Blitzortung.org Forum

Full Version: Possibility of contributing to a second-tier experimenta hardware / software effort?
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
First off, I want to express how impressed I am with this effort. The work here is amazing, and I cannot accurately  express how impressed I am. As an Electrical Engineer of 30+ years, I see the greatness of this projects contributors , spanning many disciplines of  RF, Digital, PCB, Embedded, Mathematics, and web-development. What an amazing team effort. What an amazing team! I want to be on it. 

 To that point, I really, really, really, really want to contribute. I am on the list to become a station, but the list is long, and I am number 6352 on the list. I assume it will be a very, very long time before I see my kit. So, I humbly ask, would it be OK, and would anyone be interested in a  2nd-tier EXPERIMENTAL effort (asking for / with the full blessings of the original developers) ? Perhaps with lower cost, simpler hardware? Not as "good" but ubiquitous and fun for the "rest of us" ?

   My field of expertise is in RF/ FPGA /Embedded design.  I would --love-- to build a "simpler" station,  perhaps with a much shorter range (as there seems to be no end of people who wish to have a station, so range does not seem to be that important) and with perhaps much tighter timing accuracy? 

   Spit balling here, us an FPGA /  GPS 1PPS to time tag "events" from a voltage-mode threshold detector (i.e. less sensitive, but more timing accurate than an ADC)   to report back to an experimental server?  Keep the hardware CHEAP and SIMPLE, perhaps make it a Pi-Zero hat?   As for the FPGA / PCB design, I can handle that, and I can even build a medium volume of prototypes, (which I will fund / sell at $0 profit / cost) as I have pick and place machinery at my disposal (I am blessed to own a small scientific manufacturing company)

   What I am proposing here is and effort "for the rest of us" -- I am in NO WAY trying  to offend the original contributors of this magnificent system. In fact, I really want, and need,  their help and their blessing. If the project data becomes useful, maybe they could even integrate the data collection into their "production" system,


   Again, I come to this effort hat-in-hand, with the best intentions. 


    Thank you,

    ---Lou