Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

From HBMobile
Jump to navigationJump to search
(→‎Administrivia and Background: disabling image uploads for now)
 
(116 intermediate revisions by 49 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Welcome to the Homebrew Mobile Phone Club Wiki...
+
[[Image:ringtoneseal.gif|thumb|One Phone To Rule Them All, One Ringtone To Find Them, One Carrier to Find Them All, And To The Service Plan Bind Them.]]
  
[[Image:Mf125X125 bayarea.jpg|thumb|The club  will be participating in the [http://www.makezine.com/go/makerfaire 2007 Maker Faire]. ]]
+
=The Homebrew Mobile Phone Club=
  
 +
Welcome to the "HBMobile Wiki." This is the main wiki site where members of the [http://hbmobile.org/ Homebrew Mobile Phone Club] share information about plans, projects, meetings and musings. There's no fee to participate, and except for spammers and defacers, we welcome most any input. Much of our content is technical, but you don't have to be an über-engineer to participate; part of what we're all about is enabling people to build mobile devices that meet their special needs. So if you have a special need that you've not heard anyone talk about, pipe up and let us know. To experiment with this wiki try [[Sandbox]]. See the [http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_User's_Guide User's Guide] for usage and configuration help.
  
= Projects =
+
=News and Events=
  
Homebrew Club members are encouraged to post information about their projects (or other people projects) here.
+
The hosting for hbmobile.org (the webserver) & revejo.org (the mailing list) hit a snarl.  Adrian's started a [http://groups.google.com/group/hbmobile hbmobile mailing list at Google Groups,] & [http://hbmobile.pronoiac.org James opened a mirror of wiki.hbmobile.org.]  Pass along the new sites!
  
[[What is a mobile phone?]] lists the things people want to do with a mobile phone.
+
The most recent meeting was at 6:30PM on [[March 2008|March 12th, 2008]] at The Computer History Museum.  Mark Wood talked about the Cell Broadcast System, & we showed off the latest myPhone.  Audio & video of Mark Wood's presentation has been posted.
  
One project that's been relatively sucessful is the [[TuxPhone Project]]. TuxPhone was started by Surj Patel and Deva Seetharam and quickly attracted Matt Hamrick, Colin Cross and Leonardo Bonanni. The goal of the TuxPhone project is to produce a design that can lead to a "do it yourself" mobile phone; not just for the project members, but for anyone who wants to use the design.
+
The newly organized [[HOWTO Pages|HOWTO Pages Index]] is at long last ready for public consumption. HOWTOs hosted on this site include details on how to build a myPhone prototype and how to setup your Linux development environment.
  
Another project we're tracking is the [[SqueakyMoPho Project]]. SqueakyMoPho was Matt Hamrick's original concept for building a Linux-based mobile phone where application and UI code was written in Smalltalk. The project is now on semi-hiatus while Matt works on TuxPhone and Albion. But the "Franken-Phone" GSM Peripheral used to test the SqueakyMoPho software is still in active development. Matt has a "How to Build Your Own USB-Based GSM Peripheral" at the bottom of the [[SqueakyMoPho Project]] page.
+
Club members who were at a meeting this last fall might remember that Richard Hart from "The Next Step" came by to look at what was going on. He filed [http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=drive_to_discover&id=5671823 this report (mirrored here on the KGO web site.)]
  
The [[Albion Project]] is a hardware project to build a phone that uses a fully digital audio path. The idea being that the digital audio path will allow you to add features like "[[Data over GSM Voice]]" for [[vCard burst]]ing.
+
=Portals=
 +
<div style="margin-left: 25px;">
 +
{|style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0; border-collapse: collapse;"
 +
|style="width: 33%;"|
 +
[[HBMobileWiki:Community_Portal|Community]]<br /><br />
 +
[[Current events]]<br /><br />
 +
[[Ideas]]
 +
|style="width: 34%;"|
 +
[[Hardware Projects]]<br /><br />
 +
[[Software Projects]]<br /><br />
 +
[[Suppliers]]
 +
|style="width: 33%;"|
 +
[[:Category:HOWTO|HOWTOs]]<br /><br />
 +
[[Related Sites]]<br /><br />
 +
[[Marketplace]]
 +
|}
 +
</div>
  
