[Openec] openec plans

[Frieder Ferlemann]

Hi Albert,

Albert Cahalan schrieb:
> Need any help?

Definitely! Yes!)

> I have some reverse engineering experience and a plain B2 laptop. I
> don't think I have a way to recover if I totally brick the laptop. I
> have limited soldering ability and no fancy equipment.

This is pretty much my situation as well.

Except I don't have a laptop (and not yet the confirmation
(only the intent) that one is shipped - I'm a pest ain't I?^)


> ... totally brick the laptop.

Yes. This would probably be the major concern and so it's probably
part one of the plan.

We should have a fail safe startup code which allows the XO
to recover no matter what we do. (With the help of only an
external USB keyboard).

So (RFC) the boot vector would point to a routine which
pulls down KEY_OUT1 and then checks if all KEY_IN1..3 are low.
If this is the case it would set its IO Ports so that the
XO has a chance to boot (and then it would sit in a loop
checking if KEY_UP_L is pressed).
Otherwise the routine would jump into SDCC generated code.

> Do we need a restricted dirty-room mailing list for reverse
> engineering?

I have no idea about the needed proportion of engineering
versus reengineering.

Others may tell, although there's always a slight chance of
good companies being less good (Caldera/SCO).

Greetings,

Frieder