[Arm-netbook] EOMA68 interface update proposal: -GbE, +USB3.1, +GPIO

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

On Thu, Sep 3, 2015 at 4:20 PM, Lauri Kasanen <cand at gmx.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Sep 2015 15:09:14 +0100
> Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton <lkcl at lkcl.net> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, Sep 3, 2015 at 2:28 PM, Hrvoje Lasic <lasich at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Depend really on your target market. For any application that your product
>> > need to be any kind of server ethernet is kind of better, more relaible
>> > compared to wifi.
>>
>>  well, USB3 ethernet is going to be reliable (and fast).  even USB 3.0
>> is 5gbit/sec and GbE is 1gb/sec.  and i had to take off SATA because
>> it was adding extra cost.
>
> I'll believe when I see it. So far seen zero reliable USB ethernet
> adapters.

 USB2 or USB3?  USB2 i am keenly aware has been price-pushed so low
it's really quite ridiculous.  the end-result is that, yes, USB2 SATA
and USB2 Eth dongles are... fun.  there was word a few years ago that
the Genesys Logic USB2-SATA IC needed a "hard reset" on a regular
basis, it would crash so badly.

 but, honestly, USB2 is only 480mbit/sec - trying to saturate that
with either GbE or even 30% of SATA-II bandwidth is... not going to
end well, given that USB2 is a "cooperative" bus.

 USB3 i have much more hope for.

> The lack of native ethernet and sata puts me out, but perhaps I
> represent the small minority - get a product out, and then work on
> revisions for the curmudgeons ;)

 well EOMA68 is designed to be a decade-long standard.  so it's
all-or-nothing, here.  i'd need to work on a totally different
standard, and a totally different package.  well, that's the plan,
anyway :)

l.