[[Image:MyPhone37front.jpg|thumb|The [[myPhone]] Rocks!]] While the initial TuxPhone design is just a simple phone that makes calls, there is a lot of interest in a high end open smartphone that extends the TuxPhone design to a large touchscreen format. This is one design called [http://www.widgetry.org/dokuwiki/doku.php OpenCell] being produced at Florida Tech, and a flexible design called [[myPhone]] being developed by SVHMPC members. Everyone who builds one can customize it to their own needs and desires.
+
=Administrivia and Background=
 +
Following some suspicious activity, I'm disabling image uploads for now. I could reinstate that given a reason - just contact me or leave a message on my talk page. - [[User:Pronoiac|Pronoiac]] 19:31, 5 July 2010 (UTC)
 +
<div style="margin-left: 25px;">
 +
{|style="width: 100%; margin:0; padding:0; border-collapse: collapse;"
 +
|style="width: 33%;"|
 +
[[Site News]] <br/><br/>
 +
[[Help:About|About]]<br/><br/>
 +
[[Help:Editing|Editing Help]]
 +
|style="width: 34%;"|
 +
[[Wanted|Wanted Pages]]<br/><br/>
 +
[[HBMobileWiki:Mailing List|Mailing List]]<br/><br/>
 +
[[Second Life]]
 +
|style="width: 33%;"|
 +
[[HBMobileWiki:Glossary|Glossary]]<br/><br/>
 +
[[Help:Contents|Site Policy]]<br/><br/>
 +
|}
 +
</div>
  
If you just want open software for a phone that has a fixed/closed design (including components that require manufacturer NDA agreements to be signed), then the [http://www.trolltech.com/products/qtopia/greenphone/index Trolltech Greenphone] started shipping to developers in December 2006, and the [http://www.openmoko.org OpenMoko FIC Neo1973] should ship in March 2007. The software framework for the Greenphone is Qtopia based, and OpenMoko is GTK+ based. For more information, read the comparison of [[GUI Frameworks]].
+
=Support=
  
All the above designs should be sharing software at some level.
+
The Homebrew Mobile Phone Club gratefully acknowledges the kind support of the [http://techshop.ws/ TechShop] and [http://gumstix.com/ GumStix]. Thanks to these organizations, we're able to make our dreams solid.
  
= Resources =
+
{|
 
+
| align="center" | [[Image:Gumstix-3.gif|thumb|[http://gumstix.com/ GumStix] ]] || align="center" | [[Image:Techshop logo.png|thumb|[http://techshop.ws/ TechShop] ]]
Geographically distant persons are also encouraged to participate in discussions on the mailing list or (if you're adventurous) you can form your own local chapter. There is currently no formal national or international membership organization, so starting a local chapter is as simple as finding a few interested people, deciding on a time and location for the meeting and showing up. A [http://www.frappr.com/svhmpc Homebrew Mobile Phone Club Frappr Group] has been created to make it easier to find people with similar interests in your area.
+
|}
 
 
= Software =
 
 
 
There are several projects working on various aspects of Linux based open phone software, and we are collecting information on sources and experiences on a [[open mobile software]] page.
 
 
 
= Hardware =
 
Please visit the [[Hardware]] page for a list of useful-looking hardware components. This page is intended to be a brain-dump of what people have looked for their phone design. For information on what hardware a particular project uses, visit the project's page (E.g. [[MyPhone]]).
 
 
 
= Suppliers =
 
''Click here for [[UK Suppliers]]''
 
==GSM Modules==
 
 
 
; [http://www.sparkfun.com/ SparkFun] : SparkFun supports several different electronic hobbyist communities. They provide eval boards and accessories for a number of different hardware architectures. We like them because they will sell Telit GSM modules in single quantities and with USB to Serial eval boards.
 
 
 
==Embedded Controllers==
 
 
 
; [http://www.gumstix.com/ GumStix, Inc.] : GumStix manufactures and sells small ARM based embedded systems for experimenters, hobbyists and companies building small-run systems. Several price-performance points are supported (meaning they have cheaper, slower modules and faster, more expensive modules.) Support for sound, networking, etc. is provided by daughter-boards. GumStix are used by a number of projects and are part of the initial TuxPhone hardware reference design.<br/><br/>Developers should note, however, that typical GumStix systems do not ship with LCDs. GumStix CTO Chris Hughes explains that the company received radically different LCD requirements from their customers, and they could never find a "one size fits all" solution. However, all the control lines for supporting modern LCDs are provided by the system's standard Hirose connector and the [http://docwiki.gumstix.org/Lcd LCD page] on [http://www.gumstix.org/ GumStix.Org] lists the steps to connect typical LCDs to the device. <br/><br/>Also note that GumStix has publicly announced they're working on a GSM gumstix peripheral based on the [https://pia.khe.siemens.com/index14287.htm Siemens MC75] module. So fairly soon you should be able to build your own mobile wireless communication device with EDGE support. w00t!
 
