[OTZ80] [Poll] Wifi or no wifi?

[graphmastur]

Yes, that's true.  But we don't want the ACT/SAT to see "wifi", and freak out.  What other options where we thinking about adding that were controversial?

Dvorak, Qwerty and Azerti

You mean azerty?
Anyway, I think that an alpha-lock will solve that.  As for wifi, maybe an extension, but not built in to the calc. My vote is no for including it, though.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Ah right, yeah. Thanks for the correction

[nemo]

Wifi would not only ban the calculator on sat and act tests, but also from school in general. Wifi is a type of radio signal, like a cell phone. Making any device intended for school with wifi defeats the purpose. This shouldn't even be a question

[DJ Omnimaga]

Something I worry about, too, is interferences with other devices. Couldn't someone send answers from a cellphone to calc format or even from calc to calc when he finishes an exam? We never know sometimes with students...

[_player1537]

I vote for yes, wifi.  Assuming we can turn it off and on when we want it, and the PTT mode will disable it

[matthias1992]

Ya all convinced me, changed my vote to no. We MUST be allowed on major tests in order to even possibly sell more then TI, just my two cents...

What we definetely could consider (in my opninion) is to allow such a feature to be added quite easily but with such a extend of knowledge that 99% of the students wouldn't even know it's possible. If we add the possibility in without advertising it...well I might give it a second chance then...

[DJ Omnimaga]

Well if it was there and not advertised, the issue is that if teachers discovered about it, they might try to get the calc blocked. Even if not widely advertised, it should be made so it can be disabled by teachers.

Also if somehow Wi-fi is included, I think the connection should drop/wi-fi get disabled if no online activity occurs during an extended period of time, in case the user forgets to turn it off and eat all his batteries. That said, it could be made an option. Anyway, my vote is still no for now since we are trying to keep the OTZ80 calc as cheap as possible and focus on the memory/processor/LCD performances.

[matthias1992]

*bump*, I mean, **CRASH!!**

How about making it a plugable extension? Or maybe go for HSDPA, 3G connection? Maybe a SIM option isn't that bad of an idea, you could receive messages in class hehe that would be so cool...

If it is possible to do it within budget range (altough I am not sure what that range is) and if it is hardware technically possible, then, yes. We do need to consider however the power of the eZ80, no matter how skilled this community is I still think an eZ80 will be brought to its knees with wifi or 3G.

Actually I personally now build a computer using a propellor chip, I think this is a very interesting platform, it's easily extendable and musters a powerfull 8 cores, so true multitasking! It's about $8 per piece in DIP-40 format also comes in 44-pin QFP format. The more I think of this the more ideal it seems for the task, hell, $8 is almost nothing! I actually think we could have two or four of those chips in there!

Each propellor runs at 20 mips per cog and since there are 8 cogs (cogs=core) that is 160 mips if we implent two, or three of these we get 320 and 480 mips respectivally.

Also, video out is supported (there is hardware for that in each cog) audio is supported...and they can withstand drops, heat and freezing cold, bloody small too. My thumb nail is smaller then the 44-pin version...

Architecture: 32-bits
System Clock Speed: DC to 80 MHz
Global RAM/ROM: 64 K bytes; 32 K RAM / 32 K ROM

Runs at 80mhz after a multiplier, the external oscillator should be between 4 and 8mhz

Still not convinced? Here:http://www.parallax.com/Store/Microcontrollers/PropellerChips/tabid/142/ProductID/334/List/0/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName

Parallax has a very lively forum too and a very good customer support record!!

[mikehill2003]

As the title says: do you want to have wifi in the OTZ80 calc or not?

Consider any regulations, power usage, etc. for this feature.

Would Wifi through an SD card slot with an Eye-Fi card be possible?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye-Fi

[matthias1992]

Aaah! Why not? seems a valuable option, the only objection I could possibly have is that I dont know if the read and write cycles of an SD card are fast enough + can it be infinitely overwritten? IF so then why not make it the main memory as well? Cog with I/O brigdges/peripherals + Eye-fi + LCD + Case + Other junk = calc

But geez lcd's are expensive! I now know why TI uses a crappy lcd! I can't really blame them...

[graphmastur]

I don't like having our main memory being an SD card.  and I don't think that SD card would work well.  Doesn't it only support pictures?

[Deep Thought]

I don't like having our main memory being an SD card.  and I don't think that SD card would work well.  Doesn't it only support pictures?

SD cards are like any other flash memory.

[graphmastur]

I don't like having our main memory being an SD card.  and I don't think that SD card would work well.  Doesn't it only support pictures?

SD cards are like any other flash memory.

right, but this is a wifi-SD card.  So do you write to the card and then have that transferred out or what? I guess what I'm asking is would you talk directly using a wifi protocol or does the chip maintain that, and you just give URL and data and just do a POST or something.