FPGA source code?

[Chris Gough]

Maybe I missed it, but is the source code available for the FPGA firmware? If not, do you intend to release it? 

[Liam McQuellin]

The following statement is in the data sheet.

"Whilst the SwiftNAP HDL is not open-source at this time, the Piksi has no restrictions against loading one’s own firmware onto the on-board Spartan-6 FPGA. More detail on the SwiftNAP is available from the SwiftNAP datasheet1." 

I imagine this is still the case.

Cheers,

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Liam McQuellin

Australian Space Research Institute

On Monday, 22 July 2013, Chris Gough wrote:

Maybe I missed it, but is the source code available for the FPGA firmware? If not, do you intend to release it? 

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Liam McQuellin
Australian Space Research Institute

[Chris Gough]

Thank you Liam, for that gentle and deserved RTFM :)

I see the SwiftNAP datasheet is still a TODO, as it the SwiftNAP wiki
page, and the link to SwiftNAP download on the relevant HOWTO page.
Googling "swiftnap hex" doesn't shed any light either - what licence
is the SwiftNAP hex and where might I find it?

Chris Gough

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[Liam McQuellin]

Hi Chris.

I probably could have been nicer about that but with 51 unread emails and a massive head cold (like everyone else in Melbourne at the moment) I just wanted to answer your question ASAP.

So regarding the FPGA firmware. I imagine since its HDL and written for a Spartan 6 the final file flashed to the FPGA's external flash memory it's a .bit file (going from my memory of VHDL programming). If it is online, it would be probably be stored on GitHub. 

Because of the nature of the FPGA firmware, I imagine this will not be available for public release. I will let Fergus confirm that.

In terms of the relevance of the FPGA firmware, unless you are building your own board, it probably isn't neseccary. All the acquisition management etc. takes place on the STM32F4 so most of the functionality changes that would ever be required can be done by modifying the STM32F4 firmware.

I hope this is helpful. If anything doesn't make sense, I blame the head cold.

Cheers,

Liam

[Fergus Noble]

Hi Chris,

The HDL source for the SwiftNAP is currently not open source. We do intend to put the 'compiled' binary MCS configuration file up on the website. The FPGA loads the configuration from the external SPI flash. We consider the SwiftNAP a low-level 'peripheral' that is used by the STM to perform correlation operations, just like if you used some other correlator IC like the venerable old GP2021. All the interesting stuff goes on on the STM. We do need to get some proper documentation up for the NAP interface, hopefully we will get time to work on that soon.

We are happy for people to make their own boards and flash the SwiftNAP binary to them. The hardware is 'signed' with a key in the SPI flash that is compared with the Spartan6 unique ID, so if you make your own hardware just let us know your Spartan6 ID and we will send you a key. This provision is just intended to stop mass cloning, not individuals making their own hardware.

We haven't given much thought to a license for the binary file yet, what would you like to see in such a license? Are you mainly interested for curiosity or do you have something specific in mind? I'm sure we'd be more than happy to help in any way we can with your project.

Thanks,

Fergus

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Fergus Noble

CTO, Swift Navigation Inc.
340 Woodpecker Ridge
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
P: (831) 426-3733
F: (831) 426-5666

[Chris Gough]

Hi Fergus,

My interest is basically curiosity, but there are ~25 of my open source, uBlox based GPS units in the wild so I have a demonstrable interest in developing  (and potentially commercialising) my own GPS hardware. The exact motivation for my question is this - if I invest the time to learn your system, do GPS your way, am I better or worse off in terms of my ability to tailor my own solutions in the future? If your HDL stays closed and you go out of business, I'll will potentially find myself at a dead end. If you succeed and end up fabless manufacturers of an ASIC, but price it in a way that doesn't suit me I'm also caught out.

I understand you need a business model that works for you, and I think what you are doing is very cool. I think this concept of "cloners" as evil bogey men / parasites, for example being promulgated by DIYDrones, but think it's basically the concept is unsound

Chris Gough

[Chris Gough]

Sorry, my last email was garbled because I accidentally sent it while rewriting it, seems I can't operate a smart phone and feed chickens at the same time. I think the message was clear, having a closed component in an open system makes me nervous.

Chris Gough

[Fergus Noble]

Yeah, I understand your concerns. We have had a lot of debate about this ourselves. We felt that keeping the SwiftNAP HDL source closed for now offers us some protection whilst having the least impact on people modifying and extending the system for their needs. For what its worth, I can tell you that if we ever went out of business we would release the HDL under an open source licence.

Do you think there is any acceptable middle ground? We have discussed releasing the HDL under NDA. Whilst that is ideologically very far from open sourcing it, it would at least allow people access to see the source. We do want to discuss this with the community and are totally open to suggestions.

Thanks,

Fergus

[Craig Elder]

Having a mix of closed source binary or FPGA plus open source drivers or SDK is working for Invensense and Pulsedlight.

I don't see it as a problem.

Craig

[ali.a...@alialsaqqa.com]

Although I am not myself a user of Piksi, yet I think that releasing the HDL under an NDA is a very nice solution, exactly the same as what Invensense does.

[Dingjiang Zhou]

Hi Fergus,

   Is it possible to obtain your HDL source under NDA?

Regards,

Dingjiang Zhou

Boston University

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