lkcl changed the topic of #arm-netbook to: arm-netbook: Don't ask to ask. Just ask! - EOMA68 spec http://bit.ly/ZHqfxA - ML arm-netbook@lists.phcomp.co.uk - Logs http://bit.ly/XELKJq or http://bit.ly/15OCYPD - For Allwinner/sunxi discussions prefer #linux-sunxi - iMX6 Card http://bit.ly/XAUGCD - Flying Squirrel http://bit.ly/WgOYaR - Allwinner A10/A20 Card http://bit.ly/zBLAbY - http://rhombus-tech.net
<SPG> Luke Leighton master 99b16da source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=99b16da
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<SPG> Luke Leighton master 65340d6 source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=65340d6
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<SPG> Luke Leighton master 21f882e source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=21f882e
<SPG> Luke Leighton master 160716e source community_ideas/laptop_15in/pcbs/pcb3.mdwn add pcb3 doc * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=160716e
<SPG> Luke Leighton master 025473d source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=025473d
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<SPG> Luke Leighton master e854fcf source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=e854fcf
<SPG> Luke Leighton master 79b3bdb source crowdsupply.mdwn add todo oses * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=79b3bdb
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<jay_> hello
<jay_> can I ask some questions on the EOMA68
<lkcl> sure
<lkcl> it's "the EOMA68 standard"
<C-Keen> the campaign is again on the lobste.rs front page lkcl
<C-Keen> without comments atm though
<lkcl> C-Keen: ack
<lkcl> C-Keen: not seeing it...
<lkcl> ok got it
<C-Keen> ;)
<rellla> Oooold, For info...
<rellla> Maybe someone with the card should do a new device page on linux-sunxi.org
<jay_> ok my questions are
<jay_> 1. Is the EOMA68 faster and the rasperrby pi
<jay_> 2. Not trying to jinx the campaign but what happens if the campaign does not meet its target? do I loose my money
<jay_> 3. If I buy just the EOMA68 board how hard will it be to source the screen, keyboard/mouse, wifi adapter, etc
<jay_> 4. will it be possible to cluster more than one EOAM68 for more power/speed?
<jay_> 5. Besides the listed gnu/linux distros will I be able to load x distro?
<jay_> for question 1 I meant is the EOMA68 faster/powerful than a raspberry pi 3?
<lkcl> jay_: there is no such thing as "an EOMA68".
<lkcl> rellla: thx
<lkcl> jay_: there is however an EOMA68 compliant Computer Card
<lkcl> jay_: as well as an EOMA68 Pass through Card.
<lkcl> there is also an EOMA68 jz4775 Computer Card
<jelly> the A20 card ought to have a name
<jay_> that the one im referring to https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68
<lkcl> and an EOMA68 .... yes it does. the actual hardware is called "EOMA68-A20"
<jay_> ok all my questions have to do with the complaint computer card
<lkcl> but we had to deal with the FSF's rules so we had to give them names when the OS is installed
<lkcl> ok, great.
<lkcl> so.
<lkcl> which raspberry pi are you comparing to? there are something like four that i know of
<jay_> raspberry pi 3 model B
<lkcl> the EOMA68-A20 Computer Card has an Allwinner A20 dual-core 1ghz ARM Cortex A7
<lkcl> that's a quad-core i believe
<lkcl> and probably something like... 1.5ghz?
<lkcl> so... dual-core vs quad-core
<jelly> and has a bit more memory bandwidth than the rpi3
<lkcl> and 1ghz vs 1.5ghz
<lkcl> jelly: thx. err.... bit more *memory* or a bit more memory *bandwidth*? is it 64-bit-wide memory access or 32-bit-wide? makes a huge difference
<lkcl> both in terms of performance as well as power consumption
<jelly> bandwidth is what's important for "speed"
<lkcl> jay_: the EOMA68-A20 uses 32-bit wide data bus access to DDR3 RAM which means much lower power - we can keep to about a 3.5 watt budget
<jay_> for question 1, I guess my question is how will the EOMA68-A20 do for everyday task such as bill payment, browsing, editing office documents, in other work will my wife fate the A20?
<jelly> but yeah your thing also has 2GiB RAM vs r.pi3's 1GiB
<lkcl> jelly: the power penalty is about 350mA per 32-bit-wide addressing at around 800mhz DDR3
<jelly> oh, I misread something then
<lkcl> jay_: it's about the same sort of speed as a budget intel atom system that you could buy abouuut... 3 to 5 years ago (if you upgraded it to 2GB RAM)
<lkcl> jay_: there's some videos online where you can see i'm running some programs (office, firefox) so you can judge for yourself, subjectively
<lkcl> it's not bad, in other words.
