Talk:MyPhone

Notes about Options

GSM Module

GSMStix

Craig over at GumStix has talked about the GSMStix they're working on. The last I heard it was going to use a Siemens MC75 module. Though I could be wrong. Craig says he likes this family of parts because they have direct digital audio i/o. At 34mm x 45mm it's only a shy bit smaller than the Telit module. But hey, it does EDGE, it's smaller and it has digital audio i/o, and it doesn't use a BGA grid, so it's possible that mere humans could solder them on to their project boards. But... I don't think we've found a reseller who's distributing them in single quantities, and there was a tempest in a teacup about NDAs and so forth. News is the NDA issue was a red herring, they didn't have problems distributing technical docs, but didn't want to talk about pricing without an NDA. For us, that's probably no biggie. Plus, if GumStix builds it into a standard part, they'll make a bulk order and sell them to individuals. So when the GSMStix is released, it'll no-doubt be a cool product that should be quite usable. 'Til then we'll probably have to make due with the Telit modules.

Telit GM862 Family

This is where many of us got our starts. SparkFun sells members of this family in single quantities, along with proto boards. You can find some links to info resources on the SqueakyMoPho Project page.

Telit GE863 Family

So Adrian and I were eyeballing this module after playing around with the GM862. It's listed in the SparkFun catalog, but the last I checked, they were out of stock. And with the release of the GSMStix, it may not be relevant. But, it's smaller than the GM862 family and it looks like it might be easier to attach a smaller antenna to the thing. Telit has a [web site] and PDF Brochure about the GE863 family.

LCD Screen

Sharp 4.3 inch screen

We were originally looking at using the Sharp LQ043T3DX02 with a HanTouch touch-screen. This is the same screen that's used in the Sony PSP, so we figured there would be several of them in the supply chain. But surprisingly, we couldn't find a reasonable price for the "official" sharp products, and the device required a couple different voltage levels, so for the time being, we punted on the thing in favor of the 3.7 portrait display below. These displays use a FH12A-40S-0.5SH(55) connector (that's a 40 pin .5mm pitch connector) for the main interface and a 4 pin 0.5 FPC style connector for the backlight. The reference connector for the backlight is the Kyocera 6298. The Hantouch touch-screen recommended is the HT043A-NCOFD52 which uses a for pin FPC type with a 1mm pitch, so something like a BL110-4 should work. There are a few after-market suppliers who say they have "compatible" displays for a way cheap price, and we may buy a couple to experiment with. If it turns out that they work, we may yield to the lure of cheap LCD screens and make the landscape myPhone with this screen.

Sharp 3.7 inch screen

The Sharp LS037V7DW01 is the latest LCD we're thinking of using. We were able to get these displays at about the same price as the PSP displays through official channels, and it's a better display overall, so we're going with it. This display appears to use a single input voltage level and a 51 pin .3mm pitch connector (like a Hirose FH23-51S-0.3SHAW(05)). Which means it will be a total pain in the keester to solder.

800x480 screen

Rumors abound that we can buy the 800x480 screen that Nokia uses in the 770. If we can't find a cheap, reliable source for the PSP display, we may try to track this one down.

Connectors

JAE DD1 Series

The Japan Aviation Electronics DD1 Series Connector is a 30 pin connector with enough outputs to support USB, audio/video input/output and firewire.

dual 3.5mm audio jacks plus mini-usb

This has the advantage that it's compatible with PC headsets. Early versions of the myPhone will likely not be populated with speaker / microphone's on the handset itself, so this might be important. Also, the use of USB to power the device is kind of cool.

single 2.5mm audio jack plus mini-usb

a four-connector 2.5mm jack seems to be the evolving standard in the mobile world. So if you don't like the idea of wearing a PC headset, this may be an alternative.

audio kill switch option

Since we're making our own phone, we have the option of totally killing the line in with a switch. That is, since the thing we're making is a little linux system with a microphone and a net connection, it's possible a bad guy could hack in and turn the mic on without our knowledge. So, we're adding a switch that interrupts the electrical path from the microphone to the codec.