 
 
==Displays==
 
 
 
; [http://www.earthlcd.com/ EarthLCD] : When you need to connect an LCD display to your design, the folks at EarthLCD can help out. They stock a wide range of LCDs and controllers.
 
 
 
; [http://www.sharpsma.com/Page.aspx/americas/en/part/LQ043T3DX02/ Sharp 4.3" Display specification] : This is the Sony PSP display that some of us are using to build [[myPhone]].
 
 
 
; [http://www.cnn.cn/ Cellular Nationwide Network] : These guys look to be an online retailer of surplus or factory seconds for mobile phone parts. They carry cases, LCDs, keypads and a number of other odds-n-ends. My ([[User:Msh]]) experience with them is mixed. My first order with them was filled promptly and everything arrived in reasonable time. My second order was less exciting, 36 hours after having my credit card charged, I got an email saying, "sorry, we really don't have that part in stock." I received a refund, but it was a might annoying to have to find another supplier.
 
 
 
==Cases==
 
 
 
; [http://www.techshop.ws TechShop] : TechShop in Menlo Park California is a large workshop that anyone can use on a subscription basis. Amongst many other tools they have a 3D printer which can be used after taking a short training class, and which can print just about any shape using ABS plastic. SVHMPC has held several of its monthly meetings at Techshop. Their printer only accepts CAD designs in STL format.
 
 
 
; : There are many commercial CAD packages, Pro/Engineer, Solidworks, Autocad, Rhino3d. Our approach is to publish models for simple parts and assemblies in various formats, so any tool can be used to generate or modify them.
 
 
 
; [http://sketchup.google.com Google SketchUp] : Sketchup is a very easy to use way to generate and edit 3D shapes. It supports Windows and MacOSX, and is free for a basic version, which can import DXF format. The Pro version is needed to generate DXF, and it costs $495, with an 8 hours of use free trial. Most of the examples are architectural shapes, its less well suited to making a rounded phone case. There are excellent video tutorial guides.  Sketchup also has great scriptability via Ruby, with extensive built-in online help.
 
 
 
; [http://www.alibre.com Alibre] : Alibre is a full function 3D parametric CAD package with a similar interface to Sketchup, but more oriented to creating a set of parts and assembling them. It only runs on Windows. Alibre Express is free, with  restrictions on functionality and a limit of ten parts in an assembly. The unrestricted professional versions start at $995. The video tutorial guides are excellent. DXF manipulation is clumsy and it has hung up and caused a BSOD a couple of times. It does seem to be the easiest way to design parts for free, and parametric CAD lets the design parameters scale and adjust the shape easily.
 
 
 
; [http://www.opencascade.org OpenCascade] : OpenCascade is an open source product mainly aimed at developers. It runs on Linux, Windows and Solaris, no official MacOSX support, but you can hack it to work by using [http://keepcool.kf.tu-berlin.de/public/mitarbeiter/sadowski_projects.html this]. It is scriptable, and Gumstix use it to generate their DXF files.
 
 
 
; [http://brlcad.org BRL-CAD] : BRL-CAD is an open source Constructive Solid Geometry product based on over 20 years of work from the US Army Research Lab. It's free, and supports Windows, Linux, MacOSX and just about anything else. It's mainly aimed at modelling for analysis and raytracing, rather than manufacturing. It supports scripting, you can choose to use a graphical editor, or a command-line interface (or both). It has import/export command line utilities for many formats including STL.
 
 
 
; [http://ashlar.com/ Ashlar-Vellum Argon, Xenon and Cobalt] : Ashlar-Velllum makes a trio of 3D CAD programs for the Macintosh and Windows. Their documentation hypes them as being the greatest thing since sliced bread. They offer a free 14 day demo; I tried it out and found it very usable. The interface is just about the same as TurboCAD 3D, so I don't know that it's especially revolutionary. But it works. They also offer a monthly rental model for software: $40/month for Argon. So if you only need a couple months of use, this is a nice license.
 
