The CHORD project

Aug 3, 2001

Well, time is up and I am not done. Aha well. I will finsh up in the fall when the insanity of this past Spring and Summer have passed. It is unfortunate when work gets in the way of our hobbies, isn't it? The Summer did not allow me any time to devote to this personal project.

To catch up, the system works. It is running debian potato with a 2.2.19 kernel and the usb backport. I tried my hand at porting the keyboard hack to 2.2.19 and got it almost right - the caps lock chord does not work, but all else does.

Whats not done? While the case is ready, the system has not had been put in a Charmit case, it is currently a stack of boards sitting on an anti static matt. To compleate the project I have to:

• Make the final version of the three part 40 pin to 44 pin hard drive adapter that will fit in the case the way I want it to fit
• Make the USB cables
• Toke photos of the assembly process
• Scan the scematics of the keyboard/backup batt. to power board cable
• Scan the drwings of the hypertronics cables assembly and pin outs
• Write the accompanying text for the battery cable assembly section
• Write the accompanying text for the headphone cable assembly section
• Write the accompanying text for the keyboard assembly section
• Write the accompanying text for the USB cable assembly section
• Write the accompanying text for the face plate modification section
• Write the accompanying text for the hard disk install section
• Write the accompanying text detailing the serial port console setup
• Finish adding and checking links to manufactures, pdf hardware files and emacspeak introduction pages

Totaled up that is about 3 evenings of hardware work, 3 of scanning and photographing and 3 weeks of evening writing. The vast majority of what is left is a matter of writing up what is done. Also, I am leaning toward putting the rig into a 4 board charmit case rather than the 2 board case so that in addition to the dedicated speech board I can continue to use the soundblaster board (that is attached to the stack now as it sits outside a case) and perhpas even add back the pcmcia board that I used during the install. Aha, the pitfalls of mission creap!

The existing photos and documentation is availble. This is raw stuff and not for the faint of heart. You have been warned. If still interested have a look at http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~priestdo/chord/final.html

All in all I have enjoyed exploring the MachZ, I think this project would benifit from one of the new variants of the core MachZ core board, but even as it exsists, it meets my goals of providing a low power robust audio based work station and I am looking forward to walking around with it this fall. Perhaps most importantly my daughter Greg

Previous version of this page follows:

The CHORD project was chosen as a finalist in Embedded Linux Journel's MZ104 "Hack Embedded Linux for Fun and Prizes" contest. This means that I have until Aug. 1, 2001 to compleate the project which includes posting relevant plans, a bill of materials, documentation etc. etc.

The CHORD project as proposed is to take a MZ104 (a MachZ 586 pc on a chip which has been put on a pc104 board) and build it into a small linux box running emacspeak and controled by a one handed chording input system. I hear you ask, "but Greg, how is this different than the werables that you have already built?" Well, it is differnt in several importand ways:

• Since the MZ104 is much lower power than anything I have used before it will be lighter than my previous designs for the same run time.
• Unlike my recent designs I am not trying to make this a System Admistrators dream box, instead I am returning to my roots and makeing this a reading and writing centric device. It should be noted though, that since this device is running debian linux the end user could modify it by adding whatever packages they like and as such tailor it in any way they see fit. However, my goals will be met if I can create and document and emacspeak reading and writing station in the time allowd.
• This breaks from my previous designs by having the keyboard incorporated into the case. It is my hope that if this device proves usefull all the needed componets could be placed onto one board and that would make this a much smaller device (pda sized). Incorporating the keyboard into the case is just my way of getting the feel for that future device. It also means less wires, and less wires means less hassles.
• This device benifits (or suffers) from a severe case of K.I.S.S. If a component is not absolutly nessisary, I am leaving it off. This includes vidio output, mouse, ethernet and the like. It has USB and I will be using it with a USB ethernet adapter or a parallel port ethernet adapter (if I cannot get the usb to work). It has serial ports and I will be testing it out with a serial CDMA ppp connection for wireless connectivity (because it is what I have). But none of these things will be built in. Why? Because its primary function is for highly portable emacspeak use and these other things are just not essential to that goal.

Proposed Component List

note: this list is not compleate and urls have not yet been added for all components

• MZ104 the MachZ pc on a chip in pc104 format board
• Doubletalk text to speech board from RC Systems
• Charmit 2 board case and dc to dc converter
• Toshiba 2.5 inch hard drive
• Sony LiIon battery
• Chordhack for creation of a chording input system
• Debian 2.2 + 2.2.19 kernel for security and usb support
• Emacspeak

That is all I have typed up so far, more as it happens - Greg

Last modified Aug 3, 2001