Our answer is Raspberry Pi

    Most people who are or are interested in developing electronic devices running ARM processors are well aware of the Raspberry Pi project. In fact, this is the first low-cost development board with an open architecture, good technical support, and also with a large and friendly community of enthusiasts.
    Our small company (start-up) almost by chance decided to compete with this wonderful berry. Well, I decided to write about it after I found interest in this topic right here .



    In general, single-board computers existed before the "raspberries", but were considered "tools of professionals", intended primarily for industrial use. In addition to the cost typical of industrial solutions, such boards were traditionally very closed, technical information about them was usually metered out (up to signing the NDA with the manufacturer as a necessary purchase condition), and developing their own custom-made solution on their basis was a non-trivial task, especially for a single amateur.
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    Raspberry Pi is the first real project designed for enthusiasts, amateurs, students and other “lone handicraftsmen with a motor”. What is called “cheap and cheerful” - for 25 or 35 US dollars (not including shipping costs) you get a single-board computer with an ARM11 and Linux processor on board, with a bunch of different interfaces. On the knee you can collect a lot of funny devices, and the “as is” board can be used for many different applications.
    The low cost of the board is mainly due to the orientation of the project on education, i.e. initially high rates of return were not planned. In my estimation, manufacturers hardly earn more than $ 5 on a single board.

    It would seem that everything is just wonderful, but ... You can always do even better, right?

    Our company is a typical start-up, i.e. It was created specifically for the implementation of one rather peculiar project (I will not talk about it here, because for several reasons our project is an almost ideal target for criticizing IT specialists, i.e., the main audience of Habrahabr). In the process of working on our main project, we had to (yes, we were forced, damn it! Actually, we are programmers, but ...) to develop our own motherboard on an ARM processor. And the board is, in our opinion, very good. Those. for our project, it is generally ideal, I think, but after minor modifications (mainly geometry changes, because we mold our board for a very specific case), you can use it for other purposes! So the “side” project was born - our answer is Raspberry Pi.

    main idea


    We make a compact, modular, productive (ahem ... well, relatively - details below), a universal and inexpensive basic platform for the development of electronic devices for various purposes.

    Compactness

    The current dimensions of the Paspberry Pi are 8.6x5.4x1.5 (1.7) cm. And if with the first two - everything is almost OK (this is the size of a credit card, but "almost" because some connectors still come out for this size), then the height (due to all the same connectors) is too big. We are going to make the main processor module (about modularity - below) with a thickness somewhere around 5-6 mm. Most likely we will make the length and width, like with Pi, but nothing will stick out for sure. On the other hand, we simply do not need so much space (see “modularity”) ... So, perhaps, the width and height will be less.

    Modularity

    The most interesting, in our opinion, feature of our project. Why pay for something you don't need? And where to get what you need if this is not on the board?
    In our “basic” project, the board will simply have a dofig of all the interesting things - a bunch of controllers, interfaces, etc. We just need all this for a number of reasons. As a result, we will have support, for example, LCD, touchscreen, Ethernet, WiFi, GPS, 3G and more. But all this can not be placed on the processor board, but can be connected to it with cables or connectors as necessary (the main thing is that there will already be support for all these devices, including drivers). Therefore, on the main - processor - module, we will place only what cannot be connected to each other without soldering, namely: the processor and memory. And the buyer himself can connect everything else as he wants (and we will help with information, modules and components - with the same connectors).
    An additional plus of this approach: when releasing a new processor module (progress does not stop), most plug-ins continue to work with it without changes (we just keep the specification of the connection interface from version to version).

