Hi Luke,
thanks for flashing a light on that. I'm glad you're staying with USB.
I think this thread is answered.
-- Jan
2016-12-14 20:20 GMT+01:00 Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton lkcl@lkcl.net:
On 12/13/16, dumblob dumblob@gmail.com wrote:
Hi Luke,
just a tiny note about your mentions of a "tablet/netbook" in https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop/updates/
latest-from-shenzhen
i do wish that crowdsupply could provide on-post comments, but then they'd have to monitor them.
In case you're planning to have the keyboard detachable (even worse if
this
detachable piece should have some connectors like USB), think of it twice as per experience of many users of different such tablets/netbooks
(youtube
is full of such reviews), the detachable connection is very fragile (because the detachable design requires a shallow or rather just
"touching"
connection in contrast to "sliding" deeper connectors like USB).
ok. first thing: have you heard of the alwaysinnovating touchbook? it was the world's very first hybrid netbook / tablet. most people don't even know it exists, sadly. as a monolithic design it would ordinarily have a lifespan of about... six to eight months, but because it was targetted at linux users that was actually about...eighteen months / two years. what killed it was the use of a 720mhz ARM Cortex A8, RAM limited to 512mb... no means of upgrading except a whopping $50k for replacing the entire main PCB.
anyway: the casework was extremely robust, with the keyboard+extra-battery portion having inch-long "arms" at the sides to securely and firmly hold the main tablet part in place... in a standard USB socket.
you have to bear in mind that i'm being quite realistic about this whole exercise: if i can't design it to be robust in PLA with a standard mendel 3D printer, and i can't get off-the-shelf generic parts that are commonly available from multiple suppliers in huaqiang rd, futian district, shenzhen, china, it ain't going in.
so whilst what you're seeing is complaints based on a fight-to-the-minimum (in terms of both thickness and price), i will be designing stuff that's "chunky", realistically maintainable by a lego-mindsetted individual, and built to last.
therefore, i will *NOT* be attempting to replicate the existing slew of magnetic catches and so on, apart from anything i won't be able to get hold of them as they will have been custom-designed for specific OEMs.
i _do_ have a background in physics and mathematics which gives me some mechanical design aptitude :)
Therefore there will be a need for advanced SW means (from Linux kernel through all daemons up to GUI) to cope with interrupted keyboard input, interrupted USB communication, etc.). I'm though not aware of any such comprehensive solutions, so this will most likely become very painful and will stay so forever if introduced.
USB. simple as that. problem goes away. USB's already designed to be interruptable. people unplug keyboards and mice all the time. the linux kernel's had USB support since forever. i don't expect there to be any software problems at all.
l.
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