[Arm-netbook] Another chip to consider for a future EOMA product

[luke.leighton]

On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 10:26 AM, Stéphane Goujet
<stephane.goujet at wanadoo.fr> wrote:
> Hello,
>
>   The remarks I will make are based on the Quark X1000 datasheet, not
> on the Galileo documentation.
>
> Le Fri, 4 Oct 2013 01:11:55 +0100,
> "luke.leighton" <luke.leighton at gmail.com> a écrit :
>
>> * USB-Host x2 (good!  USB2.  low power.  2 USBs saves on a Hub IC in
>> some cases)
>> * USB-OTG (good!  can make gadgets out of this)
>
>   There is no OTG port on the SoC, but a Device port.

 ok, well spotted.

>
>>  * RGMII (good!!!  impressive!  actually i just spotted _two_ ethernet
>> ports - awesome!)
>
>   2 ports indeed, but RMII (Fast Ethernet), not RGMII (Gigabit).

 oo ouch.  ok.  that explains why they're 8-bits.  RMII - reduced MII,
wow!  i'd never heard of that before.  makes sense.

>
>>  * DDR RAM: 2x 8-bit (only 16-bit Data) and 16 address lines.
>
>   I have to say I really do not understand why it supports x8 chips only
> and not x16. I must miss a point.

 because it's ultra-low-power.  at 400mhz (800mhz DDR3) you'd be
looking at only... what... 175mA?  i think *finger-in-air* 32-bit DDR3
ICs @ 400mhz use around 350mA.

 the only problem is... they just halved the memory speed!  but, the
whole SoC is only running at 400mhz anyway so in some ways it doesn't
matter.

l.