 
 
; [http://www.turbocad.com/ TurboCAD Mac Pro v2] : I actually liked TurboCAD Mac Pro v2 slightly better than Argon. But the interfaces are very similar, so either is a good choice for Mac users. It runs about $200 direct from IMSI/Broadcaster.
 
 
 
==Discrete Components==
 
 
 
; [http://www.digikey.com/ DigiKey.Com] : With a catalog the size of a phone-book, DigiKey is well known in the hobbyist and entrepreneureal communities as being a highly reliable source for everything from resistors to project enclosures.
 
 
 
; [http://www.mouser.com/ Mouser Electronics ] : With a catalog the size of a small phone-book, Mouser is also well known amongst hobbyists, hackers and prototypers.
 
 
 
; [http://www.jameco.com/ Jameco Electronics ] : Jameco is yet another supplier of small components for people working on electronics projects.
 
 
 
; [http://www.demoboard.com/anchor.htm Anchor Electroncs ] : Persons in Silicon Valley looking for that last minute part may want to visit Anchor Electronics. Their store-front is at [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=2040+Walsh+Avenue+Santa+Clara,+CA.++95050&ie=UTF8&ll=37.369475,-121.960387&spn=0.016951,0.042014&om=1 2040 Walsh Avenue Santa Clara, CA.  95050]. Their catalog indicates they have a reasonably wide selection of surface mount and through-hole components, ICs, boards, etc. They can also be reached via telephone at +1.408.727.3693.
 
 
 
; [http://www.halted.com/ HSC Electronic Supply] : A SiliValley standard for decades, "Halted" has a strange mix of parts and supplies. They have a reliable selection of nuts, bolts, PCB supplies (save solder paste), and a wide (though not complete) selection of resistors, diodes, etc. They're at the corner of Lawrence and Central in Santa Clara, so if you ever get the desire to go to Fry's in Sunnyvale, go here instead. [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=3500+Ryder+Street,+santa+clara,+ca&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=37.377421,-121.993818&spn=0.017051,0.040898&om=1&iwloc=addr 3500 Ryder Street, Santa Clara, CA 95051], +1.408.732.1573
 
 
 
; [http://www.surfacemountcenter.com/ Surface Mount Center] : If surface mount components are what you're looking for, consider the Surface Mount Center. Their store-front is at [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=1580+Oakland+Rd+%23+C114,+San+Jose,+CA+95131&ie=UTF8&ll=37.378922,-121.895499&spn=0.016949,0.042014&om=1 1580 Oakland Rd # C114, San Jose, CA 95131] and their phone number is+1.408.453.2023.
 

Latest revision as of 19:31, 5 July 2010

One Phone To Rule Them All, One Ringtone To Find Them, One Carrier to Find Them All, And To The Service Plan Bind Them.

The Homebrew Mobile Phone Club

Welcome to the "HBMobile Wiki." This is the main wiki site where members of the Homebrew Mobile Phone Club share information about plans, projects, meetings and musings. There's no fee to participate, and except for spammers and defacers, we welcome most any input. Much of our content is technical, but you don't have to be an über-engineer to participate; part of what we're all about is enabling people to build mobile devices that meet their special needs. So if you have a special need that you've not heard anyone talk about, pipe up and let us know. To experiment with this wiki try Sandbox. See the User's Guide for usage and configuration help.

News and Events

The hosting for hbmobile.org (the webserver) & revejo.org (the mailing list) hit a snarl. Adrian's started a hbmobile mailing list at Google Groups, & James opened a mirror of wiki.hbmobile.org. Pass along the new sites!

The most recent meeting was at 6:30PM on March 12th, 2008 at The Computer History Museum. Mark Wood talked about the Cell Broadcast System, & we showed off the latest myPhone. Audio & video of Mark Wood's presentation has been posted.

The newly organized HOWTO Pages Index is at long last ready for public consumption. HOWTOs hosted on this site include details on how to build a myPhone prototype and how to setup your Linux development environment.

Club members who were at a meeting this last fall might remember that Richard Hart from "The Next Step" came by to look at what was going on. He filed this report (mirrored here on the KGO web site.)

Portals

Administrivia and Background

Following some suspicious activity, I'm disabling image uploads for now. I could reinstate that given a reason - just contact me or leave a message on my talk page. - Pronoiac 19:31, 5 July 2010 (UTC)

Support

The Homebrew Mobile Phone Club gratefully acknowledges the kind support of the TechShop and GumStix. Thanks to these organizations, we're able to make our dreams solid.