• SOPINE A64

    Jarrett02/27/2018 at 22:20 1 comment

    This is worth talking about, too:

    https://www.pine64.org/?page_id=1491

    At $29 for the module and $15 for the base board, this is how the Raspberry Pi should be priced.

    The form factor is the SODIMM-DDR3 socket, which is incompatible with the Raspberry Pi Compute ecosystem.

    This kind of begs the question:

    What are the goals of a compute module? Is it to have a small, inexpensive computer in a permanent location? A lightweight but upgradeable CPU in something bigger? Freeing the RasPi's SODIMM2 form factor? Piggybacking on their ecosystem?

    If the first two options, the Pine 64 is well worth considering. It appears to be more powerful, and is cheaper.

    For the second two options, anything Raspberry Pi is the "best" because of the huge community behind it, head and shoulders above everything else, despite relatively lackluster performance.

    Are there any other Compute modules out there, or similar systems? I am not aware of any.

  • SoC Candidate: TI AM335x Sitara

    Jarrett02/26/2018 at 22:48 0 comments

    More commonly known as the Beaglebone Black chip.

    There are two main streams for this one:


    A bare AM3358 (or similar):

    - $14-25 in singles

    - Difficult to design with

    - Expensive boards - smaller than 5/5 process that most Chinese boardhouses are capable with

    - Very well supported. Second only to Raspberry Pi itself

    The Octavo:

    - $60-70

    - Less cool

    - Way easier to design into a PCB

    - Less demanding board process