diff README @ 103:f2542deec11a

README: update for release-ready state
author Mychaela Falconia <falcon@freecalypso.org>
date Fri, 29 Sep 2023 18:17:36 +0000
parents 1415508e7ea2
children
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--- a/README	Thu Sep 28 21:13:33 2023 +0000
+++ b/README	Fri Sep 29 18:17:36 2023 +0000
@@ -1,6 +1,20 @@
-This code repository is a work in progress.  The initial objective is to move
-FTDI EEPROM tools out of freecalypso-hwlab Hg repository and polish them into
-an installable software component similar to other FreeCalypso tools; I am also
-looking at the possibility of developing some tools for old-style CP2102 chips
-that require EEPROM tinkering in order to switch between 230400/460800/921600
-and 203125/406250/812500 baud rates.
+The present package is a set of tools for working with USB-serial interface
+chips, specifically those FTDI and Silabs chips that are of relevance to
+FreeCalypso.  The following tools are included:
+
+* Utilities for examining the non-volatile baud rate configuration on CP2102
+  adapters and for reprogramming their EEPROM, switching between "standard"
+  230400/460800/921600 and GSM-specific 203125/406250/812500 baud rates;
+
+* A utility for switching a FreeCalypso DUART28 adapter between C and S
+  configurations, as well as checking the current configuration;
+
+* General-purpose FT2232x and FT232R EEPROM programming tools.
+
+The common theme across all of these tools is that they talk to a USB-interfaced
+chip at the native USB level, bypassing the usual abstraction of ttyUSB, and
+thus require libusb.  More specifically, our tools are built on libusb-0.x API,
+consisting of <usb.h> include header and -lusb link library pull-in; on "modern"
+systems these pieces will typically be provided by libusb-compat-0.1 package
+wrapping around libusb-1.x, but in the spirit of Holy retrocomputing, really old
+systems can be used with native libusb-0.1.