[NTLK] Internal WiFi Project

[Jake Bordens]

>Is that really necessary? NIE PCMCIA drivers just forward raw 802.11 network packets back and forth. I have no in-depth knowledge of the ESP firmware yet, but I thought I saw an interface for just that, raw inet packages.

Ooh fancy.  I didn't know that functionality was buried in the esp8266.  Side note, I had npds running on my wifi board, but its kind of a pain, because the newton is behind a NAT on the WiReach module.  You have to forward ports and such to make it work.  This way, the newton could be a first-class citizen on the network. 

> So the obvious thing that I found was adding a microSD permanently inside the MP. 

Very cool idea.

>Instead of dedicated logic chips, I wand to try a CPLD programmable logic (great chance to learn how they work). That way, we can hook all signals from the Newton connector to any pin on the ESP module and create even more exotic implementation, for example the ESP pretending to be a keyboard, or even generating sound via the Newton speaker.

Also cool.  If you're doing this, maybe we can figure out how the timing works on the external clocked serial (Baud=0) and get the full 2megabit speed.  My eyes glaze over whenever I start looking at those timing diagrams.

I do wish the ESP had BLE capability because then we could do HID devices.  Maybe we could find a BLE module to squeeze on there too?  And the kitchen sink?

The other idea I mentioned on a list a while back was a clock generator (similar to the old implant) that could be software controllable.  The trick is switching clock frequencies in a "glitch-less" way such that the system doesn't crash.  Also, you'd need some sort of UART to handle the fact that the newton talks in non-standard baud rates when overclocked.  Probably starting to get a little ridiculous.