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Raspberry PI board


toadstool
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....I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.......

......Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion........

..... *and* a fully functional PC for $25! See Raspberry Pi.

I, for one, am quite excited by the prospect. Surely it could have many applications in the enthusiast's studio!?

There are just soooo many nice electronic toys coming out in time for Christmas, this just being one of them.

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Thanks for sharing such an awesome little device!

Just think of the possibilities!

The cheapest 1080p media player/centre known to man.

This will make my WDTV look like an overpriced piece of junk.

There's just so many cool things you can do with this little guy. :)

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Hmm, I want to integrate one of those in my next TV so that it can boot the full MAME ROM set directly from some SDXC card :thumbsup:

Then if it also did UAE and a decent C64 emu all the better!

Total 80's nirvana would be if it also did a decent Juno-106 or some very plasticky Casio CZ sounds.

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After reading the specs it seems that this could be the brain of a future MBHP_CORE_xxx module :)

Adapting MIOS32 to this platform won't be so much effort, and there are enough IOs available to connect commonly used hardware extensions (DIN/DOUT/LCDs/AIN via SPI/AOUTs - even MIDI could be made available via the "debug console" UART)

Accordingly a migration of MBSEQ V4 is feasible.

Graphical extensions will be available for free, e.g. to visualize sequences on a huge TV screen in HD resolution (I already see Hawkeyes smiling face ;-))

In addition it seems that it has some nice interfaces for Audio, and an integrated DSP.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

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Some interesting things to note: Eben Upton (the creator of Raspberry Pi) also works as a SoC ASIC architect for Broadcom.

Here's the chip that powers the Pi:

BCM2835

- http://www.broadcom.com/products/BCM2835

It's based on this:

ARM1176 (700 MHz)

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VideoCore

There will be GPIO/I2C/SPI pins on the board and enough info to use those; no clue about extra connectors available directly off the CPU though, probably not that easy to get to anyway.

I think the Pi has no RTC.

The video firmware will be the usual binary blob, the drivers might be closed source too, unless Broadcom changes their mind

- http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?cid=37338328&sid=2416924

Edited by sneakthief
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After reading the specs it seems that this could be the brain of a future MBHP_CORE_xxx module :)

Adapting MIOS32 to this platform won't be so much effort, and there are enough IOs available to connect commonly used hardware extensions (DIN/DOUT/LCDs/AIN via SPI/AOUTs - even MIDI could be made available via the "debug console" UART)

Accordingly a migration of MBSEQ V4 is feasible.

Graphical extensions will be available for free, e.g. to visualize sequences on a huge TV screen in HD resolution (I already see Hawkeyes smiling face ;-))

In addition it seems that it has some nice interfaces for Audio, and an integrated DSP.

Best Regards, Thorsten.

lemur.gif

I fapped. :sweat:

Imagine the possibilities!

My dream sequencer could easily become a reality.

Something like MB SEQ V4 Lite, but with 16+ real time looping channels,

with the ability to edit data on screen,

and also playback of WAV Samples i.e. a drum machine or sampler.

If the hardware proves to be the next logical step for midibox this could be a very exciting development indeed.

Edited by Smithy
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Graphical extensions will be available for free, e.g. to visualize sequences on a huge TV screen in HD resolution (I already see Hawkeyes smiling face ;-))

Mhhhm, maybe you´ll all hate me for that comment, but i really like the restrictions of limited ram, processing speed and display capabilities... it soo much reminds me of the good old days :)

Just that you have to think before you´re allocating something as small as 4kb of ram is nice... the thought alone would seem ridiculous on full-blown cpus with hundreds of megabytes of memory :).

Greets,

Peter

Edited by Hawkeye
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  • 2 weeks later...

After reading the specs it seems that this could be the brain of a future MBHP_CORE_xxx module :)

Would it be worth introducing the MIDIbox platform in this subforum?

http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum?mingleforumaction=viewforum&f=4.0

Especially since the aim of the Raspberry Pi is to get young people into programming,

very cheaply.

