich its mission is have a space of work, discuss and link long works and ideas about long term work around Free Sofware dynamics in different fields.

I also i'm fixing my makerbot cupcake cnc printer, i bought an automatic build platform wich i hope will help me to produce reprap plastic parts kit to sell people interested (wich already contactc me asking me for parts).

Ah, i almost forgot i got a new server is an Soerkis 5501 board plus case (it was given as payment of an old debt), i hope host more stuff soon like database, blogs for friends and who know what else :D



Well i think thats all for now.

Una breve entrada para postear algunos slides para una presentacion sofware el hardware copyleft y el dilema del hardware bloqueado.

Some time ago i started to get in touch with Milkymist code, mostly because wanted to understand verilog modeling part wich call my atention as this project brings a well made Copyleft SoC (Free Computers yay !).

I started reading Sebastien Bourdeauducq Master's thesis report later move to CSR, System Controller and UART core documentation, all this info is linked at the milkymist SoC page .I still need to re-read and review code for more core i'm interested (Ethernet, PFPU, USB host and Mico32). But thats for later.

So far i just made a small tutorial linked to some code at github about how add a simple counter, in the wiki page to point the files needed to edit and add in the process and in someway try to expose coding style and some of verilog basis wich btw i'm learning too with all this :). Feel free to edit or commit if you feel i missed something.

What's next? Well i want to make a core not for the CSR Bus, may be something related to a specific processing task like FFT or something that will help procesor keep working smoth.
May be ,try explore Mico32 and add a custom instruction?..
Navre core is also interesting, mostly because USB is implemented using it too.


Time and other ongoing projets needs will hope related on next tasks.
Thanks for reading !!

PD:
hmm i missed the software part (visualization) for the milkymist basic counter example :/ thats a TODO for sure :-)