Technical Terminology
This list is intended for new technical hires on the product/engineering teams.
General Terms
- Nrf52840
- The thing that makes all software and connectivity features of Riven work
- MF88F3 Module
- The module containing the Nrf52840 from the manufacturer Minew.
- Chip/Chipset (Level 1)
- Low level component. It is going to negotiate the lowest levels of connection and authentication with the cellular network. It’s going to control the frequency. It’s going to control all the super nerdy RF stuff that is required to connect and communicate data, SMS and voice over the cellular network.
- Module (Level 2)
- See reference
- MF88F3 Module
- The chip is the IC used in MF88F3 module. Nrf52840 is a chip and it can not work with other passive components. Module includes everything necessary to get the nrf52840 working.
- LE in Bluetooth LE
- LE stands for Low Energy. Same as BLE or BT LE.
- Bootloader
- A bootloader is an application used to update/upgrade system software without the intervention of specialized firmware upgrade tools
- In the context for keyboards - we use a bootloader to flash our application software (firmware) in the flash memory of our Nordic NRF52840 microcontroller.
- Flashing
- Also know as installing firmware, or updating firmware
- Flashing essentially wipes out existing code on the microcontroller and rebuilds the entire system
- Stabilizer (Stabs)
- A keyboard part that is placed next to the switches for larger keys, such as the spacebar, to prevent the keycap from wobbling when pressed. Keys that are 2u or larger use stabilizers.
- DFU
- See reference [here]
- HID
- Human Input Devices
- Refers to any device that takes input from a person, and can produce output for humans to interpet.
- QMK
- QMK (Quantum Mechanical Keyboard) is an open source community centered around developing computer input devices. In other words, QMK is shared code people can use to create custom keyboard features
- ZMK
- The code that makes features possible on Riven is built on top of an existing open-source library called ZMK Firmware. https://zmkfirmware.dev/
- Web USB
- Low-level underlying technology of the technology making the web configurator possible. WebUSB API provides a way to safely expose USB device services to the web. WebHID is its successor.
- Web Bluetooth
- Web Bluetooth is an API that enables interaction with Bluetooth devices through web browsers
- Web HID
- The successor to WebUSB. See Chome platform status page
- EEPROM
- Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.
- EEPROMs can be programmed and erased in-circuit, by applying special programming signals
More #Internal Terminology
