I guess I'll be heading off as well. Have a great week, all.

This time will work for me most weeks.

cu

I agree -- we've been on for an hour -- let's make this a regular time and place -- every Thursday this time for a chat so we can all stay in sync -- I'll also post a blog every Tuesday inviting people (especially newbies to the site)

Bye

Must dash - Bye all

@Duane just seen this, it is very exciting let me know how I can assist

Good chatting with you

Re the robot -- What about using the Zynq 7000 (http://bit.ly/KKR78n) -- I think it will cost $10 a piece -- it has 2X SPI and 2X I2C (and 2X Uarts and USB) built in as hard cores -- also the hard core dual ARM Cortex-A9 runs at up to 800 MHz, plus there's programmable digital fabric and some programmable analog

I don;t think we will be using just one FPGA -- I think we'll need a bunch -- it would be best if they were all identical...

Sadly I have go, Thanks for agreat chat

Adam - I'm pretty excited about it. I've seen these tele-presence robots around and like the idea. There's always so much of: "if I had designed it, I would have..."

@Duane This is a very exciting project

Adam, Max - I'm working on the portions that I alraedy have the skill set for while I learn how to use FPGAs. That will get things moving a little faster. I'm also intending on building it in stages. Before the FPGA component is done, I'll use an MCU to control the movement and such. I'll also use a tablet to get things moving for the camer/display/communicatiosn component. That way parts of it can get moving while the FPGA work can be added when available as an upgrade.

http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/missions/ukube-pilot-programme

I2C is not bad in an FPGA -- OpenCores has I2C modules in HDL for FPGA -- 

I2C is pretty good as is SPI we based the UKube architecture around both

Most of my past boards have talked via I2C so that's what I'm looking at now.

@Adam ... one thing is that we have to give poor old Duane tim eto learn FPGAs first .... so let's plan on starting the robot in two weeks time (grin)

@max @duane hence the need for a simple common interface standard 

Also we want to make it easy for folks to add in different types of sensors and suchlike

have you agreed on a comon FPGA interface standard SPI, I2C, other etc

Looks like most of the MicroSemi/Actel stuff runs out of gas at 150C Tj

It will be mostly or all open source. It will also be modular so if you don't like my motor driver designs, you can use someone elses, etc.

@EdV: I don't care what you say ... I'm not going topless for anyone

@Adam: re telling everyone at work that you are a blogger ... I know what you mean ... it's a bit strange when it's people you know ... but pretty soon you'll find they don't think about it ...

@Adam: Duane is the lead on this project -- I hope it will be open source but that's up to him

I've had some of the robot modules in working order for years / months now. Some are bing updated or in need of updating. The thing that is not really even started is the FPGA component and the intelegence component.

@max I have been doing that, there is plan to tell everyone at EADs about it as well as I am blogger which is kind of worrying

@max @ duane sounds exciting I am looking forward to the development it will be open source?

@Warren: The biggest thing everyone can do is to help me build "organic traffic" -- the way to do this is to share the fact that All Programmable Planet is here with folsk at work and with all your social media contacts (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc)

Also, whenever you see an interesting article on APP -- if you could Tweet in and post it on your LinkedIn and Facebook walls / status / whatever, that would help enormously

@Max-speaking of things that should not happen here to increase new readership:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/07/alejandra-gaitain-and-you_n_1328195.html

@Adam: Re the robot -- at the moment we're still at the stage of creating a "Wish List" -- I wil ldo a blog about thsi and set up a message board so everyone can start contributing ideas

Adam - I have a wiki up that outlines the basic blocks of the robot spec. It's at wiki.steelpuppet.com

@Max- re site stuuf. Understood. Just let us know if you need us to help out with anything specific...

@Adam: Re Sacrifice -- Have that girl washed and oiled and sent up to my room :-)

Test Equipment in my experience is a great user of FPGA's

@Duane how is the robot devlopment coming ? will you be issuing a spec ?

