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Messages - Lancelot_du_lac
31
« on: November 14, 2012, 02:11:18 am »
apf 28 don't have any FPGA, it's not usefull for that project, it's the the apf51, that is bigger and cost a bit more.
No asic will be done ( even i'm able to design them ). too costly.
the only thing that we can do ( without big cost ) is re-design the board with same chips.
33
« on: November 13, 2012, 01:30:31 am »
it's just a quick watch, nothing else.
Our dev board is Armadeus FP28.
34
« on: November 12, 2012, 01:31:12 pm »
i was moving these days, so i wasn't really availlable.
I'm going to get optical fiber this week, and i'm gonna take a domain name.
we have a web designer already working on.
I'll have hardware soon in hands. ( i'm testing now a pando board ).
SVN server is up.
35
« on: November 07, 2012, 02:33:49 am »
I have had a lot of graphic calculators. Casio Graph 25, 65, Ti89 1.0, 2.0 , 89T, & Cas CX. The best keyboard is without any doubt is Ti89. Fast, and really good key touch. The Cas CX is the worst. Even it's a powerfull one, the keyboard is hard, and the touchpad is a joke. And key are far more smart on Ti89. But the bigger screen is nice for big equations. & The other nice thing, you enter in line in 89, & you enter in smart real form in Cas CX. ( easyer to see if you've made a mistake in the equation ). So What is the aim ? -better keyboard than CX ( oh yeah, you'll say it's easy ). -A more bigger screen than CX for other things like simulink'like works. & huge matrix -Faster than CX, in maths. Ti-basic is too slow. -Improved math engine. -some matlab function integration with the ability of formal way of a calculator. ( matlab can only use real or complex, but no undefined vars ). -& i think, of tools like this one in option : http://www.picotech.com/picoscope2000.html
36
« on: November 06, 2012, 03:34:40 pm »
This: bluetooth keyboard. Done deal.
I'm sorry, but it's not possible. All techs without wire are banned from exams. I don't think having a removable qwerty keypad is a good idea, since people will rely on it for calculations and stumble in the exams. QWERTY isn't necessarily an ideal layout anyways, given that you're only using thumbs, and that we're not using typewriters anymore. (QWERTY was designed so that you would avoid typing on the same side as often, to prevent jamming keys. Hence, common sets like he, or, le, etc. would be on opposite sides of the keyboard.)
Plus, why is the keyboard on the bottom? That's terrible, ergonomically. While I appreciate the idea of having a separate qwerty keypad, even Alpha modifiers are better than that.
By using a different layout, you are also freed from that design shape. A tall, thin shape would ideally have a tall, thin keypad.
Now, no more criticism for this post. 
Even, i'm not a big fan, i find this idea interesting. All ideas are welcome. I like how you're trying to use an existing CAS library. That will save a lot of work down the line. I'd recommend focusing on writing the majority of the software portion before working on any hardware development, since that doesn't require any funding. If you can pull it off, it would be a very nice calculator. I would probably buy one. I DONT want use an existing cas lib. i want code a better one. It can make laugh some, but i've read codes already, and it's not so hard, for good coders. Oh, and if this thing will be powerful enough to run Debian Linux, then its C++ coding will blow the TI-84+'s Asm out of the water. However, it would have to be quite powerful to compile that C++ on the calculator within any reasonable time frame.
small codes will be near instant compiled. Even for a 4ko program, it's fast on a 450mhz ArmV9 CPU to be compiled on board. And we can run all that can be runned on linux. If people are more friendly with java, or what they like, it's linux you know, it may be slow, but evrything will be runable. Even games that already exist in linux, ( open source only because you'll need to re-compile it onboard.), you can compile it too on a Pc under linux with a special tuneling system. But i don't think a lot of guys would like to do it. What will be the name ? Ok, thats is a good question and not. For moment i named the project 'LI-A0'. Its for make at least one prototype working ( & well if possible ). If ( and only if ) this project is successfull ( a good product that people may buy it, price & quality are there ), i may start an industrial project that is the direct follow of this. So why talking hardware, packaging now ? If you do a prototype that cost 1B$, and is amazing, nobody will buy it. If you do a prototype that is not coded to work on any hardware, you'll need to re-code or re-think it. So it's time to set an ideal hardware, and have an idea of the kind of packaging. Not all details needed on packaging, but some usefull. It's time to talk intellectual property, too. I'll see an expert soon on it to be sure what we should do. And if you want know, what i have in mind today for packaging, that's this style : http://news.cnet.com/i/bto/20090316/3350858119_bb70b3565a.jpg( & no mouse & a numpad ). And yes, it's a calculator 
37
« on: November 05, 2012, 12:56:33 pm »
ok i've read the part of source code from octave & maxima that i'm interested in. ( source code is open. ).
Maxima is set in Lisp, this is bad because, it's hard to find good programmers today in Lisp. ( myself i don't know so much ).
Maxima has a very minimal definition of his primary types. ( this is a real problem ).
I don't have looked inside for auto simplification, but i think it should be inside.
Something like this :
(x+1)/((x+1)*(x+2)).
if you don't set a mod auto [on] for simplification for eigenvalue, it should STAY like that.
( For some kind of calc, it generate a lot of error if you don't care about ).
finding the code and change that is more work than doing a better one.
And Lisp is a too old language.
Octave is C++ and is not perfect writed but well writed.
Auto simplification is set by default and can't be stoped.
Class are used, but not enough for what i have in mind.
And use only a part of this code is not possible, it's gonna generate more work,
and may cause problem of licence.
And after all. Don't be worry. I have some kings in C++ coding.
And i'm not bad after all.
The octave project is around 1Mo of real source code for the engine.
It's not a easy task but not a hard one.
And knowing your code is far better, than using one that you don't understand.
