EOMA-68 finally ?

selsinork wrote:

 

Interesting times for SBC's indeed..  Although I'm not really sure that things like Improv or Wandboard where you have two boards really qualify as Single Board Computers.

Haha, good point.  Maybe the phrase Modular Board Computers should be coined for these multi-board assembles?  (The 'M' could also refer to "multi".)  "Modular" certainly reflects the intent behind EOMA-68 and EDM.

What's missing in all these cases though are third-party baseboards or motherboards.  There's still no general buy-in for these modular concepts by third parties.  When the baseboards are available only from the same manufacturer as the CPU module, that creates strong lock-in.

Morgaine.

From reading the Wandboard forums and google group, it sounds like there are some other base boards in the process of being designed/manufactured by third parties. Although until they're available to buy it's mostly irrelevant.  As part of the bigger Technexion range there are other EDM cpu boards and carrier boards available, so there is some choice there even if it is all from the same vendor. Wandboard/Technexion do seem to encourage third party take up by making cpu boards and connector kits available, albeit in 10 packs.

As for EOMA.. well there's been lots of talk over the last two years or so, and so far the Improv appears to be the only product. There was mention of a tablet that's going to use it, but again from the same people selling the Improv.  Potentially there's Rhombus and Improv as two distinct vendors of EOMA - assuming Rhombus ever actually manage to cross the finish line and get a product on sale..

Maybe this is where the open source hardware community could step in and design a modular computer without the hard parts --- because those are inside the plugin-in modules.

There's no shortage of dab-hands with Eagle here, and in many other places.  It just needs the itch.

Morgaine.

agrahambell wrote:

 

From reading the Wandboard forums and google group, it sounds like there are some other base boards in the process of being designed/manufactured by third parties. Although until they're available to buy it's mostly irrelevant.  As part of the bigger Technexion range there are other EDM cpu boards and carrier boards available,

have you ever tried putting EDM cpu boards (or wandboards, or raspberrypi's) into your wallet, pocket, handbag (if you have one)?  would you consider wearing fake-leather-soled shoes, walking around on nylon carpet and consider putting an EDM cpu board into the top pocket of your polyester chequered shirt?

would you give an EDM cpu board to your grandma and say "install that, grandma"?

or would you give an EDM cpu board to a child with grubby fingers that is happy to grasp the unit by its gold-plated contacts?

if the answer is "yes" to any of the questions above, would you seriously expect the device to actually be operational?

EOMA68 CPU cards, by virtue of re-using robust and proven PCMCIA metal casework, are resilient to wear and tear, and are light enough (40 grammes) that i have been able to demonstrate bashing them against a desk quite hard and they are still perfectly functional.  they're also thin enough to literally put into the credit-card slot in a wallet (because the PCMCIA specification is exactly credit-card-sized).

so yes, if you are an engineer feel free to buy EDM cpu boards and other carrier boards.  as an engineer you have the technical knowledge and expertise to protect an EDM cpu module from wear-and-tear and to take the required anti-static precautions.

by contrast: for everyone - and that's *including* engineers - there is EOMA68.

agrahambell wrote:

 

From reading the Wandboard forums and google group, it sounds like there are some other base boards in the process of being designed/manufactured by third parties. Although until they're available to buy it's mostly irrelevant.  As part of the bigger Technexion range there are other EDM cpu boards and carrier boards available,

have you ever tried putting EDM cpu boards (or wandboards, or raspberrypi's) into your wallet, pocket, handbag (if you have one)?  would you consider wearing fake-leather-soled shoes, walking around on nylon carpet and consider putting an EDM cpu board into the top pocket of your polyester chequered shirt?

would you give an EDM cpu board to your grandma and say "install that, grandma"?

or would you give an EDM cpu board to a child with grubby fingers that is happy to grasp the unit by its gold-plated contacts?

if the answer is "yes" to any of the questions above, would you seriously expect the device to actually be operational?

EOMA68 CPU cards, by virtue of re-using robust and proven PCMCIA metal casework, are resilient to wear and tear, and are light enough (40 grammes) that i have been able to demonstrate bashing them against a desk quite hard and they are still perfectly functional.  they're also thin enough to literally put into the credit-card slot in a wallet (because the PCMCIA specification is exactly credit-card-sized).

so yes, if you are an engineer feel free to buy EDM cpu boards and other carrier boards.  as an engineer you have the technical knowledge and expertise to protect an EDM cpu module from wear-and-tear and to take the required anti-static precautions.

by contrast: for everyone - and that's *including* engineers - there is EOMA68.