@Max- Oscum seem like a good company 2 work with. I'd be happy to help create the spec. I would probably focus on MCU/FPGA class of apps, not high voltage industrial, auto, etc.

@Warren: Re all the site statistics -- I'm not allowed to divulge that sort of info -- suffice it to say that it's not just us spinning our wheels talking to each other -- there are a LOT of people who are coming to see what's going on ... it's just that a lot of them are shy -- they like to stooge aroudn for a whil eand get a comfy feeling -- then become members ... then dip their toes in the water with a comment or two ... and so on

Warren, Max - We have a robot development program going on. Why not a test equipment program too?

@EdV max has to be first up for that 

@Max-good to know the powers that be are appeased. Wouldn't want to have to resort to human sacrafice

@Warren: Funnily enough I was thinking about thi sjust last night -- I was planning on calling Bryan (the guy in charge of Oscium) today to suggest that if we collectively wrote the spec for what we wanted in a multimeter and they created it, that we coudl get it for a really good deal.

If he is interested I will do a blog about it and then we can all noodle on the specification -- it would have to do things that you can't do with a $20 unit from Radio Shack

@Max- On the site- good news. Do we have metrics- new readers per week, overall number of posts, total readers, etc that we should be tracking? I'm interested in non-blogger traffic. We read alot of each others postes, but how many new readers are we getting?

I do think this site is getting a very large volume of very good quality activity.

@Duane -- if you go to your profile and click on the "Content" link you will see everything you've posted including comments

@Max- on multimeter. My challenge recently has been to measure very low currents for MCUs in low power mode as well as in high power mode. I'm also interested in the transition out of low power to high power (how long it takes, how much power it burns, etc). If their meter could help with that its a good deal for me.

@Warren: "How are we doing overall on the site? Any changes, suggestions you have for us?"

I should have told you -- we've only been live for 2 weeks and 2 days, and the feedback I'm receiving from those who practice the strange handshakes in the dead of night, don the undergarments of authority, and stride the corridors of power (actually from their underlings, because those who ...... don't deign to talk with the likes of me) is that APP is blowing the other sites out of the water with regard to the quality of our contect and members and the interaction between menbers and suchlike...

Hope your all liking the Ask Adam Blogs 

I like the way the site is going. The only issue I've had is in trying to locate some of my older comments. Sometimes I'll think of somethign to add to an older comment and I can't always find the original.

*Would

Wouls it have a signal generator?

Good question, Warren.  Any stats on hits, visitor numbers etc that you can share Max?

@max thats a good idea 

Re my blog on the iPad logic analyzer ... supposing they made a multimeter with data logging capabilities and we (members of All Programmable Planet) coudl get it for a real good deal, would we (you) be interested?

That is for a given relaibility rate though you can take then higher if you can accept the increased FIT rate 

@Max- How are we doing overall on the site? Any changes, suggestions you have for us?

Sorry, what were we talking about...?

Xilinx Defense-Grade Virtex-6Q states 125 as max

And there was always the classic:

CH1: "Turn the knob on your side"

CH2: "I haven't got a knob on my side"

CH1: "Of the door, you idiot!"

@max that explains it then 

The submersible electric pumps that pump the oil out from 5,000 - 12,000 feet down have  sensors that run for 2K hrs at 177C

@Adam: You have to pass things through Notepad -- if you go directly from Word strange things are afoot...

Which reminds me of that old Goon Show sketch:

Character 1: "What's afoot?"

Character 2: "It's a dirty smelly thing on the end of your leg!"

RTAX2000 willl operate at 125 however they allow burn in for 80 hours at 150.

Thanks max posted it twice and its gone missing both times oddly

@EdV: egg timer and heater in one?

LOL

Normally it is 177 to 250C  -- at 250 C one is left with silicon on insulator aerospace parts $$$$$

I spoke with a retired petrolium industry guy not long ago. He said they would pump ice down hole. Then as soon as possible, send the electronics down and take reading until the electronic died. He said sometimes it really was just a matter of minutes.

