[App_rpt-users] Beagle Board-xM + LOX OS and power consumption

Sun Dec 25 15:32:36 UTC 2011

If you read the information on the DMK and Miro-Node websites, the documentation says that the
BeagleBoard-xM/LOX combo draws approx 500ma (although we measured it at aboud 375ma as
I recall), and the RTCM draws 80ma (both at 12V).

JIM WB6NIL

From: tim.sawyer at me.com
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:23:37 -0800
To: ron at morell.us
CC: App_rpt-users at ohnosec.org
Subject: Re: [App_rpt-users] Beagle Board-xM + LOX OS and power consumption

Can't help you there. Don't know but I bet the RTCM is pretty low current draw.

--
Tim
:wq

On Dec 24, 2011, at 8:27 PM, Ron Morell wrote:

    Tim,

    OK, good to know.  Now that the new firmware has the "fail over" to
    become a simple controller, is the CTCSS still generated in that
    mode with the new firmware?  This device is so new, it is hard to
    understand just what to expect from it.  WB6NIL rewrote the firmware
    for it very quickly, so it is definitely a moving target, but seems
    to be improving with each iteration.

    What do you know about the power consumption of the RTCM and the
    Beagle Board + LOX computer.  Thinking through the opportunity, I
    need a power budget for them.

    73 and Merry Christmas!

    Ron KA7U 

    On 12/24/2011 09:12 PM, Tim Sawyer wrote:
    The no CTCSS generation statement is referring to when
      the RTCM is connection failure mode. Otherwise it will generate
      CTCSS.

            --

              Tim

              :wq

        On Dec 24, 2011, at 11:11 AM, Ron Morell wrote:

           Tim,

            Thank your for your reply and input.  I am confused about
            the PL tone claim though.  Check out this excerpt from a
            WB6NIL post:

            Jim Duuuude telesistant at hotmail.com 

              Fri Dec 23 23:33:34 EST 2011

                Previous message: [App_rpt-users]

                    Allstar RTCM (Radio Thin Client Module) is
                    nowavailable 
                Next message: [App_rpt-users]

                    App_rpt-users Digest, Vol 34, Issue 59 
                 Messages sorted by: [
                    date ] [
                    thread ] [
                    subject ] [
                    author ] 

              I've been really busy (and productive) today.

The new version (0.60) of the RTCM/Voter board firmware now supports the following:

Notification via CW of host connection failure (with the option of repeating it 
periodically if still failed, along with option of repeating it after receiver un-key).

Notification via CW of host connection restoral after failure. 

"Offline" repeat mode, where it becomes a "dumb" repeater if host connection is lost.
Includes settable hang time. The "Notification via CW of host connection failure" feature
also can serve as a CW identifier in this mode (and was designed to do so).

The CW speed, CW strings (content of messages), and some other stuff is user-settable
from a menu.

Speaking of menus, the "big humongous" main menu is now split in to 3 nice, smaller ones.
The 2 sub-menus are IP (networking) parameters, and "Offline Mode" parameters.

The only thing it does *NOT* do is generate CTCSS tone when transmitting. I doubt it ever
will, since we are pretty much out of code space in the processor. This would require the
use of floating point trig functions to calculate generation constants (or from a table), neither
of which we have room for.

The 0.60 version will be available on SVN at 2115 PST tonight.

JIM WB6NIL

            As you have just read, Jim says there is no room on the RTCM
            processor to handle CTCSS.  So are you sure that the RTCM
            does handle PL tones?  I would have thought the tone
            generation would have been the same type of process.

            Ron - KA7U

            On 12/24/2011 11:18 AM, Tim Sawyer wrote:

              The RTCM's do facilitate simulcasting. They sync the transmit audio and generate PL. You only need to add frequency stabilization to each of your transmitters to have a simulcast system.
--
Tim
:wq

On Dec 24, 2011, at 9:43 AM, Ron Morell wrote:

                Trying to catch up on the threads of information and now trying to
understand the Beagle Board and LOX.  So reading along, I find this
board is using an ARM DM3730CBP 1GHz processor in the current versions. 
I find that Pickle Linux is supplying an Asterisk+app_rpt ISO image
meant to be written to a 4Gbyte mini SD Card, and that GMK Engineering
is selling a LOX board with adapter cables to connect it to the Beagle
Board-xM and that this device will connect up to 2 radios.

Reading on, there is the RTCM device that is capable of replacing an
Asterisk+app_rpt computer at a radio site, but these devices need to
connect to a "Hub" Asterisk+app_rpt to be addressable through the
AllStar Link Network.  Recently WB6NIL has added firmware updates to
manage these RTCM devices as a simple repeater controller in the event
they lose connection with the "Hub" Asterisk+app_rpt switch controller.

So my questions so far are:
how much power in watts does the Beagle Board-xM with LOX use on average? 
how much power in watts does the RTCM use on average?
Has anyone compiled a Debian OS with Asterisk+app_rpt for use on the
Beagle Board-xM, or is Pickle Linux the only currently available OS
solution?
Is the current Beagle Board-xM the recommended computer to use, or is
another version better supported?
Do the Beagle Board users need to have a JTAG device to debug and
interface with the system and upgrade uBoot?  If so, which JTAG device
is recommended?

OK, enough with the questions.  Given that the RTCM seems to be an
attractive solution and the Beagle Boards are supporting up to 2 radios
per device with a very elegant solution, I would like to learn as much
as I can about these devices and their intended as well as extended
uses.  I'm not at all competent with the discussion on simulcasting
repeaters and nodes, but from what I've read that is not really the
scope of these devices, or is there something about simulcast that I've
missed in the threads here?

73 and Merry Christmas,
Ron - KA7U

_______________________________________________
App_rpt-users mailing list
App_rpt-users at ohnosec.org
http://ohnosec.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/app_rpt-users

_______________________________________________
App_rpt-users mailing list
App_rpt-users at ohnosec.org
http://ohnosec.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/app_rpt-users 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.keekles.org/pipermail/app_rpt-users/attachments/20111225/dbcc6ee4/attachment.html>