<lkcl> give me 1sec
<lkcl> jay_: bear in mind those demos are done with only 1GB RAM
<jay_> lkcl_: ok so the one from crowd supply with 2GB should be a bit faster then
<lkcl> so qn 2 the way crowdfunding works is, nobody's credit cards get charged until the target's met
<lkcl> jay_: or... able to do a bit more (run a few more programs simultaneously)... put a bit more of your files into RAM (cache)... yeah.
<lkcl> qn 3 if you *only* get the computer card you'll need the cable set (or to source them yourself) then get a USB2 hub, and USB peripherals, and you're off
<lkcl> qn 4 yes just plug several together on an ethernet switch, just like they do in co-located hosting companies.
<lkcl> but don't expect to do that without having to do quite a lot of work: look up "beowulf clustering".
<lkcl> qn 5 here's a stack of OSes http://linux-sunxi.org/Bootable_OS_images
<jay_> lkcl_: damn I dont see my OS that I currently run
<lkcl> jay_: does it run on an ARM Cortex A7?
<lkcl> jay_: what's the OS?
<jay_> lkcl_: slackware
<lkcl> jay_: yes slackware is supported for the ARM Cortex A7.
<lkcl> so yes it will run.
<lkcl> whenever these OSes say "we don't officially support board XYZ" totally ignore that, find out what the processor is, and the answer's "yes".
<lkcl> unless it's a BSD-based OS, which is completely different
<jay_> lkcl_: ok so I get the cables set but I still want to have a portable computer (laptop) will I be able to source the reaming parts easily? Maybe I could use the hardware from a laptop?
<isacdaavid> jay_: http://arm.slackware.com/
<lkcl> jay_: you will find it to be a bitch of a job to take components out of a 2nd-hand laptop. it's a reasonable question that comes up surprisingly often... but i tell you, even highly intelligent people have drastically underestimated how much work it is for so little return
<lkcl> isacdaavid: thxman
<lkcl> isacdaavid: i'll put that on the OS list
<jay_> lkcl_: fair enough but how about purchasing later on a portable screen such as the one from the project? I mean will I be able to source one from lets say ebay?
<jay_> that was fast1
<lkcl> jay_: yes. you want P/N LP156WH4-TLN1 or TLN2
<lkcl> jay_: welcome to online wikis
<lkcl> jay_: you could have done it.
<jay_> lkcl_: sweet, do you maybe already have a list of what is needed for part sourcing a laptop, just asking because I dont think I could go for the $450 option, I rather get the board+case+cables try it out and if it works then I would build a laptop
<jay_> or maybe you could just buy the part later on
<jay_> from you
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<lkcl> jay_: i've not added the PCBs as an option for that to be possible, but yes later on you'd be able to get the kit
<lkcl> jay_: you'd really need the PCBs, cables and the battery. the LCD and keyboard would be easy enough to get... albeit more expensive overall
<lkcl> jay_: i recommend your next priority be the micro-desktop because that will give you access to the 2 USB2 ports (and the option of a 2nd screen)
<lkcl> and 2 MicroSD card slots
<jay_> lkcl_: yeah I was thinking the Practically Perfect Computer Card, Micro Desktop Housing for Computer Card and the USB + HDMI Cable Set for Standalone Operation to start
<lkcl> jay_: sensible. the Micro-USB-OTG port is part-hardware part-software implemented USB2 (!!!) :)
<lkcl> jay_: so for example when i plugged in a USB3 Hub then plugged a USB2 hub into *that* then plugged in a USB1 keyboard, it didn't go down too well :)
<jay_> lkcl_: then if all works I would look into the screen, keyboard and battery, I know it will be more expensive but at least i have a start.
<lkcl> but when i plugged in the same USB keyboard directly into the OTG port it worked perfectly
<lkcl> so, having the micro-desktop board which has 2 full hardware-implemented USB2 ports is a good idea
<lkcl> jay_: you still need the laptop's PCBs to be able to add the laptop screen, laptop keyboard and laptop battery.
<lkcl> jay_: those are custom designed and absolutely NOTHING to do with the micro-desktop housing.
