Small network single Board computer for $ 20
Well, finally I have in my hands the first full working copy of our single Board computer.
Six months of development, two months of waiting (yet will produce the first 20 copies and delivered at Moscow), a week of non-stop sex (to start)... And here it is — our little miracle!
It is not "the world's smallest computer". And not the cheapest. And certainly not the most powerful. But it is quite small, quite cheap and not so slow. The Qualcom Atheros AR9331 chip, 64 MB DDR2 16 MB NOR flash. Wi-Fi, one Gigabit Ethernet, and up to five 100мбитных, USB, UART, SPI, I2S, 20+ GPIO, OpenWrt on Board — what more could you ask for? To light for the first time-led the team from the smartphone — not this what we all want?
Well, as a nice bonus — the opportunity to make their own fee with Lotto and girl students, because all documentation we will open, and in the manufacture of prototypes and drawings will help.
The first details under the cut.
Probably, all "electronic DIY" know about compact and cheap Chinese routers on the basis of the AR9331 — TP LINk WR702, WR703, MR3020, etc. With their help it is easy and inexpensive to add Wi-Fi to all sorts of homemade delights (here, here, here, here — dozens of them).
However, such a decision (to buy a router and brutally outrage over it) has some obvious drawbacks. And we wanted to make their own cost — compact, convenient and cheap. Fortunately, that Datasheet for the AR9331 can be found no problem, the chips themselves in China are sold "for a penny" on every corner, and soft for years of existence of the SoC is fulfilled to trifles.
As examples, we have acquired several Carambola2 and EL-M150. I must say — our fee is not their clone, it's own development. But, of course, difficult to come up with something original, if in fact the computer has three standard chips and strapping. On the other hand, we wanted to reduce the size of the Board, but the "output" the maximum of the possibilities of this chip. So get a compromise, which could be improved. Well, again, nobody disturbs us to make a few Board options (for example, suggests the cost of one square inch, 25x25mm, like our good friend Vonger, our now 25х35мм).
Top row: EL-M150 on the base Board, base Board from EL-M150 soldered adapter at our cost.
Bottom row: Carambola2 on the base Board, EL-M150 separately, our Board, SD card (for a scale).
Of course, the first revision is not immediately earned. Found our three joint and two Chinese (turned when assembling the two components 180 degrees). So the launch had to suffer. But all over, and the first Board was successfully run continuously for two days, broadcasting a picture from a USB camera over WiFi to the tablet.
How much does it all cost?
The manufacture of 20 prototypes cost about 1200 USD. On the edition of 1,000 pieces approximate alignment on a single Board like this:
1. The cost of manufacturing (four-layer Board, components, Assembly) — USD 12.
2. Check, fill, soft, packing, delivery to airport is $ 1.
3. Delivery by air to Russia (Moscow) — USD 1.
4. Customs clearance — 4 USD (most of them — 18% VAT).
Total cost of one Board in Moscow — about 18 USD. Retail price want to make 750 rubles.
If sent by mail from Hong Kong, it will be cheaper by 2-3 dollars.
There is an option to do a "Lite" version of the Board — 32 MB RAM / 4 MB flash. It will be another couple of dollars cheaper in cost.
Will this product interesting in Russia? Please comment.
PS the Kickstarter, of course, will emerge in the near future.
Article based on information from habrahabr.ru
Six months of development, two months of waiting (yet will produce the first 20 copies and delivered at Moscow), a week of non-stop sex (to start)... And here it is — our little miracle!
It is not "the world's smallest computer". And not the cheapest. And certainly not the most powerful. But it is quite small, quite cheap and not so slow. The Qualcom Atheros AR9331 chip, 64 MB DDR2 16 MB NOR flash. Wi-Fi, one Gigabit Ethernet, and up to five 100мбитных, USB, UART, SPI, I2S, 20+ GPIO, OpenWrt on Board — what more could you ask for? To light for the first time-led the team from the smartphone — not this what we all want?
Well, as a nice bonus — the opportunity to make their own fee with Lotto and girl students, because all documentation we will open, and in the manufacture of prototypes and drawings will help.
The first details under the cut.
Probably, all "electronic DIY" know about compact and cheap Chinese routers on the basis of the AR9331 — TP LINk WR702, WR703, MR3020, etc. With their help it is easy and inexpensive to add Wi-Fi to all sorts of homemade delights (here, here, here, here — dozens of them).
However, such a decision (to buy a router and brutally outrage over it) has some obvious drawbacks. And we wanted to make their own cost — compact, convenient and cheap. Fortunately, that Datasheet for the AR9331 can be found no problem, the chips themselves in China are sold "for a penny" on every corner, and soft for years of existence of the SoC is fulfilled to trifles.
As examples, we have acquired several Carambola2 and EL-M150. I must say — our fee is not their clone, it's own development. But, of course, difficult to come up with something original, if in fact the computer has three standard chips and strapping. On the other hand, we wanted to reduce the size of the Board, but the "output" the maximum of the possibilities of this chip. So get a compromise, which could be improved. Well, again, nobody disturbs us to make a few Board options (for example, suggests the cost of one square inch, 25x25mm, like our good friend Vonger, our now 25х35мм).
Top row: EL-M150 on the base Board, base Board from EL-M150 soldered adapter at our cost.
Bottom row: Carambola2 on the base Board, EL-M150 separately, our Board, SD card (for a scale).
Of course, the first revision is not immediately earned. Found our three joint and two Chinese (turned when assembling the two components 180 degrees). So the launch had to suffer. But all over, and the first Board was successfully run continuously for two days, broadcasting a picture from a USB camera over WiFi to the tablet.
How much does it all cost?
The manufacture of 20 prototypes cost about 1200 USD. On the edition of 1,000 pieces approximate alignment on a single Board like this:
1. The cost of manufacturing (four-layer Board, components, Assembly) — USD 12.
2. Check, fill, soft, packing, delivery to airport is $ 1.
3. Delivery by air to Russia (Moscow) — USD 1.
4. Customs clearance — 4 USD (most of them — 18% VAT).
Total cost of one Board in Moscow — about 18 USD. Retail price want to make 750 rubles.
If sent by mail from Hong Kong, it will be cheaper by 2-3 dollars.
There is an option to do a "Lite" version of the Board — 32 MB RAM / 4 MB flash. It will be another couple of dollars cheaper in cost.
Will this product interesting in Russia? Please comment.
PS the Kickstarter, of course, will emerge in the near future.
