Jonttu
Still Fresh
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 94
First of all, I apologize if this is the wrong forum to even introduce an idea like this at. Not to say I am new to the Pandora's scene or anything, but hopefully this isn't viewed as a threat or competition to the Pandora in sorts is my gist.
So I have been around the portable scene for a while. I originally started on Howards phone forum, XDA and some other UMPC forums (Micropctalk for one). I've also been around the Pandora scene since it's early days on the gp forums. I have to say I love my Pandora through and through. I use it for music, some retro gaming and remote desktoping just about every day. I 'm really glad to have sat it out through til the end. The Pandora does certain things very well and as a general device it's very capable for it specs. However there are certain things I'd wish to do on a portable form factor that I won't say the Pandora does poorly but rather the Pandora was never intended for such tasks anyway. One thing I would like is a HD portable media playback device. Obviously I know that there are phones and other general media devices that do full HD out, but I really want a device that I can download movies from my home server from and easily appropriate them to folders. Another thing I want is x86 compatibility. I know at the moment it may seem as if the architecture is struggling, but I'm actually fairly certain that Intel and others will continue optimizing the power efficiency and close the margin between ARM and x86 fairly soon. I know it can be argued that there are plenty of alternative softwares that can be used on ARM, but it would be nice to able to take a portable form factor and be able to hook it up to a monitor or TV and use it for productivity as well. I know there are many of you out there that have professions, hobbies, and interest for an x86 device that can use the software that we need, do the things we want and where we want them. I know that the majority of people don't have an actual need for an x86 and the idea of using one might seem inefficient or rather pointless. Though it might seem inefficient, there currently isn't much of a pocketable device out there that can handle heavy productivity.
I actually own a Sony ux380n and it's been very reliable for years. It do most of things I need it to do, but it is slightly lacking in the power I'm looking for. So I've really been doing research on portable x86 solutions. Other than mine, there really aren't any alternatives to what I need. So I thought that maybe I could make my own.
I've spent probably the last month or so just looking for the best parts to put in it. Best parts is to say having a balance of size and power.
I have narrowed down that the motherboard I will use is Via's new quadcore e SoC. Specifically the EPIA-P910.
The specs list out as follows:
VIA EPIA-P910-10 SPECIFICATIONS Processor 1.0GHz VIA QuadCore E Chipset VIA VX11H Media System Processor System Memory
1 x DDR3 800/1066/1333 SODIMM socket
Up to 8GB memory size
VGA
Integrated VIA Chromotion 5.0 DX11 3D/2D graphics with VC1, MPEG-2, WMV9, and H.264 decoding acceleration
Expansion Slots PCI Express via proprietary connector Onboard IDE None Onboard Serial ATA 2 SATA connectors Onboard USB 6 USB 2.0
2 USB 3.0 Onboard LAN 1 x VIA VT6130 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller Onboard Audio VIA VT2021 High Definition Audio Codec Back Panel I/O
1 x Mini-HDMI port
1 x VGA port
1 x GigaLAN port
2 x USB 3.0 ports
Onboard I/O Connectors 2 SATA connectors
1 30-pin I/O extender ( KB/MS,LPC,GPIO, SM Bus)
1 30-pin I/O extender ( Line-in/Line-out/Mic-in/SPDIF-out, USB 2.0 x 3, F-panel)
1 LVDS connector (18/24-bit, single-channel)
1 LVDS inverter
1 Fan pin header
1 SPI connector
1 SATA power connector
1 +12 V DC-in power connector BIOS AMI Aptio UEFI
4Mbit BIOS ROM System Monitoring & Management Wake-on LAN, Keyboard Power-on, Timer Power-on, System power management, AC power failure recovery
Watch Dog Timer Operating Temperature 0°C ~ 60°C Operating Humidity 0% ~ 95% (relative humidity; non-condensing) Form Factor Pico-ITX (10 x 7.2 cm) Includes 1 x DC power cable
1 x SATA cable
1 x SATA power cable
Now initially those who may be concerned about Via's performance, rest assured that even Via's Nano X2 Eden (dualcore) wiped the floors with atom equivalents. I would say it is up there with AMD's APUs in performance. Now the power draw is rather high, which is the only rather unfortunate part. Now I've done some research on batteries and Imagine something of this size on a portable scale can be powered for up to 4-5 hours. I know that may not seem very long, but that's performance to usage compromise you have to make. I have found a few LCD's that would work fine with LVDS on the board. With the size contraints of the heatsink I imagine it would be same thickness as the Pandora or slightly thicker. I have been working on a cad model of the case as well as waiting on my board to ship to try this out. Eventually I will work on the screen and casing.
What I came here to ask is if anyone else would be interested in helping develop this system. I find that through collaboration usually the best ideas prevail. Also if there are any of you that would like a system like this themselves and have the capability of putting one together. Now I'm not experienced with things like this, but I have done my fair share of diy projects over the years. Another reason I brought this up here is that if there are others that want to do this, ordering parts in bulk quite obviously saves a little money. Now I'm not sure if there are 100s here that would need a device like this, but if there are at least 10, then there is money to be saved. SO I'm sorry for such a long post, but let me know what you guys think.