A thread introducing an Open Source project like MIDIbox would be a breath of fresh air,

as most posts on their forum are about using the device as an everyday PC, so they could do with more programmers posting there.

If collaboration is viable, then it may enable us to get information about the chipset faster,

as well as general info.

I think the MIDIbox project would gather a positive response,

as music is a very attractive and good outlet for young people.

Edited by Smithy
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Fair point, but isn't it worth finding out more about this chipset first?

To see if it can actually be of use as a future core for the MIDIbox platform?

And at a later point in the future a decision can be made.

Edited by Smithy
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Smithy: It's a freaking ARM Cortex A11, of course it can be a core for a midibox - it's nearly a full-blown desktop PC ;)

I do agree though that we should prolly establish the LPC17 core a bit more until we leap to the next level...

edit: whoopsie it's an ARM 11 not an ARM 8

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Smithy: It's a freaking ARM Cortex A8, of course it can be a core for a midibox - it's nearly a full-blown desktop PC ;)

I do agree though that we should prolly establish the LPC17 core a bit more until we leap to the next level...

Unlimited POWAH!

The concern I had was if the A8 had sufficient I/O pins to interact with the MB modules,

since I have no idea how a "hobbyist" or "simpler" processor like the Microchip PICs etc...

would compare to a more powerful processor like the A8 which I guess has a far more advanced architecture.

Will the A8 require more components to interact with the modules?

Or does it have similar I/O pins to ze current uC's we use?

Edit:

Realizing that the LPC17 is also an ARM processor, I see that the Broadcom chip would need to be sold in a similar manner,

i.e. on a 3rd party PCB that allows for decent I/O interactivity.

Still have no Idea if the Raspberry PI PCB would be sufficient enough though! ;

Probably not I'd guess!

Edited by Smithy
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Smiley-Facepalm.gif

So that's a yes then?

The 26 GPIO headers will be plenty enough to interact with the modules?

(The only reason I know now that they are GPIO headers is from the latest post on their blog)

*insert naughty word here*

Edited by Smithy
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The 26 GPIO headers will be plenty enough to interact with the modules?

there are enough IOs available to connect commonly used hardware extensions (DIN/DOUT/LCDs/AIN via SPI/AOUTs - even MIDI could be made available via the "debug console" UART)

Accordingly a migration of MBSEQ V4 is feasible.

Would a first step be getting FreeRTOS working on an ARM11 proc? http://www.freertos.org/index.html?http://interactive.freertos.org/entries/449231-s3c6410-using-rvds-tool-chain

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Apologies for dropping the F-bomb earlier, I didn't realize that TK already mentioned there is enough IOs.

Edited by Smithy
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  • 3 weeks later...

Okay, mebbé we can haz enough I/O's nao! tongue_smile.gif

http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/411

front2-1024x768.jpg

Gert van Loo, who did most of the heavy hardware lifting on the alpha boards we sent out to developers a few months back, is a familiar name to our forum members.

He’s a friend of ours who works at Broadcom with Eben, and in his spare time (the spare time that he hasn’t been dedicating to the Raspberry Pi itself) he’s been working on an add-on GPIO expansion board. Use it to flash LEDs on and off, drive motors, run sensors and all that other fun stuff.

Beginning to see visually where this will take things. :)

Edited by Smithy
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I predict an explosion of new SOC devices next year!

Looks like the RPi could have a far more powerful and cheaper rival that is in early development atm.

A Community Interest Company called Rhombus Tech,

which is a daughter company of RH Technology in the UK,

is planning on producing a $15 Allwinner A10 processor based PC, in a PCMCIA form factor.

http://elinux.org/Embedded_Open_Modular_Architecture/PCMCIA

This processor in already in use in Chinese Andriod 2.3 tablets in the sub €130 range.

Here's the spes of the Allwinner A10:

http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/



  • 1.5ghz Cortex A8 ARM Core
  • MALI400MP OpenGL ES 2.0 GPU
  • 2160p Hardware-accelerated Video playback (4x the resolution of 1080p)
  • up to 1gb of DDR3 (800mhz) RAM
  • a NAND Flash Controller that is capable of 8-way concurrent DMA (8 NAND ICs) as well as supporting up to 500mhz DDR2 RAM
  • 4 SDIO interfaces (SD 3.0, UHI class)
  • USB 2.0 Host as well as a 2nd USB-OTG Interface (USB-OTG can be reconfigured as USB 2.0 Host, automatically)
  • 24-pin RGB/TTL as well as simultaneous HDMI out
  • SATA-II 3gb/sec
  • 10/100 Ethernet (MII compatible)
  • a 2nd 24-pin RGB/TTL interface that is multiplexed (shared) on the same pins for a standard IDE (PATA) interface.
  • GPIO, I2C, PWM, Keyboard Matrix (8x8), built-in Resistive Touchscreen Controller, and much more.

Details are pretty sketchy atm, and the Rombus Tech is very bare:

http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/news/

At first their website looks almost like a hoax,

but if you manage to navigate around and find the mailing archives and FAQ section,

you can find more info about the project.

Their little size mockup of what the board could like doesn't do much to convince us,

but I guess it's early stages yet.

a10_pcmcia_module.png

Hopefully we'll get a lot more info in the new year.

Edited by Smithy
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while we're on this topic, maybe this one is also interesting (all the more so because it's already available afaik):

http://www.solid-run.com/products/cubox

Named by combining the words 'Cube' and 'Box' and while being less than 2"3 in size, the platform can stream and decode 1080p content, with desktop class interfaces, all in less than 3 Watt (*) and less than 1 Watt in standby.

The platform is based on Marvell Armada 510 SoC and includes the following key features -

Linux based distributions like Ubuntu, Debian and others

Android

800 MHz dual issue ARM PJ4 processor, VFPv3, wmmx SIMD and 512KB L2 cache.

1080p Video Decode Engine

OpenGL|ES 2.0 graphic engine

HDMI 1080p Output (with CEC function)

1GByte DDR3 at 800MHz

Gigabit Ethernet, SPDIF (optical audio), eSata 3Gbps, 2xUSB 2.0, micro-SD, micro-USB (console)

Standard Infra-red receiver for 38KHz based IR controllers.

No JTAG required. Unbrickable for Developers (**)

100€, so not a 15$ supercheap gadget. including PSU and case (and µSD card), though. projected 15$ price for the rhombus thing is really barebone, full-100k-pcs-volume-discount price, so I kinda doubt they'll reach that..

Edited by bilderbuchi
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100€, so not a 15$ supercheap gadget. including PSU and case (and µSD card), though. projected 15$ price for the rhombus thing is really barebone, full-100k-pcs-volume-discount price, so I kinda doubt they'll reach that..

Definitely not, especially with their rather un-welcoming website!

They're going to need to work a lot harder on seducing public interest to achieve 1/10 of the amount of those pre-orders.

While producing the PCB as a PCMCIA interface has excellent low cost advantages,

it's also going to present challenges in keeping the signals stable enough at the desired frequencies.

Then again in the future, the manufacturer they're working with, might release their own nano sized low cost PC and fulfil the amount of units it would take to get the price down close to $15.

It's good to see a bit of rivalary going on though, hopefully it will prompt a lot more of these low cost devices.

Edited by Smithy
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Definitely not, especially with their rather un-welcoming website!

They're going to need to work a lot harder on seducing public interest to achieve 1/10 of the amount of those pre-orders.

Don't underestimate the people that are actually interested in these things. Seduction is done via the price tag. The rest is just another small ARM10/9/8/7 board. Look at the beaglebone for instance. A lot more expensive, pretty similar, shitty website, no doco - sold out everywhere. instantly.

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