[Arm-netbook] Huge RAM requirements (was: What do 1, 000 EOMA68-A20 PCBs look like?)

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

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crowd-funded eco-conscious hardware: https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68

On Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 6:39 PM Paul Boddie <paul at boddie.org.uk> wrote:
>
> On Sunday 9. December 2018 05.07.51 Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
> > On Sat, Dec 8, 2018 at 7:54 PM zap <calmstorm at posteo.de> wrote:
> > > Any plans to use rk3399 for a 2nd revision of the eoma68 standard? or
> > > any alternative arm processor? Since risc-v is maybe 3+ years out of the
> > > way?
> >
> >  yes.  bear in mind it's around USD $5k-10k per design effort.  i
> > *may* be able to recover the RK3288 PCB i did.  the RK3399 would be
> > nicer.
>
> Although it's not a 64-bit CPU and is MIPS-based not ARM-based, wasn't the
> JZ4775 board almost done?

 pretty much - i just couldn't get beyond u-boot, as i had put a 24mhz
XTAL in rather than a 48mhz, and i couldn't get the PLLs right to get
beyond the SPL loader.

> And didn't it have 2GB RAM already, before the A20
> 2GB RAM (and HDMI) rework effort?

yes.

> Of course there is the software distribution
> issue (if you want FSF endorsement), but there seems to be some demand for
> similar products.
>
> I follow the Dingoonity scene at a distance and although there is plenty of
> gadget chasing - people seem to throw themselves at random handhelds with poor
> screens and obsolete JZ variants - there are some that still wonder about
> successors to the GCW-Zero handheld or even getting one of the original ones,
> particularly as it seems that not everyone managed to receive one in that
> campaign. The enthusiasm is presumably something to do with MIPS-based stuff
> being used in various consoles of a certain era.

 ok - well, i've still got 2 of the cards around somewhere, and i can
order some 48mhz XTALs: i have a heat gun so should be ok to put them
in.

 i have no idea what kinds of volumes to expect.

l.