So I have been around the portable scene for a while. I originally started on Howards phone forum, XDA and some other UMPC forums (Micropctalk for one). I've also been around the Pandora scene since it's early days on the gp forums. I have to say I love my Pandora through and through. I use it for music, some retro gaming and remote desktoping just about every day. I 'm really glad to have sat it out through til the end. The Pandora does certain things very well and as a general device it's very capable for it specs. However there are certain things I'd wish to do on a portable form factor that I won't say the Pandora does poorly but rather the Pandora was never intended for such tasks anyway. One thing I would like is a HD portable media playback device. Obviously I know that there are phones and other general media devices that do full HD out, but I really want a device that I can download movies from my home server from and easily appropriate them to folders. Another thing I want is x86 compatibility. I know at the moment it may seem as if the architecture is struggling, but I'm actually fairly certain that Intel and others will continue optimizing the power efficiency and close the margin between ARM and x86 fairly soon. I know it can be argued that there are plenty of alternative softwares that can be used on ARM, but it would be nice to able to take a portable form factor and be able to hook it up to a monitor or TV and use it for productivity as well. I know there are many of you out there that have professions, hobbies, and interest for an x86 device that can use the software that we need, do the things we want and where we want them. I know that the majority of people don't have an actual need for an x86 and the idea of using one might seem inefficient or rather pointless. Though it might seem inefficient, there currently isn't much of a pocketable device out there that can handle heavy productivity.
I actually own a Sony ux380n and it's been very reliable for years. It do most of things I need it to do, but it is slightly lacking in the power I'm looking for. So I've really been doing research on portable x86 solutions. Other than mine, there really aren't any alternatives to what I need. So I thought that maybe I could make my own.
I've spent probably the last month or so just looking for the best parts to put in it. Best parts is to say having a balance of size and power.
I have narrowed down that the motherboard I will use is Via's new quadcore e SoC. Specifically the EPIA-P910.
The specs list out as follows:
VIA EPIA-P910-10 SPECIFICATIONS Processor 1.0GHz VIA QuadCore E Chipset VIA VX11H Media System Processor System Memory
1 x DDR3 800/1066/1333 SODIMM socket
Up to 8GB memory size
VGA
Integrated VIA Chromotion 5.0 DX11 3D/2D graphics with VC1, MPEG-2, WMV9, and H.264 decoding acceleration
Expansion Slots PCI Express via proprietary connector Onboard IDE None Onboard Serial ATA 2 SATA connectors Onboard USB 6 USB 2.0
2 USB 3.0 Onboard LAN 1 x VIA VT6130 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller Onboard Audio VIA VT2021 High Definition Audio Codec Back Panel I/O
1 x Mini-HDMI port
1 x VGA port
1 x GigaLAN port
2 x USB 3.0 ports
Onboard I/O Connectors 2 SATA connectors
1 30-pin I/O extender ( KB/MS,LPC,GPIO, SM Bus)
1 30-pin I/O extender ( Line-in/Line-out/Mic-in/SPDIF-out, USB 2.0 x 3, F-panel)
1 LVDS connector (18/24-bit, single-channel)
1 LVDS inverter
1 Fan pin header
1 SPI connector
1 SATA power connector
1 +12 V DC-in power connector BIOS AMI Aptio UEFI
4Mbit BIOS ROM System Monitoring & Management Wake-on LAN, Keyboard Power-on, Timer Power-on, System power management, AC power failure recovery
Watch Dog Timer Operating Temperature 0°C ~ 60°C Operating Humidity 0% ~ 95% (relative humidity; non-condensing) Form Factor Pico-ITX (10 x 7.2 cm) Includes 1 x DC power cable
1 x SATA cable
1 x SATA power cable
Now initially those who may be concerned about Via's performance, rest assured that even Via's Nano X2 Eden (dualcore) wiped the floors with atom equivalents. I would say it is up there with AMD's APUs in performance. Now the power draw is rather high, which is the only rather unfortunate part. Now I've done some research on batteries and Imagine something of this size on a portable scale can be powered for up to 4-5 hours. I know that may not seem very long, but that's performance to usage compromise you have to make. I have found a few LCD's that would work fine with LVDS on the board. With the size contraints of the heatsink I imagine it would be same thickness as the Pandora or slightly thicker. I have been working on a cad model of the case as well as waiting on my board to ship to try this out. Eventually I will work on the screen and casing.
What I came here to ask is if anyone else would be interested in helping develop this system. I find that through collaboration usually the best ideas prevail. Also if there are any of you that would like a system like this themselves and have the capability of putting one together. Now I'm not experienced with things like this, but I have done my fair share of diy projects over the years. Another reason I brought this up here is that if there are others that want to do this, ordering parts in bulk quite obviously saves a little money. Now I'm not sure if there are 100s here that would need a device like this, but if there are at least 10, then there is money to be saved. SO I'm sorry for such a long post, but let me know what you guys think.
Last edited by a moderator: