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DIY computer EdgeProMX

An EdgePro1 based DIY computer with mechanical keyboard and monochromatic display.

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EdgeProMX is a DIY computer based on EdgePro1 CPU board. It has been specifically designed for easy home soldering. The EdgeProMX footprint boasts easily identifiable areas to solder on your own 48-key mechanical ortholinear keyboard (Cherry MX compatible), a low-power sunlight-readable 400 by 240 monochromatic Sharp Memory LCD module, a rotary switch, a toggle switch, exchangeable batteries, and a development area for prototyping. For debugging purposes a standard JTAG/SWD connector can be added as well.

The board can be used as a standalone DIY computer or CyberDeck keyboard.

NXP i.MX RT1064 microcontroller with Cortex M7
4 MB Flash
1 MB RAM including 512 KB TCM
600 MHz clock
RTC
SPI
UART
I²C
SAI

U-Blox NINA-W102
Dual Core Tensilica 240 MHz, 520 KB RAM, 2 MB Flash
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Dual-mode Bluetooth v4.2
Powerful open CPU support for customized applications
Small footprint and internal antenna
Global certification

8 MB QSPI Flash external storage

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Jernej wrote 02/15/2023 at 11:06 point

Finally https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/pull/19824

Keyboard is running.

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Jernej wrote 09/08/2022 at 18:47 point

@tywy I think Fuzix can be ran on EdgeProMX, but regarding Linux I have made some test with uCLinux on i.MXRT and I was able to run it without a problem. But with the help of 32MB DDR RAM present on MIMXRT1064-EVK board. EdgeProMX uses an EdgePro1 development board without additional DDR RAM and you will have quite a challenge to put Linux on such a board, at least usable one. This board was simply not designed to run something like Linux. It was designed to run a Real Time Operating System with posibility to connect with external world through protoboard area or to learn RTOS basics, or to be a wireless keyboard, industrial controller, IoT development board, simple gaming machine, you name it. If you are still thinking Linux, you are better of with RPi:)

Regarding the battery. I have decided to go with exchangable battery tray for standard AAA batteries, which can be Alkaline or NiMH. Later can be charged externally with a cheap charger. If you need more power, you can always hook PowerBank to USB Micro connector on EdgePro1 board and you will be good to go for days if not weeks. And yes, EdgePro1 is the exchangable mother board. It has 22 pin DIL connector, and you can pull it out and replace it with something else. Or you can hook something completely different on the protoboard area. See the rows of pins on every side of proto area. All those pins are connected to display and keyboard. 

EdgeProMX will be running NuttX operating system with NSH, VI editor and full blown LuaJIT interpreter capable of running even in JIT mode. For the filesystem, LittleFS is used on dedicated 8MB of Flash.

I hope I have answered you.

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sup wrote 09/07/2022 at 07:11 point

This computer can run unix? (linux, fuzix, qnx, hurd, minix etc)

How long this device work on one charge?

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Jernej wrote 09/07/2022 at 19:18 point

It can run Unix-like OS called NuttX, which is fully POSIX compliant, but used on lower end microcontrollers with much less RAM than required by Linux or Unix. EdgePro1 has only 1MB of RAM and 4+8 MB of FLash. This machine is not meant to run on MMU OSes.

Regarding the power, I haven't really measured yet, but CPU alone can run well under 100mA (when stressed) and given the 900mAh Eneloop batteries, it will run for days if some kind of power saving methods are used in the OS. 

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tywy wrote 09/08/2022 at 18:15 point

;)

Please read carrefuly http://fuzix.org/ hardware are not problem, MMU this same.

https://jm.iq.pl/psion-5mx-z-linuxem-na-pokladzie/ Look at the parameters of this hardware, Linux runs well on very limited resources.

-------

battery is trouble in emergency situation. In my opinion power is critical for mobility. I'm user. Ind have different size of battery, old, new etc. I need charge sometimes. and put when computer run. please think about this. 

Ssecond link is ello 2 https://hackaday.io/project/9692-ello-2m very similar. What What do you think about your computer having an interchangeable motherboard? The power supply , screen, great keyboard would be fixed, but the processor could be replaced. Some will use esp, arduino others 6502 and others orange crab https://1bitsquared.com/products/orangecrab

As a regular user, I care about : communication (if only occasionally not permanently), standard shell tools and very long battery life. Several days or weeks.

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Tom Nardi wrote 08/25/2022 at 04:07 point

Really love this. The majority of deck builds can be boiled down to fancy Raspberry Pi enclosures, but this really takes things into a whole new direction. This is a device that could realistically be pieced together from scrap parts, and yet still have practical application. Great work.

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Jernej wrote 08/25/2022 at 05:09 point

Thank you.

  Are you sure? yes | no

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