Brief Answers to the Big (Pyra) Questions

[levi]

Ah yeah, that is somewhat akin to the SATA data lines inside my PC come to think of it. I guess that is actually a full size SATA data port then. You could buy a cheap PC PSU and run it outside of a case, just feeding the SATA power lines to the drive you have connected.

I can't find a USB to SATA power adaptor that just uses the USB 5V lines, so I guess using a PSU would be the most practical way to do it. And even then, I've not found any of my 3.5" drives actually spin up on USB 5V/2A power alone but with a 60W PSU and up, that shouldn't be a problem. Just avoid feeding any paperclips into the ventilation holes and you'll be fine.

 

[Kolbász]

Yes, 3.5" drives need 12V. I think the most practical way of using such drive would be to use something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/eSATA-Drive-Docking-Station-3-5in/dp/B00KILQOG0

with a cable like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-eSATA-Transition-P952-003/dp/B00119P6SU

If you want to have it somewhat portable with a 5V-only 2.5" drive, you could try to make a cable like this: [https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/attachments/satausb-jpg.30835/]. I have made this one, only basic soldering skills are needed.

edited: stupid amazon links...

 

[Letalis Sonus]

Yes, 3.5" drives need 12V.

Depends on the drive, several still only use 5V. Just like some old 2.5" drives won't work without 3.3V being available.

 

[Kolbász]

I didn't know that 5V-only 3,5" SATA hard drives exist. I have searched the internet for such a drive several times in the past, with no luck finding one. Could you please show me one?

 

[Letalis Sonus]

I checked that before posting, but I can't find that datasheet I spotted again - gotta check my browser history when I'm back on my desktop PC.

 

[Alphasys]

Thanks levi and others.

So there's a possibility, but no "off the shelf" solution so far. I suppose
I'll have to stick to external drives with USB 2.0 interface to keep things
relatively clean for now. The interface is a nice idea though and I'm
thinking of making a sort of docking station with it in the future, once
this is all fleshed out and readily available. For now I'll settle with "mobile
speeds" for my storage.

 

[TrashyMG]

Thanks levi and others.

So there's a possibility, but no "off the shelf" solution so far. I suppose
I'll have to stick to external drives with USB 2.0 interface to keep things
relatively clean for now. The interface is a nice idea though and I'm
thinking of making a sort of docking station with it in the future, once
this is all fleshed out and readily available. For now I'll settle with "mobile
speeds" for my storage.

Well Sandisk and maybe a few others made an USB 3.0 OTG thumbdrives that may work, but I assume with USB-C coming in fairly shortly after those are getting rare to find.

 

[Letalis Sonus]

I checked that before posting, but I can't find that datasheet I spotted again - gotta check my browser history when I'm back on my desktop PC.

Okay, I misread that datasheet - for some reason WD decided that it was a good idea to use a single datasheet for both their desktop and mobile Red HDDs... I wouldn't be surprised if someone made some OEM 5V HDDs specially for external drives, though.

 

[Kolbász]

That's a pity, I have really hoped that I can finally get a 5V-only 3.5" hard drive. Anyway, thanks for checking that datasheet.

 

[ryan27968]

That's a pity, I have really hoped that I can finally get a 5V-only 3.5" hard drive. Anyway, thanks for checking that datasheet.

Anecdotally, I've definitely seen one or two 3.5mm drives in my time as a technician that run off USB alone but I couldn't tell you which ones they were and they were pretty rare.

 

[docbroke]

I have one question. I am hoping to replace my android phone with pyra, is it possible? I mean I haven't seen any pyra prototype images showing telephony application. Where is the microphone located in pyra body?

 

[ThinkPad]

Librem 5 will be the real Android/iPhone replacement.

Using Pyra as a phone will be pain in the ass.
I guess it will be okay to use it as a phone if you have no life and make 1 or 2 calls for a month.
Also there is zero indication that Pyra will be released anytime soon.

