Interesting connectors available from this company...

[DAP]

I ran across this company when looking for something else: http://www.xmultiple.com/

What caught my attention was the uSD, uUSB combo connector: http://www.xmultiple.com/xwebsite-Smart.htm

This would allow the Pyra to have its uSD card externally accessible.

While poking around their site, I found they also make a USB type C connector: http://www.xmultiple.com/xwebsite-forum-USB-TypeC.htm

(the link to drawings on that page is broken, I found the drawings near the end of this page: http://www.xmultiple.com/X-XUSB-Material-3.0.htm )

This is something I have been looking for for a while.

The one thing I haven't yet found is a stacked dual full sized SD socket.

 

[thatgui]

What caught my attention was the uSD, uUSB combo connector: http://www.xmultiple.com/xwebsite-Smart.htm

This would allow the Pyra to have its uSD card externally accessible.

As the MicroSD Slot is meant to be a internal storage alternative, I'm not quite comfortable with having it accessible that easily. 

While poking around their site, I found they also make a USB type C connector: http://www.xmultiple.com/xwebsite-forum-USB-TypeC.htm

(the link to drawings on that page is broken, I found the drawings near the end of this page: http://www.xmultiple.com/X-XUSB-Material-3.0.htm )

This is something I have been looking for for a while.

I would love to have a type C connector replacing either the (standalone) USB-A connector or the MicroUSB2 term/charging port, but I guess it won't happen anymore :-(.

 

[DAP]

The best use for the type-C connector is the USB3 OTG connector. It is half the size of the existing USB-3 connector.

 

[WizardStan]

That's because the current USB3.0 connector is backwards compatible with the old USB2.0 microUSB. Changing to C connectors, adapters would be required in order to keep using any old USB2.0 devices. A micro USB A cable can be purchased in any dollar store for cheap if you need one, I'm not sure how long it'll be until micro USB C cables can be purchased in the same way.

 

[_wb_]

What caught my attention was the uSD, uUSB combo connector: http://www.xmultiple.com/xwebsite-Smart.htm

This would allow the Pyra to have its uSD card externally accessible.

AFAIK the plan is to use a SIM/µSD combo already, so no board space to be gained by moving the µSD slot away. Now if there would be room for a second µSD card, that would be cool (can't have too many card slots), but I don't think it's likely to happen because

1) I think the main PCB design is too close to final to do such changes

2) I don't think the SoC can handle another SD card (you already can't have both the eMMC and the µSD card because of SoC limitations)

3) I'm not sure if there's room -- the µUSB connector (the 2.0 one, not the 3.0 one) is already positioned above a full-size USB connector, so there's probably not enough room to stack a µSD slot on top of that.

Looking at the PCB prototype pictures, it looks like all the large components go on the bottom side of the PCB (the side with the daughter PCB):

while the top side of the PCB has only flat components:

 

[deadofmind]

Completely off topic here.

But whenever I see pics of the PCBs, it feels like I'm looking at pieces of art.

On topic.

I too am a bit uncomfortable with having the internal storage external x­D I've never had a problem with it, but just in case I wouldn't want there to be a chance of my SD card falling out.

 

[Binky]

But whenever I see pics of the PCBs, it feels like I'm looking at pieces of art.

I'd say craft rather than art, since they're practical as well as beautiful.

I too am a bit uncomfortable with having the internal storage external x­D I've never had a problem with it, but just in case I wouldn't want there to be a chance of my SD card falling out.

quote++

 

[Granitehead]

I too am a bit uncomfortable with having the internal storage external x­D I've never had a problem with it, but just in case I wouldn't want there to be a chance of my SD card falling out.

 quote++

I disagree.I have yet to see an uSD card slot where the card could fall out accidentally.

If you remove it on purpose because you aren't aware the OS will crash when it runs from it then it's your own fault. It would be against the Pandora spirit to remove a feature to "protect" users.

And it /would/ be a feature because it would make it easier to flash a new OS and access the files from another computer in general.

But I think it's a pointless discussion anyway, because it's already pretty much fixed that there'll be an internal uSD/sim card combination.

 

[WizardStan]

I have yet to see an uSD card slot where the card could fall out accidentally.

I've never had a device with an external uSD slot but I have had several devices with external regular SD cards and have accidentally ejected them several times. Spring loaded latches means a bump in the wrong place can easily pop them out because that's what they're designed to do.

It would be against the Pandora spirit to remove a feature to "protect" users

It's not removing a feature since it never existed in the first place. As an extreme example, you can't say that the knife feature (so you can open boxes with your Pyra) was removed for fear that people would cut themselves because it never had a knife feature.Alternative internal storage is the added feature. Just because it didn't go as far as you'd like in adding more features doesn't mean they were taken away.

 

[Granitehead]

I have yet to see an uSD card slot where the card could fall out accidentally.

I've never had a device with an external uSD slot but I have had several devices with external regular SD cards and have accidentally ejected them several times. Spring loaded latches means a bump in the wrong place can easily pop them out because that's what they're designed to do.

I just tested with two cheap Android sticks. Those uSD card slots aren't designed to be used frequently. It's quite hard to get the cards out: You need to push into the slot with your fingernail and the fingernail needs to be in the exact right orientation and position - if it's rotated it just pushes against the plastic surrounding the slot, when it's slightly up or down it slips in between the uSD card and the plastic. With one of them I think I can safely claim the uSD card won't ever pop out accidentally, with the other the probability of it being ejected accidentally is still very small.

It would be against the Pandora spirit to remove a feature to "protect" users

It's not removing a feature since it never existed in the first place. As an extreme example, you can't say that the knife feature (so you can open boxes with your Pyra) was removed for fear that people would cut themselves because it never had a knife feature.Alternative internal storage is the added feature. Just because it didn't go as far as you'd like in adding more features doesn't mean they were taken away.

That's just words. Boooooring.I thought I was making it clear I was only being hypothetical anyway.

I was arguing like "/If/ such a feature was a possibility, then it shouldn't be discarded because of your arguments" and I even ended with the note that it's out of question anyway.