Jump to content

User:Zazpot/EOMA68: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 738008068 by JzG (talk) reverting the past three edits (factually misleading statements), will re-add this one back in JzG as it's good.
Undid revision 737929463 by Zazpot (talk) in the process of reverting back three edits (one to go)
Line 41: Line 41:
The first publicly-available hardware compliant with EOMA-68 was offered by Make Play Live in 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://liliputing.com/2013/11/improv-is-a-75-modular-arm-based-computer-core-eoma-68.html | title=Improv is a $75 modular, ARM-based computer core (EOMA-68) | date=2013-11-25| author=Linder, Brad | publisher=Liliputing }}</ref> Although Make Play Live offered a CPU card called "Improv" for sale at $75 in 2014, it is not clear that the product ever shipped.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502234113/http://www.vaultechnology.com/store/improv | publisher=Vault Technology | title=Improv order page |date=2014-06-02 }}</ref>
The first publicly-available hardware compliant with EOMA-68 was offered by Make Play Live in 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://liliputing.com/2013/11/improv-is-a-75-modular-arm-based-computer-core-eoma-68.html | title=Improv is a $75 modular, ARM-based computer core (EOMA-68) | date=2013-11-25| author=Linder, Brad | publisher=Liliputing }}</ref> Although Make Play Live offered a CPU card called "Improv" for sale at $75 in 2014, it is not clear that the product ever shipped.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502234113/http://www.vaultechnology.com/store/improv | publisher=Vault Technology | title=Improv order page |date=2014-06-02 }}</ref>


In August 2016, another device compliant with EOMA-68 was [[crowd-funded]] through [[Crowd Supply]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop |title=Earth-friendly EOMA68 Computing Devices |publisher=Crowd Supply |date= |accessdate=2016-08-26}}</ref><ref>http://liliputing.com/2016/08/eoma68-modular-laptopdesktop-raises-more-than-150-thousand-through-crowdfunding-heres-whats-next.html</ref><ref>http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/Features/A-Free-Laptop-Project</ref><ref>https://boingboing.net/2016/08/04/a-freeopen-computer-on-a-card.html</ref><ref>https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=EOMA68-Campaign-Returns</ref> The first Computing Module in the series, the EOMA68-A20, was offered in a "Libre Tea" variant with the [[Parabola GNU/Linux-libre]] operating system installed, and is a candidate for [[Respects Your Freedom]] certification.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/support-the-libre-tea-computer-card-a-candidate-for-respects-your-freedom-certification |title=Support the Libre Tea Computer Card, a candidate for Respects Your Freedom certification|publisher=Free Software Foundation| author=Donald Robertson |date=August 10, 2016|accessdate=2016-08-26}}</ref> Additional hardware included two "Housings" - a Micro-Desktop and a 15.6in Laptop - as well as a break-out board for engineers and a Pass-through Card. The only implementations currently available are the Type II EOMA68 cards (5.0mm height).
In August 2016, another device compliant with EOMA-68 was [[crowd-funded]] through [[Crowd Supply]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop |title=Earth-friendly EOMA68 Computing Devices |publisher=Crowd Supply |date= |accessdate=2016-08-26}}</ref> The first Computing Module in the series, the EOMA68-A20, was offered in a "Libre Tea" variant with the [[Parabola GNU/Linux-libre]] operating system installed, and is a candidate for [[Respects Your Freedom]] certification.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/support-the-libre-tea-computer-card-a-candidate-for-respects-your-freedom-certification |title=Support the Libre Tea Computer Card, a candidate for Respects Your Freedom certification|publisher=Free Software Foundation| author=Donald Robertson |date=August 10, 2016|accessdate=2016-08-26}}</ref> Additional hardware included two "Housings" - a Micro-Desktop and a 15.6in Laptop - as well as a break-out board for engineers and a Pass-through Card. The only implementations currently available are the Type II EOMA68 cards (5.0mm height).


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 16:47, 6 September 2016

EOMA-68 is a proposed technical standard for plug-in CPU boards. It uses the old PCMCIA form factor and connector, but is not electrically compatible with it. [1][2][3] It has not been accepted as a standard by any standards organization.

Size

There are two different physical profiles of EOMA-68 (based around the legacy PCMCIA classifications):[4]

  • 54 mm × 85.6 mm; 5mm variant (Type II)
  • 54 mm × 85.6 mm; 3.3mm variant (Type I)

Type I is reserved for up to 1366x768 RGB/TTL video output; Type II is reserved for up to 1920x1080 RGB/TTL video output, on the basis that a Type I 3.3mm card may fit into a Type II 5.0mm socket but not vice versa. Thus, a module with a lower-capacity video output will physically be prevented from being used with incompatible higher-resolution devices, preventing any possible confusion about interoperability.