    Performance

    Raspberry Pi is based on the Broadcom BCM2835 processor, this is ARM11 (ARMv6 instruction set, no NEON support), the processor frequency is 700 MHz. At present, it’s not the smartest “heart”.
    We are developing a board based on the Samsung S5PV210 processor (Exynos 3). This is a pretty "old" processor. Used, for example, in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. 45nm, Cortex A8, support for ARMv7 + NEON, 1GHz, PowerVR SGX540 graphics, hardware support for JPEG encoding / decoding and 720p video.
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    Why this particular processor? It is very affordable, at a price close to the Chinese ARM Cortex A8, and in terms of performance (especially in three-dimensional graphics) it covers them like a bull sheep. At the same time, unlike the same "Chinese", technical information on the S5PV210 is more or less available. Well, a number of other goodies (L2 large cache, 45nm vs 65nm technological process for most “Chinese”, etc.) ...
    Memory - DDR2, dual-channel mode, 512MB or 1GB - have not decided yet: either we will make two versions of the processor module, or it’s just that there will always be 1GB (the price difference is small).
    In the future, it will be possible to offer several options for processor modules on various SoCs. Just, for example, such a module on a quad-core Exynos 4412 will now cost somewhere 2.5 times more expensive ... And for most tasks, the S5PV210 is more than enough.

    Versatility

    Initially, we want to make out of the box support for our motherboard of the three most popular embedded OSs: Linux, Android 4, and WindowsCE. This will make it possible to use the most convenient option for specific purposes. Freedom of choice rules!
    It is clear that a license for Windows CE will have to pay a few dollars (purely voluntarily - an option), but do not say "fi, byak!" - She has a number of advantages over competitors. Exynos 3 - alas, the latest Samsung ARM processor, officially supporting Windows CE ... The
    versatility in terms of connecting external devices is provided by modularity. Well, on the processor board itself, all the main interfaces will be available to a person familiar with the soldering iron.

    Cost

    The processor itself costs about $ 9 in China with a batch of 1000 pieces. Those. the cost of the main module - the processor board - will be about 20-25 USD. Plus 18% VAT. Plus our interest. In general, our target retail price is 1000 rubles excluding shipping costs. It’s unlikely that it will be possible to make cheaper, but there is no point in putting a higher price.
    Our main goal is to make the platform widespread enough to be contacted for the manufacture of bulk batches of customized solutions. Well, in fact, we are always ready to help in the development of such solutions (for a reasonable fee). And since we recently became residents of one special economic zone, plus we have experience in the delivery, customs clearance and assembly of electronics as part of our main project, there is hope that our service will be in demand.

    Any miscellaneous


    Since the project is in its infancy, you can still change it painlessly. You have the opportunity to participate in the process, to offer something or to criticize our choice. We are pleased to hear from you.

    Any ideas on sizes? In our opinion, the “credit card” form factor is slightly outdated - modern electronics do not require so much space, everything can be made more compact.

    Assortment of plug-ins. We definitely plan to do the following:
    1. Audio / video module. HDMI, component video output, 3.5mm jacks for headphones and microphone, a place for a small speaker and microphone (you can solder yourself if you want). The planned price is 200 rubles.
    2. Flash memory modules. On the processor module, most likely, there will be no flash memory (there will be a slot for a microSD card). But a separate module, for example, 4GB eMMC can be completely added (tentatively - 400r).
    3. Ethernet module (~ 250r).
    4. WiFi + Bluetooth module (~ 500r).
    5. 3G module (until the cost is unknown).
    6. Module with Li-Ion battery. Actually, “standard” power is planned from the microUSB connector, but in some applications the battery will definitely not be superfluous (~ 400r).
    7. Module for connecting an LCD monitor (LVDS interface + connector for our 7 "LCD module).
    8. GPS module (with price still unclear).
    9. USB hub (4 USB ports). We think no more than 200 rubles.
    We are waiting criticism and suggestions for a set of modules from you.

    The stages of the project so far are seen in this way:
    1. Somewhere by April there will be a prototype.
    2. By the summer we will finish the software and make an industrial design.
    3. By the fall we will make the first batch (1000 pieces).
    This is an optimistic option. Unfortunately, our budget is small, as the company is small and exists solely on money earned (we have no investors). But we hope that we will succeed.

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