<lkcl> the only thing that's common between the laptop housing and the desktop housing is: they are both compliant with the EOMA68 standard
<jay_> lkcl_: can you buy the laptop PCB alone? I dont think I see it listed?
<jay_> lkcl_: hmm it might be easier to buy the $500 option, do you have an actual picture of the PFY Laptop Housing Kit for Computer Card?\
<lkcl> jay_: you're about the first person to ask! there are 3 PCBs needed.
<lkcl> jay_: there's some pictures of the assembled prototypes that i've done... 1sec
<jay_> lkcl_: 3 boards hmmm know I think I might go for the PYP option
<lkcl> 3 boards, 4 custom-made cables...
<lkcl> jay_: ha. very bad quality camera but this was the first time i booted the PCBs up
<jay_> do you have to get it in purple?
<jay_> lkcl_: of topic question but based on your curriculum you might be the right person to ask. So im very new to gnu/linux I choose slackware just because its forcing me to do things from a command line and not a GUI, I still struggle with commands and other stuff but can you recommend a good book for a beginner preferably on the desktop environment as that Im using my current machine for
<jay_> by desktop I dont mean kde or gnome its just most books I pick focus on servers
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<lkcl> jay_: no lol there's a few other colours
<lkcl> jay_: hmmm intriguing... honestly i just pick things up as i go along, i don't read many books about computing!
<lkcl> jay_: what i do is, i assume that what i want to know has been asked hundreds maybe thousands of times
<lkcl> jay_: so i just imagine what keywords someone would ask or discuss... type them into google... and ta-daaa up come half a dozen discussions :)
<lkcl> jay_: but you know what you should consider if you want to *really* make yourself work at command-line? use fvwm in the same setup that i do... :)
<jay_> lkcl_: are you referring to this one http://fvwm.org/
<lkcl> jay_: yeahman :)
<lkcl> jay_: try this config - http://lkcl.net/fvwm2rc
<lkcl> you'll looove that :)
<lkcl> basically what i do is, i start a single xterm (using the right-mouse-button to bring up the root menu)
<lkcl> then i pretty much don't ever run a GUI app via the menu *ever again* :)
<lkcl> so if i want firefox, i find that xterm, and type "firefox &"
<lkcl> lol
<lkcl> confuses the hell out of people when they see it.
<lkcl> let me take a screenshot for ya.... you can see i've moved the date and shrunk the "Virtual Screens" thing in the bottom right corner down to as tiny as i can practically manage....
<lkcl> 1sec...
<jay_> lkcl_: sweet, Ill try it, ok last question so if I just want a desktop all I need is Numero Uno Computer Card (or any computer card), Micro Desktop Housing for Computer Card and USB + HDMI Cable Set for Standalone Operation. And then all I provide is a screen, keyboard and mouse right?
<lkcl> but bear in mind this is really hard-core specialist setup okay!!
<lkcl> jay_: yyep. if you've got a monitor with both VGA and HDMI you're set. USB keyboard. USB mouse. oh - find yourself a USB WIFI or USB Ethernet dongle as well
<lkcl> get something from thinkpenguin.com they're my sponsor :)
<jay_> lkcl_: dude! that is to hard-core I'm still a noob but Ill keep it in mind
<lkcl> jay_: lol. oh btw do look up "devuan trinity desktop" - it's a bit obscure to find but the combination is really nice. a lot less hassle.
<SPG> Luke Leighton master f221be1 source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=f221be1
<jay_> lkcl_: ok 2 final questions I swear, if you don't reach your goal but I pledge will I still get the hardware I pledged for? and will the shipping start on Mar 2017 or with luck maybe earlier?
<lkcl> jay_: :)
<lkcl> jay_: update about that shortly
<lkcl> jay_: and i was estimating so i'll try to keep to that schedule but can't promise it'll be exact... i definitely want to aim for the majority of PCB manufacturing in january
<lkcl> when the factory is less busy
<lkcl> jay_: what i will be doing is, just letting people know what's happening, all the time. apart from anything i will need help, so do join the mailing list.
<lkcl> jay_: even the fact that you're a beginner is really *really* useful because if you can't do it, then that needs to be fixed. if that makes sense
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<jay_> lkcl_: thanks for all the info, i can now make an informed decision!
<lkcl> jay_: any time
<SPG> Luke Leighton master bdbc23d source crowdsupply/assess_campaign.py update assessment * http://git.hands.com/?p=rhombus.git;a=commitdiff;h=bdbc23d
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