ARM based Linux box
T Gillett
For those interested in small Linux appliances, I recently had the opportunity to see one of the Genesi units in operation.
http://www.genesi-usa.com/products/efika
Price $139 US delivered running Ubuntu 10.10
Brief specs:
- Freescale i.MX515 (ARM Cortex-A8 800MHz)
- 3D Graphics Processing Unit
- WXGA display support (HDMI)
- Multi-format High-Definition hardware video decoder
- 512MB RAM
- 8GB Internal SSD
- 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet
- 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
- SDHC card reader
- 2x USB 2.0 ports
- Audio jacks for headset
- Built-in speaker
Size: 160x115x20mm
Weight: 250 grams
Terry
Sjur Eivind Usken
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "village-telco-dev" group.
To post to this group, send email to village-...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to village-telco-...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/village-telco-dev?hl=en.
vennlig hilsen
Sjur Eivind Usken
+47 96999902
Vickram Crishna
Fool On The Hill
Song, Stephen
Previously there was a kind of gentleman's agreement between Intel and
ARM that ARM would do phones and Intel would do PCs. As the line
between the two blurs, both manufacturers have been ramping up
production in the other's markets.
I'd like to see a head to head comparison between equivalent ARM and
Intel Atom appliances. I suspect ARM has the edge given its
experience with low-power computing but who knows.
As for the Raspberry Pi, this would completely amazing to see used in
production environments. The Raspberry Pi folk have made it pretty
clear on their site IIRC that their device is designed as a teaching
tool. That may have implications for those planning more robust
applications for it.
Cheers... Steve
--
Steve Song
http://manypossibilities.net
http://villagetelco.org
Dave Duchesneau
Hi Terry (and all the rest of you folks),
> For those interested in small Linux appliances,
> I recently had the opportunity to see one of the Genesi units in operation.
> http://www.genesi-usa.com/products/efika
Thanks for the heads-up on that.
As you may know, we’ve been looking at the Raspberry Pi (aka “R-Pi” or “Raspi”) as the basis of various low-to-mid-level computing router/server solutions (end-user or advance routing, firewalling, crypto, FEC, and link aggregation) based at mesh nodes (e.g., at internet gateways on a VT mesh, and also gateways between VT meshes, and between meshes and other interoperable networks). For such configurations (i.e., non-end-user), we plan to configure them in active-active pairs (via CARP, etc.).
We’re also looking at other active-active configurations (still using CARP with pairs of devices). The Genesi unit with Freescale i.MX515 appears to be another good option, although the value proposition should be considered carefully. For 4X to 5X the price of the R-Pi, and 4X the size, you would get a 14% faster processor, twice the memory, and 8 GB of internal SSD (instead of depending on an SD card).
If you’re willing to spend that much, it might be worth taking a look at yet another device, one which we’re considering for the same kind of active-active server role as the R-Pi, but in higher-traffic environments where multiple meshes needed to be integrated with multiple internet gateways and carriers, high-end security and storage, etc. The device I’m talking about is CompuLab’s new Trim-Slice miniature desktop computer, powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2, which integrates a 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and an ultra-low power GeForce GPU onto the same chip, making it “the most powerful ARM based system-on-chip available today.”
According to Irad Stavi, Director of Business Development at CompuLab, “Trim-Slice is designed to unleash the full potential of NVIDIA Tegra 2. Trim-Slice feeds the Tegra 2 with all the ingredients for supporting high performance CPU: 1 GB RAM, SATA SSD and dual SDHC for storage and GbE networking. Users can experience the outstanding multimedia capabilities of the Tegra 2 through full-HD HDMI, dual-head display and 5.1 channels digital audio.”
A limited number of bona fide developers may be able to obtain this board for $175 (US), but the basic pricing is expected to be somewhat north of $200. For our uses, even the retail pricing would be a steal (pricing might not be finalized, but is expected to be less than a tablet, without saying WHICH tablet). Here are some specs taken from a recent press release (http://trimslice.com/web/pr-110124):
Specifications
· CPU: NVIDIA® Tegra 2 Dual Core ARM Cortex A9 1GHz with integrated ultra-low power GeForce GPU
· Memory: 1 GB DDR2-800
· Storage:
· Full size SD (SDHC)
· Micro SD (SDHC)
· SATA SSD (up to 64GB)
· Networking:
· 1 GbE
· WiFi 802.11n
· Display: HDMI 1.3 full-HD + DVI (dual head)
· Audio: Stereo line-out, line-in, 5.1 digital S/PDIF
· Video in: PAL/NTSC
· I/O:
· 4 USB2 ports (480 MBps)
· 1 USB device
· RS232 Serial port
· Extension: JTAG, 2 UARTs, SPI
· Housing: Fanless all-metal nickel-plated die-cast
· Dimensions: 130mm x 95mm x 15mm – 5.1″ x 3.7″ x 0.6″
· Power: 8-16V DC, 3W average
Availability
CompuLab expects to start accepting orders for Trim-Slice in April [that’s April 2011, I believe -- Dave]. “Trim-Slice pricing is yet to be finalized” said Mr. Stavi. “It will be priced higher than a streamer, but lower than a tablet”. Trim-Slice is guaranteed for long term availability of 5 years. It will be available in several configurations and will be offered to OEMs looking to re-brand the product.
A Trim-Slice brochure (JPEG) is available at http://www.trimslice.com/images/Trim-Slice-brochure-low-res.jpg, and a comparison of models is shown at http://trimslice.com/web/models, in a columnar format, with a link to additional specifications for each model. The MSRP ranges from $213 to $338 for fully configured systems with enclosures and various amounts of storage. Additional OEM model configurations are available (not shown). Purchase information is available online (http://trimslice.com/web/read-before-ordering), and specifically addresses developers, OEMs, commercial projects, and personal use.
From a size viewpoint, the Trim-Slice is smaller than the Freescale i.MX515 (130x95x15 mm vs. 160x115x20mm), and has twice the cores (each 25% faster), integrated GPU, twice the memory (1GB vs. 512 MB), twice the SDHC slots (full-size and Micro SD), twice the external USB 2.0 ports (plus an internal one reserved for 802.11 b/g/n WiFi), and 10X the Ethernet port rate (GbE vs. FE). For desktop use (in our case, also for emergency information displays and kiosks), the HDMI/DVI ports included dual-headed support. Depending on the model configuration, the power usage (excluding external mesh radios and other gear) is on the order of 2 or 3 watts.
All the best,
Dave Duchesneau
--
T Gillett
Thanks for the info.
The Raspi looks interesting, but no wifi and limited RAM, and by the time you add a case and power supply the cost will be well above the quoted $35.
As someone mentioned earlier, we are likely to see a rash of ARM devices hit the market soon with attendant falling prices.
I saw the Genesi as a good device to start working with to develop some prototypes that can be easily moved onto other devices as they come to market.
Regards
Terry
Dave Duchesneau
Hi Terry,
Thanks for your quick reply.
I didn’t mean to emphasize the Raspi in my post – it was just contextual background for why we are also interested in such devices. My real intent was to thank you for your posting about the Genesi device (which I need to look into), and to give a similar heads-up about CompuLab’s Trim-Slice device (which is favorably comparable to the Genesi device).
Cheers,
Dave
T Gillett
Hi Dave
Understood. I think the Raspi has a very bright future, and we may well see something like the Arduino ecosystem happen where lots of derivative configurations and extensions become available as usage takes off.
Regards
Terry