38
« on: November 05, 2012, 10:31:03 am »
I study electrical engineering at the moment and I made several peripherals for the 84+, so if you could provide me with some technical details once they are available so I can make peripherals in advance 
I'm talking dataloggers, gamepads, midi interfaces, etc.
Very nice !!! Just FYI guys the clamshell (DS like) design has been used by Casio in a calculator before, so that's not an issue.
cool I believe levak once made a made an nspire in blender, so he might be able to help you
Also, f you are going to have a touchscreen, I don’t think that you should have a touch pad. Also, I think a stylus would be very good, especially for precise points on the screen, and for drawing graphs from lines.
i want capacitive, but cost and other things like the link to this tinyboard are not our side. So for moment i say no touchscreen, until i can be sure to get one. Resistiv is too crappy so i don't think include it. Personnaly, I disagree for the touchscreen : too breakable, and it would make the calc too close to a smartphone 
I prefer the idea of a thumb stick and a D-pad on the other side.
we'll see 
39
« on: November 05, 2012, 01:31:03 am »
Just a few questions:
Any ideas for the GUI design? Will it end up being just like a Linux OS and then you will be able to launch a math application or is going to be mainly a math tool and then you can run other programs on it kind of like the Nspire?
Is a mouse going to be included?
Are you writing a fresh Linux Distro or is it just going to be the included distribution modified for the calculators purposes?
Is this supposed to be a gaming machine too?
Gui will be done by us. no mouse. ( gui will work without but there is usb host ) distro included with our gui work. no it's not a gaming machine. but we'll not ban gaming on this. & please i wait for the faq, cause i'm getting tired
40
« on: November 05, 2012, 01:13:16 am »
In my mind, i'm looking to do the most advanced handeld tool in math. So Cas system is the main feature of that tool.
So main target should be engeneer, maths teachers, ...
But to not disqualify to exams, i'll do my best that for each country.
But one thing, i won't set a exam mode, because it's like a small computer.
It can be hacked. So cas will stay ever.
About how it looks, i already conceded some stuff for price and for us exams.
nothing is closed yet, but that i want for this, is a really big screen. When we need
a calculator is often for complex equations, and they aren't small.
And i want integrate a simulink tool too. So it's not 100% already done to be like this.
I can change my mind with good arguments.
I don't have any drawer yet.
And nobody that is a doomday guy in blender.
& teachers won't see in it a game-boy, DS, PS VITA, whatever , if you don't play in front of them.
& teachers after try it will not use anything else, ...
-- for maxima and octave, let me some time to verfy that, because i know a lot of tools but not each one in full detail.
But as far i've seen yet, maxima don't have them. I'll explain all in detail fully later, just let me some time.
41
« on: November 04, 2012, 01:30:57 pm »
A secure connector, a "clips" system, why not Yeah, if i knew what to do
Just some website about the awesomeness of some new third-party calculator?
I send you a MP.
43
« on: November 04, 2012, 08:21:57 am »
Just one thing: Will it have a headphone jack? I'd like to write a chiptunetracker/mod tracker for it
Also: will it feature a nice left-handed d-pad? (oh wait it's supposed to be a calculator?)
HD Audio will be available. ( and could be used like a low frequency synthetizer for electric experiments ) d-pad, not really. ( but there is usb host. ) There is azerty/querty keyboard by default, at this step of the project. Packaging, is not easy task, so we'll see. And yes the primary is to aim be a good calculator. But we'll never set limitation to this device, for any other kind of workload.
44
« on: November 04, 2012, 04:01:20 am »
It might be nice to have a basic like language though so non-programmers can put basic things into their calculators. I'm not sure I fully understand your reasoning for not using a prebuilt CAS. I'd think something like maxima or octave would work well, and if you want to be able to have it more integrated into C++ it shouldn't be too difficult to build classes on the function they already have. I think for this you should use C/++ as the asm like language of the 84 and have something(python, lua, basic) as a language for quick programs.
It's possible to do a "basic" like language for starters. It's simple to do, just exec in math engine all lines in order. A litle C++ code for running "basic" files will be realy easy to do. The main problem for maxima and others, they don't have 2 major functions that i look for. You can't add it, it's primary blocks. @Lancelot_du_lac do you want to make C++ a sort of script language ? If so, I recommend to use libgcc for on-the-fly compilation, so you'll have maximal speed.
Also, I think that it should be cool to use Python as basic language, and allow the use of import, so the user'll can use external libs such as PyGame or PyGTK, if we success in porting them (if there really is a need to port something).
C++ will be compiled. so it's not a scripting language, just a native C++ with super charged class. This sounds like a cool project!
I could probably help some out with C++ and webdesign (i know php mysql javascript (html css))
I also know some lua.
And i think too that some BASIC dialect for it would be cool.
Ready to start a webdesign ? would be awesome.  i have a PC with ubuntu SVN and apache2 ready ( already 24h/24 running ), and in 2-3 weeks i'll have optical fiber. ( Already have a domain name, and some crapy stuff on my web server until now but i'll buy a second domain name for this website ).
45
« on: November 03, 2012, 04:11:18 pm »
I think don't understand my meaning. C++ is hard, because it lack of advanced class, like expr in Ti-basic. The math lib goal is to define this with C++ class. so your code will be : #include <advancedmathlibs.h>
int main (void)
{
expr var1; // create a var of type expr named var1.
var1 = "integrate(x^2+x+c,x,1,50)"; // set an expression in var1
std::cout << var1.evaluate() << sdt::endl; // send to std output the evaluation of the the expr
} you'll able to do var1 * var2, var1+var2, ... and anything that is possible. ( even if it don't do a result in that case you get back the error ). so you'll have speed of C++ & the power of advanced mathematics coding.
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