@Adam: I found thsi list from you:

1)    Sensitivity Lists  - Done
2)    Coding Styles - Done
3)    Latches and registers - Posting today
4)    Entities, Architectures, Processes, Procedures and functions
5)    Instantiation and inference the difference
6)    Packages
7)    Std_logic_values
8)    Signal and Variable
9)    Generics
10)    Resets do we always need them
11)    Gate level simulation
12)    State machines (Mealy and Moore)
13)    Scripting

@Paul if the MTBF is low then youshould be Ok as it is like accelerated life testing 

@Warren -- I think you are right there may be some older Actel/Micro-semi parts that get up there

I did find Brian's areticle to be interesting and informative. But I didn't end up commenting or leaving a question.

I am talking to a customer who wants to put ASICs "down holes" and the oil and gas people would like a LOT higher than 150 DegsC, as the reliability / life time is measured in hours, I'm told.  

*Actel

@William- when I was at Atel we had customers using antifuse parts to do this. You should check out the older MicroSemi parts.

Really a good automotive CPLD might even work

I'm surprised Brian Bailey's blog on the origin o the name "High Level Synthesis" didn;t attract more comments (http://bit.ly/KizDvY)

I posted a list of ask adam columns coming up and it has disappeared 

space grade parts are expensive to.

As part of an imaging system?

Egg timer and heater in one?

Down-hole oil field

Xilinx space grade parts are 125 I think the RTAX are also 125 as well 

makes for an interesting design challange, what is the end use 

@William: Note sure about space-rated parts -- suggest looking at the Actel (now Microsemi) RTAX (antifuse-based) and Xilinx SRAM-based space-worthy parts

@warren we have to derate our junction temp to 40C below max junction temp of device for flight

Ambient -- but it is a less than 20 MHZ application

@William: I think the asynchronous FPGAs from Achronix operate at an extreme temperature range

Are space rated parts ok above 150? Not sure.

Hi to all.

is that Ambient or junction temp?

@Adam -- if you create Camtissa demos and upload them to YouTube as videos -- I can embed them in a blog

Have any of you heard of anyone doing an FPGA that operates above 150C

@Adam: Do you want to share your idea for future "Ask Adam VHDL" blogs? Maybe the folks here can suggest additional topics.

@duane my lx9 board has arrived would some camtissa demos of getting it up and running flashing leds etc be useful ?

@All: If you have any ideas for Ask Max topics, please email them to me at max.maxfield@ubm.com

@All: I've been jotting notes for "Ask Max" columns on scraps og paper whenever anything popped into my head -- I gathered them all into a file last night -- at 2 a week I already have enough material to keep me going through Christmas...

@Adam: Cool beans -- I plan on covering these topics in future Ask Max columns sometime down the road, so I will be knocking on your door for some info.

I gave away the PID to a contributor at the first chat i think

Some of my logic suffers from fuzzy thinking however

I have not done any of those to date. I might at some point end up with a PID, but it will be a while yet.

none of the above

I have two of the three b and C

Has anyone implemented:

a) Fuzzy Logic in an FPGA

b) Genetic Algorithms in and FPGA

c) A PID Controller in an FPGA

?

We should set up a webcast one day

Hi Paul -- no audio link -- just text (the way granddad used to do it :-)

Well -- what a week it's been -- I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted (too much fun :-)

Hi Max  Is there an audio link?

Hi All

Hi everyone

It looks like "The gang's all here" as they say...

Good Morning

hi max.

Good Evening

Are we here yet?

Hellooooooo everybody....

Max I will definately be there, hopefully I can explain what blogs I have planned on my coming up Ask Adam Columns. 

Join us for a live chat on Thursday 7 June -- starting at 12:00 noon Central (1:00pm Eastern, 10:00am Pacific). Join me (Max) and the All Programmable Planet gang to discuss a wide-ranging bunch of topics ... what "Ask Max" and "Ask Adam VHDL" columns would you like to see in the future? Where is Duane going next with his "Discovering FPGAs"? How is Chris getting on with his FPGA development board? This is your chance to really get involved and tell us what you think...