Re: gEDA-user: Re: Soldering irons

[DJ Delorie <dj@delorie.com>]

> What if the PC gets stuck up due to some bug in CPU (closed source),
> motherboard (closed source), BIOS (closed source) or SMPSU not
> correctly handling power glitch (closed source)?

It's running Linux, so the software is all open, plus I'm talking
directly to the hardware so no driver bugs in that part of the system.
I'll probably end up with a UPS on it too, until I work out the reboot
bugs.  I'll probably need to rev the board a few more times to work
out ESD and lightning surge bugs too.

> 1) increase PCB max. layer count from 8 to 256 (we could leave it on
> 32, however have another problem when technology creeps up to the
> point when 40-layer boards will be done).

We'd have to redesign how layer flags work; they're currently done as
word-size bitfields for each attribute, they'd have to be bitfields
for each layer instead (i.e.  the 32 bit limit would be for
attributes, not layers).

But we'd need something like this anyway if we ever start using layers
for meta-data (like board outlines, keep-outs, etc).

> 2) start doing free technology motherboard (yes I know it's
> difficult, we have to have mounting holes at the exactly same places
> as there are pegs in the ATX case :-D )

The ATX spec isn't that hard to get right.  When I did the 386
motherboard at DG we just measured an existing one and it fit no
problem.

> ( now after DJ's explanations I don't fear the tiny pitch
> motherboard chips anymore ;-) )

It's BGAs that are tricky for hand-soldering.

> However it's interesting the guy who wrote a really good DOS GCC
> port I have been using when I was younger boy (about 17-18 years
> old) emerged in my life once again, talking about a ready-made home
> furnace controller.

:-)