Mako DSP

So given that NXP has been acquired by Qualcomm that puts the future of the LPC4330 MCU line into an awkward place given how Qualcomm puts all their parts behind NDAs and this being an open project. So we'll have to see what happens to the NXP portfolio going forward, if its going to be kept as open as it is now I will go ahead with a redesign based on their hardware if not, the project is probably going to shift over to STM32 since they are open enough and have the easiest to use ARM product line out of all the companies I've tried.

Hey folks, so this project is wicked old, underdeveloped, and unfinished. Some of the parts have even been discontinued. All that being said my passion for music and audio is still there, and I intend to begin work on this project again.

Now for the future of Mako DSP. I have decided to abandon the arduino formfactor entirely and focus on developing a formfactor most appropriate for buidling audio DSP applications with MIDI. Instead of an odd shaped board with headers, I'm opting for a standard rectangular shape with ports on the board edge, LPC4337 at the center. I thinking the following preliminary Specs :

- LPC4337 ARM Cortex M4F/M0 Asymmetrical dual core (Same MCU as before)

- 8 Channel in and out Audio Codec

- External DRAM modules for the LPC4337

- Stereo SPIDF output

- USB connectivity

- USB Host/OTG

- Ethernet

- Full size MIDI input and output DIN connectors

- 1/4 Stereo TRS jacks for all connectivity to the audio codec

The concept I'm aiming for here is sort of like a DSP evaluation kit from a manufacture but instead the beefy LPC4337 at the center of everything. Also all future development will be in KiCAD and probably in a new repository. I'm going to start with the LPC4337, external memory, audio codec, and just USB device in the first version. I have a lot of LPC4337 TQFP parts laying around, so I can build this version for minimal costs, the next version will be BGA and contain all the intended features listed above. Thats all for now folks!

 Mako DSP has been in development since August 2013, the first prototype design was completed in October 2013, development stopped from the end of october until late January 2014. No prototypes have been manufactured as of yet. I have been doing a lot of thinking about what sort of audio processing I want the Mako to be able to do and thinking about how that will affect the design. For a long while even at the start of the project I was considering external memory. External memory would allow for many more possibilities, the only issues is that it needs more pins. THe decision has been made to swtich over the to the BGA256 package for the LPC4337 and add an external SDRAM module. These are huge changes and will require a complete redesign of the hardware but its the right direction to go in. Stay tuned folks!