Interfaces

The EOMA-68 specification defines a set of non-optional general-purpose interfaces which are themselves open and in common use for several decades.[5]

  • 1× USB 2.0 or below
  • 1× USB 3.1 or below
  • 1× SDIO up to 4-bit
  • RGB/TTL up to 18-bit, minimum 1366x768 for "Type I" and 1920x1080 for "Type II".
  • I²C Bus
  • SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface Bus) up to 4-bit
  • 1x 2-pin UART (Tx, Rx only)
  • 4x External-interrupt-capable GPIO (EINT)
  • 1x PWM (Pulse-width modulation)

All pins (with the exception of USB, I2C, RGB/TTL, 5V power and Ground pins) must be dual-function GPIO that uses CMOS-level signalling relative to a Reference Voltage, VREF supplied from EOMA68 Card. Additional general-purpose interfaces of any kind (HDMI, Wi-Fi, Audio, USB-OTG and many more) are permitted at the user-facing end (just as was with PCMCIA) on a per-module basis.

Connectors

EOMA-68 re-uses legacy PCMCIA connectors, housings, sockets and assemblies but is not electrically or electronically compatible with the legacy PCMCIA standard. Just as with PCMCIA, the user-facing end of EOMA68 may be used for any purpose, such as provision of WIFI antennae, HDMI or USB-OTG connectors.

Specification

The EOMA-68 standard is hosted on the eLinux site under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence. EOMA-68 is the first standard in a series of standards[6] proposed by Rhombus Tech.

EOMA-68 is unusual (but not unique) in that all its interfaces are mandatory.[5] Examples of the very few other "aggregation" style specifications that require all interfaces to be mandatory include PC/104 and COM Express. The consequences of mandatory interfaces are that there is no possible source of confusion for end-users throughout the entire projected standard's lifetime.

Use cases

One intended use case is for a CPU, memory and motherboard to be completely contained in the EOMA68 form factor, with a host (designated a "Housing" in EOMA68 terminology) comprising mostly peripherals to be using that card for all or most of its computing power. An alternative use case is for the card to be used standalone, as a robust single-board computer. In this use case scenario, the user-facing end of the EOMA68 card would have power input (such as in the form of USB-OTG) and video output (typically HDMI). In this instance it would be near-identical in functionality to a Stick PC. Another use case is the Pass-through Card. This in effect simply "passes through" the pins of EOMA68 to more easily-accessible connectors at the other end, potentially performing aggregation or conversion (such as RGB/TTL to HDMI). The use of Pass-through Cards turns Housings into simple peripherals that may be plugged into other computing devices, for example via USB and HDMI.

Implementations

The first publicly-available hardware compliant with EOMA-68 was offered by Make Play Live in 2013.[7] Although Make Play Live offered a CPU card called "Improv" for sale at $75 in 2014, it is not clear that the product ever shipped.[8]

In August 2016, another device compliant with EOMA-68 was crowd-funded through Crowd Supply.[9] The first Computing Module in the series, the EOMA68-A20, was offered in a "Libre Tea" variant with the Parabola GNU/Linux-libre operating system installed, and is a candidate for Respects Your Freedom certification.[10] Additional hardware included two "Housings" - a Micro-Desktop and a 15.6in Laptop - as well as a break-out board for engineers and a Pass-through Card. The only implementations currently available are the Type II EOMA68 cards (5.0mm height).

See also

References

  1. ^ Brad Linder (2016-01-26). "EOMA68 Libre Laptop features upgradeable CPU card". Liliputing.com. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  2. ^ Brad Linder (2016-06-29). "Crowdfunding begins for modular EOMA68 PC system (laptop, desktop, upgradeable PC card)". Liliputing.com. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  3. ^ "Ecocomputing Whitepaper". Rhombus Tech.
  4. ^ "EOMA68 Physical Dimensions". elinux.org.
  5. ^ a b "EOMA-68 FAQ". elinux.org.
  6. ^ "EOMA Standards". elinux.org.
  7. ^ Linder, Brad (2013-11-25). "Improv is a $75 modular, ARM-based computer core (EOMA-68)". Liliputing.
  8. ^ "Improv order page". Vault Technology. 2014-06-02.
  9. ^ "Earth-friendly EOMA68 Computing Devices". Crowd Supply. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  10. ^ Donald Robertson (August 10, 2016). "Support the Libre Tea Computer Card, a candidate for Respects Your Freedom certification". Free Software Foundation. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Zazpot/EOMA68&oldid=738048180"