RPi with 512mb Memory?

Just received via email from element14:

The New Raspberry Pi is here!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new 512MB board version of the Raspberry Pi. Now packed with double the RAM, the new Pi  is suited to multimedia, high-memory and mobile applications, including a future version of an Android 4.0 operating system. Order yours here! We're really looking forward to hearing  what plans you have for your new Pi.  So, we've launched a blogging competition asking what you're going to do with double the memory. Join in and submit an entry on the RPi forum and you could win an awesome prize!

Hello Jamodio. . .

I'm happy to report I've just purchased the new Raspi, model B with 512Mb. Nice that it was $35 (+6 to ship) from the Newark site. Receipt said "1 available to ship today". Great way to start a Monday. . .now if only the line on my order history for the Gertboard would say SHIPPED, we'd have a perfect day!

Best

Peg

Obviously I do.

Just noticed on my Rev2 512mb that if you touch the USB controller chip, it shorts out the USB circuit. Is this a flaw? Or is it just it should not be touched?

My 512Mb Pi arrived yesterday, will only have a chance to play at the weekend. Will try touching the usb controller and see what happens.

Heck, I like to live dangerously, might touch it with my tongue and see what happens !

The should start producing the boards with raspberry scent on the silk screen ink

Fergus Byrne wrote:

 

Just noticed on my Rev2 512mb that if you touch the USB controller chip, it shorts out the USB circuit. Is this a flaw? Or is it just it should not be touched?

Sounds like a flaw.  As long as you've touched ground somewhere on the board (e.g., the USB or Ethernet shell) before lightly touching a chip package, it shouldn't have any effect other than perhaps a burned finger-tip.  If the USB chip fails if you touch it, IMO the most likely cause is a hair-line break in a PCB trace so that if the board flexes the trace opens.  It could also be an iffy solder joint, though those are more likely to open when you're not pressing down on the chip.

You could have an effect if you touch the LAN9512 crystal oscillator pins.  Also check the solder joints on crystal X1 which is on the back side of the PCB near the LAN9512.  Crystals are sensitive to being touched, especially if not well soldered.

Can you be more specific about "shorts out the USB circuit"?  What's shorting to what, or are you just saying USB stops working, and if so, for how long?

Oh, and what's under the RasPi?  If it's on a mildly conductive surface pressing down could cause mischief.

Mine was waiting for me when I got home last night. I haven't had time to do anything with it yet. What OS are you going to put on yours??

Fun stuff. . . learned about it, bought it, and got it - - all within a week!  Just have to wait a couple of days to really get in to it.

Best

Peg

Fergus Byrne wrote:

 

Just noticed on my Rev2 512mb that if you touch the USB controller chip, it shorts out the USB circuit. Is this a flaw? Or is it just it should not be touched?

I wonder if there's something squirrely with latest RasPis.  There's someone with a similar unexplained USB/Ethernet problem at the RasPi forum.  I wonder when the rev 2 schematic is going to get published?  Gerbers would be nice too.

John Beetem wrote:

 

Fergus Byrne wrote:

 

Just noticed on my Rev2 512mb that if you touch the USB controller chip, it shorts out the USB circuit. Is this a flaw? Or is it just it should not be touched?

I wonder if there's something squirrely with latest RasPis.  There's someone with a similar unexplained USB/Ethernet problem at the RasPi forum.  I wonder when the rev 2 schematic is going to get published?  Gerbers would be nice too.

Same bloke I'm reckoning.

Just received a pi that I ordered monday of this week, the part number on the samsung chip is K4P4G324EB-AGC1, which some one indicated above is the 512 board, although

dmesg | grep -i mem

reports

[    0.000000] Memory: 192MB = 192MB total

[    0.000000] Memory: 188976k/188976k available, 7632k reserved, 0K highmem

cat /proc/cpuinfo

reports

and

top

reports

KiB Mem:    189100 total

none of this points me to believing this is the 512 board that I was led to believe I was buying

the bag it came in says

MFR# RASPBRRY-MODB-512M

Am I missing something?

Mike

Hi Mike

This is probably a silly question but have you loaded the new firmware as mentioned by Eben on the Home page of the RPI foundation site?

You need a new version of start.elf created by downloading the required memsplit file and renaming it.

Good luck

Ray

Hi Mike

This is probably a silly question but have you loaded the new firmware as mentioned by Eben on the Home page of the RPI foundation site?

You need a new version of start.elf created by downloading the required memsplit file and renaming it.

Good luck

Ray

Yeah, who reads directions first? I just downloaded the updated firmware and am rebooting as I type this. I scanned through the thread here and didn't notice anyone else reporting the same problem. I rarely go to the foundation site much anymore.

Thanks, I think that'll fix my problem.

Mike

That was definitely it. Thanks Ray for pointing me in the direction I should have looked in the first place.

Mike

Your most welcome Mike. Have fun. I only RTFM's because I wrote so many in the past.

Ray