 

[docbroke]

I am looking for a phone with proper keyboard. Linux phone without keyboard (read librem 5) kills half of it's purpose. I am willing to use pyra if it supports callling and sms, and have a decent microphone so that I don't have search earphone everytime I receive a call. I don't mind cli/tui app, actually I will prefer cli tool that can be scripted using bash.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

I have one question. I am hoping to replace my android phone with pyra, is it possible? I mean I haven't seen any pyra prototype images showing telephony application. Where is the microphone located in pyra body?

It definitely should be. One of the people here, @AndiTheBest I believe, is making a dialer program. I think it's also supposed to have contacts and SMS functionality. I may also try to make something curses based, but I'm not much of a programmer.

 

[Grench]

Librem 5 will be the real Android/iPhone replacement.

Using Pyra as a phone will be pain in the ass.
I guess it will be okay to use it as a phone if you have no life and make 1 or 2 calls for a month.
Also there is zero indication that Pyra will be released anytime soon.

Librem 5 is a nice smartphone device. Much like the Pyra, though, it is going to need a lot of community software support to be effective. Maybe the two projects will have some code share & overlap? Androiid is an OS, not a device form factor. It runs on desktops as well as clamshell devices with keyboards (Gemini). But - I get your meaning that the Librem will be competing against other phablet style smart phones. I wish them luck in competing in that market.

The Pyra was not meant to be a phone. I am not aware of it even shipping with a contacts database nor dialing program. The hypothetical phone call capabilities through bluetooth or microphone headset might some day get developed. In that event, some of us might try to use it as a phone replacement - mostly for the giggles & grins factor.

The 'if you have no life' insult wasn't needed. Most of the living humans that I know produce more words via text than they do speaking. (text messages, email, postings, etc.)

As for, "zero indication that the Pyra will be released any time soon".
We know that there are currently physical parts in the builder's hands to attempt assembly of the first ones to ship to paying customers. How much more indication do you want? Most recently we found out that ED had to order some stronger magnets for the lid switches. Consider that for a moment. That means that a unit was assembled and found to have a lid switch where the magnet wasn't strong enough to activate a hall sensor as read by a working OS. The only way to have figured that out was to build one and test it.

 

[elw3]

sms can be send from the terminal without much of coding, its just sending command, number and text to the modem. Expect phone calls to not work for the first months or even years.

 

[levi]

sms can be send from the terminal without much of coding, its just sending command, number and text to the modem. Expect phone calls to not work for the first months or even years.

Yeah, but receiving them? It's all just AT commands, but most people want some kind of gui they can use and re-read messages when they need to.

https://www.developershome.com/sms/cmgrCommand.asp

 

[Grench]

Yeah, but receiving them? It's all just AT commands, but most people want some kind of gui they can use and re-read messages when they need to.

https://www.developershome.com/sms/cmgrCommand.asp

I suspect it is more complicated than that. Modern wireless phones use digital packets to encode the text then decode those packets on the other side. The OLD analog phones used to carry the packets over modulated voice channels - making the voice an easily to 'see' part of the communications spectrum. The digital encoding/decoding to create/unpack the digital voice packets and assemble them into something to pass to the chosen audio out device - I suspect that process may be relatively complex.

But, yes, as far as making someone else's phone ring or to 'answer' the Pyra using AT commands - that part is relatively easy. Actually sending or receiving anything beyond that over the 'digital only' 4G carrier infrastructure - that might take a while.

First things first - need to get the 4G data connection fully supported (if it isn't already) so we can all post to these boards without using WiFi.

 

[levi]

Yeah, but the encryption that happens is all on the air side. The AT commands occur over the local (originally RS-232 serial) link, and generally aren't encrypted despite the fact you can probably pick up the signal from the street outside with a suitable antenna (although old RS-232 cables originally had fairly thick braided sheilding usually, which might antennuate the broadcasts sufficiently). I don't know for sure which AT commands the cellular modem supports yet, but I'd assume the SMS commands are quite well known and implemented; I was using them with a 2G digital phone attached the the back of a PC back in the late 90s.

 

[docbroke]

I am having Dell latitude laptop with sim card slot running archlinux. I am able to use that only for connecting to 3G network using ppp/pon/poff or wvdial, and read sms using gammu. For proper telephony, esp. to receive calls there needs to be a service running to keep modem connected with mobile network.