HQCT Module (new thread following HU RDS/RDBS)

**0l33l** · 03-20-2006, 12:57 AM

This is better. Also has AM. That site has a few more modules

**TheLlama** · 03-20-2006, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by 0l33l

This is better. Also has AM. That site has a few more modules

Except that it lacks the usb interface and who knows about cost (but who knows here either?)

Quick Question, I see the HQCT1 module is around 100x50mm. How deep is it?

**Diogenes** · 03-20-2006, 02:20 AM

Quick answer,

30 mm deep (100 long and 56 wide)

mounting holes are 49 mm apart on short side and 93 on long side and have 3.5 mm diameter.

Thanks for the links about tuner modules, i'm looking into them, so far only interesting pictures, nothing tangible (yet)

diogenes

**lchatela** · 03-20-2006, 03:39 AM

We have to undestand that this is a project and not a true commercial product (perhaps later but not now). The delivery of the hardware is a step of the implementation. Then we will have to wait for software or better: work on it.
At the end of march we won't have a plug'n'play solution, we will have to wait further software implementation to have full support in all front ends.

If people wants to have support for a particular front end, they have to pay a unit and send it to the developpers of the front end. The original team can't send free unit to everybody (unless they have a serious business plan and think that the units will be sold at high volume but I am not sure that is the case).

That means 2 things:
- we have to work on the sotware part to add support for frontends
- the price of the first units should be adapted to all this things (strong hard testing will be made by first users and software will be at a beta state) (and that's perhaps why it's is hard for them to give us a price now).

This project is a great improvement for the community so we have to support them for this step.

**FMode** · 03-20-2006, 05:29 AM

> "supported-frontents-by-HQCT-discussion" ...

The problem is not new...
Many frontends do something which is clever:
They use Radiator !
Oooops no RDS suppport !

So why don't we learn from Radiator ?
Why don't we extend the Radiator-protocol with RDS or something like that ?

I have done it and called it FMRadioHAL (see it as a proposal!) (it is for .NET and for COM):
http://netsh88.hades.net-build.de/fmode/radiohal/

This thing gives the frontend a radio which could be "tuned" and delivers field-strength and RDS data in RAW format (!) - no decoding only error correction... Then the frontend could use an RDS decoder module to get Station-name etc...

Or do you know which cool ODA (OpenDataApplication)-Services in the RDS-stream every radio-station in the world transmitts ? - so don't implement a RDS decoder in HAL

!

And BTW one ODA service is TMC. So it would be nice if the RDS module starts a virtual COM Port (this could be done in a later version) gets NMEA stream from the gps mouse and merges it with the TMC data (in GNS protocol style) - (in an later version) - so also no RDS decoder in Frontend !!!

So what could be done ? :

I have looked at the Delphi Sources and could implement a (FMRadioHAL) version (means: frontend coders could test it just now with my FMRadioHAL version for Radiator I can add a RDS simulation if you like, also means Frontend coders didn't need to buy a HQCT) OR the coder rewrites it in Delphi .NET then Frontends could use it directly - if he splits the radiocontroll-part into a seperate assembly.

**antimatter** · 03-20-2006, 02:39 PM

I never said to send units to everybody. I said to send units to the top most popular frontends to hit the majority of the people while minimizing the cost.

If they were smart they would just get the hardware out there to the frontend software developers so it would be worth buying.

If the sellers want to recoup any losses they could lend the hardware out. or sell it at a discount (at cost) to the developers. The sales generated by software support is more than adequite to warrent this.

This is not a home brew project, this is a full blown commercial product. Therefore it should be treated like one

Originally Posted by lchatela

We have to undestand that this is a project and not a true commercial product (perhaps later but not now). The delivery of the hardware is a step of the implementation. Then we will have to wait for software or better: work on it.
At the end of march we won't have a plug'n'play solution, we will have to wait further software implementation to have full support in all front ends.

If people wants to have support for a particular front end, they have to pay a unit and send it to the developpers of the front end. The original team can't send free unit to everybody (unless they have a serious business plan and think that the units will be sold at high volume but I am not sure that is the case).

That means 2 things:
- we have to work on the sotware part to add support for frontends
- the price of the first units should be adapted to all this things (strong hard testing will be made by first users and software will be at a beta state) (and that's perhaps why it's is hard for them to give us a price now).

This project is a great improvement for the community so we have to support them for this step.

**TheLlama** · 03-20-2006, 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by antimatter

I never said to send units to everybody. I said to send units to the top most popular frontends to hit the majority of the people while minimizing the cost.

If they were smart they would just get the hardware out there to the frontend software developers so it would be worth buying.

Yeah, but where do you draw this line? I have a frontend used by one person, does that mean I should get a free one? I hope so

Originally Posted by Diogenes

Quick answer,

30 mm deep (100 long and 56 wide)

mounting holes are 49 mm apart on short side and 93 on long side and have 3.5 mm diameter.

great. Is that depth (30mm) the height of that transistor? How deep is the unit where the shielded box is? Sorry about the questions, I'm designing a case and need to squeeze the unit into my design and I'm down to the last few millimeters.

**antimatter** · 03-21-2006, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by TheLlama

Yeah, but where do you draw this line? I have a frontend used by one person, does that mean I should get a free one? I hope so

great. Is that depth (30mm) the height of that transistor? How deep is the unit where the shielded box is? Sorry about the questions, I'm designing a case and need to squeeze the unit into my design and I'm down to the last few millimeters.

Its not up to me to draw the line. But in your case if it was me, giving a module to you or the developer wouldn't be worth it becasue we both know that your going to buy one anyways and right there thats 50% saturation.

Come on get with the program

**jcdillin** · 03-21-2006, 03:02 PM

It's absolutely essential to get these units to the front-end people, or it's going to end up just like Sirius. We have the units, we have the adapters, but only one front-end supports the unit. If more of the adapters made it out all the front ends would support Sirius.

But at the same time you don't have to be a rocket scientist to tell who the big players are in the front-end arena.

**Diogenes** · 03-21-2006, 05:17 PM

Hi, very welcome to ask questions,

the highest part is indeed the transistor (its a voltage regulator as a matter of fact and it is 28 mm high ), the shielding box is 40 by 63 by 23.

diogenes