> > I don't care how long it takes me. My time frame is 1 year.

> .... you'd better be prepared to spent that year full time on
> this, and I still doubt you will finish it in that time frame

For someone with little or no firmware experience I tend to
agree. If, as you say,

"This project will basically be a working prototype to show to
investors"

instead of producing a finished product (or as near as dammit)
perhaps use some OTS hardware to demo and a proof-of-
concept presentation. I'm sure you can get someone technical
under a non-disclosure agreement to back you up as to what's
feasible and producible

I recently had to exactly what you want to do. Build a modular
device to demonstrate a principle. I KNEW it could be done
but the $$$$ wanted to see one in action. From my perspective
it wasn't totally a waste of a month's unpaid labour (it did force
me to actually design and program the circuit, thereby improving
the concept as work progressed etc. Including two horrible
weeks finding out all the things ISD didn't want you to know
about the ISD5008), but the fact that some blow-dries didn't
initially take my word for it was a little on the nose. All said and
done though, by presenting with a working prototype I jumped
several rungs from credible scruff to shit-hot. And have a working
prototype to prove it ;-)

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