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Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:47 am
by stollar
Hey, now with projects like the Raspberry Pi Supercomputer (
http://paritynews.com/hardware/item/302 ... ry-pi-lego ) isn't time we had a new version of the Pi with the bare minimum, ethernet and USB - no sound,hdmi,gpio etc.
Then you could get it out there even cheaper and universities and others wanting to make 'brambles' and other pi-networks can have a cheaper option... You can even sell them in 10-packs!!!
Re: Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:57 am
by RaTTuS
no because what you really want is 1GB ethernet, more ram , and a couple of muliplexed e-ponies
Re: Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:38 am
by jamesh
stollar wrote:Hey, now with projects like the Raspberry Pi Supercomputer (
http://paritynews.com/hardware/item/302 ... ry-pi-lego ) isn't time we had a new version of the Pi with the bare minimum, ethernet and USB - no sound,hdmi,gpio etc.
Then you could get it out there even cheaper and universities and others wanting to make 'brambles' and other pi-networks can have a cheaper option... You can even sell them in 10-packs!!!
All that stuff is built into the SoC, so is effectively 'free' on top of the Arm core. You could save a few pence by removing unnecessary connectors ($2-$3?). If you know of a SoC without that stuff (I don't), and that is cheaper than the BRCM2835 (Allwinner A10 is a little bit cheaper, but not as well supported, and still have all the gubbins), then that would be a possibility.
Re: Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:50 am
by mikerr
Pi is basically 2 chips - the broadcom SoC and a USB hub/ethernet chip.
A one chip solution (AKA model A) would be just the Broadcom chip, which give you just one USB and no ethernet.
Re: Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:13 am
by stollar
Actually, I'm thinking of the physical size! TBH, I'm not even sure if it would make the unit much cheaper as you said.
jamesh wrote:stollar wrote:... isn't time we had a new version of the Pi with the bare minimum, ethernet and USB
All that stuff is built into the SoC, so is effectively 'free' on top of the Arm core. You could save a few pence by removing unnecessary connectors ($2-$3?)...
Re: Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:35 pm
by W. H. Heydt
stollar wrote:Actually, I'm thinking of the physical size! TBH, I'm not even sure if it would make the unit much cheaper as you said.
According to previously posted data, making the PCB smaller would make it more expensive. And that's without going into the costs of designing an entire new PCB...
Re: Time for a smaller option?
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 12:26 pm
by Dweeber
stollar wrote:Actually, I'm thinking of the physical size! TBH, I'm not even sure if it would make the unit much cheaper as you said.
The Model A board is not even shipping yet.
You need to revisit the goals of the Raspberry Pi Foundation....