Raspberry Pi Forums

Newark/Element 14 (US sub of Farnell) is listing the CM3, CM3l, and CM3 dev kit and appear to be allowing orders. They claim "5 to 7 days" shipping, with a $20 surcharge per order because the item is to be shipped from a UK warehouse. They also say that more stock will arrive on "3/4/2017" without specifying where that stock will arrive.

So...either those listings will be sent to /dev/null when the RPT/RPF notices them, or the devices are now, officially, available. If the former, there is a risk that this thread will also go to /dev/null.

Link here: http://www.newark.com/webapp/wcs/stores ... reId=10194 while it lasts...

Well if nothing else at least we get to peruse the datasheet. Maybe someone already posted it, but its the first I'm seeing of it.

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2175850.pdf

That will be very helpful. I kind of like the idea of the CM3 Lite having the option for adding your own eMMC.

MH6 wrote:Well if nothing else at least we get to peruse the datasheet. Maybe someone already posted it, but its the first I'm seeing of it.

Ahem - https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... tasheet.md put up in October (viewtopic.php?f=98&t=162690)

6by9 wrote:

MH6 wrote:Well if nothing else at least we get to peruse the datasheet. Maybe someone already posted it, but its the first I'm seeing of it.

Ahem - https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentati ... tasheet.md put up in October (viewtopic.php?f=98&t=162690)

As I said, someone probably already posted it. I haven't been following the forums for a while. Thanks for the link

Hoping I can get my hands on a CM3 in January. Guess we'll see.

MH6 wrote: That will be very helpful. I kind of like the idea of the CM3 Lite having the option for adding your own eMMC.

Say, what? I've never heard of a way to add your own eMMC to a CM3. There are two versions of the CM3. The CM3 and the CM3L (or CM3LT). The former has 4GB eMMC on it. The later has none and you need a carrier with an SD slot, or--alternatively--to program the OTP bit to permit boot over USB. Then there is the version that NEC is supposed to have out next year with 16GB of eMMC on it.

W. H. Heydt wrote:

MH6 wrote: That will be very helpful. I kind of like the idea of the CM3 Lite having the option for adding your own eMMC.

Say, what? I've never heard of a way to add your own eMMC to a CM3. There are two versions of the CM3. The CM3 and the CM3L (or CM3LT). The former has 4GB eMMC on it. The later has none and you need a carrier with an SD slot, or--alternatively--to program the OTP bit to permit boot over USB. Then there is the version that NEC is supposed to have out next year with 16GB of eMMC on it.

As per the datasheet:

Finally the CM3L product is the same as CM3 except the eMMC Flash is not fitted, and the SD/eMMC interface pins are available for the user to connect their own SD/eMMC device

Unless I misunderstood, that says we can use our own eMMC on our custom carrier board. The pins are available. So, theoretically, we could stick say a 16GB or 32GB eMMC module on our board and utilize it as the boot storage, yes?

Though I'd probably rather just purchase the 16GB NEC CM, assuming they make them available to everyone.

Is there Zero somehow subsidised? It's just the the CM is such a lot more per unit.

@MH6 Yes, eMMC on carrier board's possible I guess, likewise populating the unused BGA footprint on the CM3L & removing the links which bring out the SDIO bus to the edge connector.

gregeric wrote:@MH6 Yes, eMMC on carrier board's possible I guess, likewise populating the unused BGA footprint on the CM3L & removing the links which bring out the SDIO bus to the edge connector.

Hmm... Okay. I just don't think of putting a flash module on the carrier board as "putting flash on the CM3L". Actually...if flash were to be put on a carrier board, one could go the way of the Odroid C1/C2 and put a flash module *connector* on the carrier. That way, one could change out the eMMC "in the field".

I rather suspect that, even if the BGA connectors are there, actually putting flash on the CM3L would require industrial grade equipment.

james-at-lo-tech wrote:Is there Zero somehow subsidised? It's just the the CM is such a lot more per unit.

The Pi Zero is not subsidized, though the profit margins are very thin. The CM is a more complex board than the Pi Zero and has more complex manufacturing process. Plus, given the intended use, there is no particular need or desire to cut the profit margins to the bone. That the long term price of the CM has been $40 each, but $30 each in lots of 100 gives a indication of what sorts of margins are built into the price.

Oddly enough, the prices in the link I posted starting this thread, no longer show. Instead, they say "price unavailable". So I guess the answer to the basic question is, no, the CM3 has not launched yet (and the RPF/RPT missed the implied deadline expressed by Eben in March).

I wonder when the shoe will drop? When NEC releases the CM3-16, perhaps?

I wonder when the shoe will drop?

Save the date : Mon, 16.01.2017. (no guarantee)