Mid-July Update

Short and sweet update tonight..

Summary For Those Not Wanting to Read Any Further: Code is getting ready for final testing, boards are getting ready for final testing, and connectors are on their way.  The long pole in the tent is the connectors, which are not expected to arrive until mid-August.  I have one sample unit that I will use to get everything ready in the mean time.  I hope to “open the store front” as soon as the connectors arrive. Everything else should be done by then. Wahoo!

Board Details: Moving along nicely.  Red and green LEDs were swapped (the red is where the green goes, the green is where the red goes).  This wouldn’t normally be a big deal (they’re color coded, after all), except the board also has text printed on it to indicate meaning (for those who may be color blind, for example).   So a RED light blinking when things are GOOD can get confusing..  Likewise a GREEN light blinking when things are bad can get confusing as well.   So– the boards have been shipped back to have their Red and Green LED’s swapped.  Should be about a week or so.  I kept two (2) units to continue working while the other 98 units are being repaired.  I also have a little finger-edge connector to build-up to help me quickly program 100 PMCv1 units..

Software Details: Also moving along nicely.  The software has been updated to reflect the new LEDs (once they’re in the right locations) and the new switches, and the new micro-controller has allowed me a little more code space to do some code updates that make things nice on my end (easier to maintain down-the-road if I need to make changes).  I’ll be hooking up the first official PMCv1 hardware to my TV in a week or so and verify that the communications to the TV work properly and that I can both reset and undo the black level age counter on my set.  Once that verification is complete, I will go through a few times and try to break and abuse the PMCv1 and make sure it doesn’t crash, make sure it doesn’t cause problems, make sure it doesn’t get confused on the job it’s supposed to do, etc.  Once that’s done, the software will be complete and ready for loading onto the modules.

Connector Details: The connector snag has been corrected, and I submitted “1st article approval” tonight.  That means they sent me one of each (PHR and GHR) connector with pigtail wires for me to approve the assembly before they go build 100pcs of each type.  I will only be supporting the two most common 11pin connectors at this time due to cost.  The 20pin connector will not be supported at this time.  When I get the ordering page ready to go, it will be very clear which connector type you need.  So far I believe everyone can use one of the 11pin connectors (PHR or GHR).

That’s all for tonight!
..dane