The Future of Pyra's CPU

[Rami]

I've been thinking...

It seems most of the board development job is done. Minus some not-so-minor twicks it looks like the board develpment team is going to have some time off in the next future.

I have a suggestion to change that:

It's is clear that when the real scope of Pyra users it clear there will be attempts to produce another faster CPU, that is one of the biggest perks of the unit. But I wont be happy to use the "old" CPU on a key chain - don't use keys chains at all. So what could be the use for the "old" pyra's CPU once it's been recplaced?

I'm thinking the board and the board developers could start throwing some concept ideas to see if there is any interest in in some little board to dock the "old" CPU so not throw it away. The idea would be to sell it as a Bundle with the new CPU when the time comes: You get a new CPU and some little new gadget to play with.

The thing I'm thinking - and bear in mind that I have no technical understanding of the real life chalengers of such a project - it's something like a low power torrent seed box. I'm sure that's it's not going to pass since a good chunk of Pyra's market is Germany and the situation with torrent there, but it adresses some of the elements I think are the issue here: something that requieres no baterise (allways pluged in with an old android cellphone charger), no screen, and a big constraintment on ports (probably just usb-c for power and micro sd card slot with wi-fi).

Best case cenario it could be programed in the Pyra and saved directely to the eMMC before relocating it to the little, new board. In that way no screen or keyboard ports would be needed making the board cheaper. Not that I would be able to program such thing, but I can try and follow the tutorial.

So, What you think?

Edit: a LOT of typos.

 

[TrashyMG]

The key chains was intended idea to dispose of wrongly designed PCB boards, they don't have components on it.

The Board designers you speak of in some plurality is not a group of people, just one guy and his spare time between other work... Evildragon who leads this project has a day job too.

Everyone is focused on getting the current product out...

 

[Rami]

The key chains was intended idea to dispose of wrongly designed PCB boards, they don't have components on it.

The Board designers you speak of in some plurality is not a group of people, just one guy and his spare time between other work... Evildragon who leads this project has a day job too.

Everyone is focused on getting the current product out...

Yeah, I know all that. The key chain thing was a joke, I thought I had made it clear with the comentary. And, obviously, there has to be a Pyra out and a Pyra CPU update for that what I have suggested have any chance to ever seeing the light of day.

I am just asking: Would you (people of the Pyra) have any interest in something like that? What exactly? Would THE developer have any interest in playing with something like that once the Pyra is out and next processor haven't been choosen yet - I reckon it would take some time to nagociate such a thing with the suppliers as I have some hope of the Pyra a Fig/Kickstarter/IndieGoGo increasing the numebers in the future?

 

[kuru]

Do I understand you right - you want to have a way to use the SoC once you've replaced the one in your Pyra?
To make that viable you'd have to basically design another Pyra, but maybe minus a screen? I don't see how a simpler, if that is even possible, version of the main PCB would make sense practically and economically.

 

[vcoleiro1]

I guess ED could sell a simple Pyra PCB with just the neccessities populated. That way you could take your old Pyra CPU Daughter board and plug it into the PCB and use it for other things.

Wouldn't require any development from ED and Co and would also come as a small extra income for ED. All when the time comes of course , which you would imagine will be a while

 

[TrashyMG]

@hns has already stated he wanted to build a board that could be used with the Pyra CPU modules.

 

[kuru]

Similar to the tv-only Pandora, so a unit without everything that's in the lid - that works. I wonder how much that would cost.

Edit: Ninja'd - nice. Sombody's industrious
Good thing that's feasible after all. Nothing going to waste

Hm, maybe with a simple case you could turn that board into a set-top box thingie

 

[benoitb]

@hns has already stated he wanted to build a board that could be used with the Pyra CPU modules.

That. basically a pretty simple receiving PCB with ports to turn the CPU board into a sort of raspberry pi would be nice.
Doesn't have to happen before 4 or 5 years in the future.

 

[Rami]

Basically a pretty simple receiving PCB with ports to turn the CPU board into a sort of raspberry pi would be nice.
Doesn't have to happen before 4 or 5 years in the future.

Exactly!
More or less just thinking out loud. Something like a Raspberry Pi Zero or a CHIP, both of them have something of a "extension board". Although I know that these projects are aimed at different audiences it seems like something interesting and feaseble from my not so techy point of view. But I also think that the case should be just a 3d printing file option to save costs and headaches. I also thought of a Andoid Box for tvs. I don't know. That's why I'm asking:

What would you be interested in?!

Maybe someone in the forums has a genius idea just waiting to be ask for it. Something that would make the developer keen to design and the whole team filphy rich. One Can dream.

 

[gpb]

What's wrong with the Pyra mainboard? Why don't just get a second one for your old CPU board?

 

[TheOldOne]

Turning an old Pyra CPU board into a more powerful raspberry pi sounds like a useful option to me.

 

[Rami]

What's wrong with the Pyra mainboard? Why don't just get a second one for your old CPU board?

Too big? Too much unecessary and pricy components if one is not going to use it that much since the it a complete and faster Pyra by the side? I, for one, was thinking of a board of similar size of the CPU, but I don't understand the technical constrainmets around something like that.

Anyways, it's just and idea. I'm asking if anyone else is interesded on it or reather has some better one.
[doublepost=1495722580,1495722249][/doublepost]

Spoiler

I don't see how a simpler, if that is even possible, version of the main PCB would make sense practically and economically.

Hm, maybe with a simple case you could turn that board into a set-top box thingie

Dude, you came around quickly!

 

[sm0kew0n]

How about a dual layer board with 2, 4, 8, 16...... CPU sockets to build a PyraCluster?
[doublepost=1495722834,1495722731][/doublepost]Dual layer = sockets either side.

 

[TeDaDeS]

I assume ED would do the same as with the rebirth mainboards. He would introduce a new CPU board (if that ever happens) and you could send in your old CPU board and get a discount. The old CPU board would be used to build or repair a Pyra, or is sold separately.

Building something new always costs time and money so that might be unlikely to happen. A unit without screen might happen though.

 

[Binky]

If you were to sell lean Pyra mainboards for use as static computers, which components would you omit? Some battery-management stuff? The shoulder-buttons? The keyboard LEDs?
I can't think of anything expensive except the WWAN module, which will be left off in some versions anyway...

 

[kuru]

Dude, you came around quickly!

Not knowing the intricacies of board design I was naturally very sceptical. If hns said he'll do it, all doubts are moot.

 

[levi]

If you were to sell lean Pyra mainboards for use as static computers, which components would you omit? Some battery-management stuff? The shoulder-buttons? The keyboard LEDs?
I can't think of anything expensive except the WWAN module, which will be left off in some versions anyway...

All the keyboard pads. Then you can distribute the same components across both sides. I think the Pyra peripheral board is already double sided, with no internal layers, so this won't save on that cost, but we could shrink the physical size perhaps to just the size needed for the CPU board connectors and maybe a few external connectors if they can't all be stacked on the other side. Shoulder buttons could probably be lost if it's to be used as a static computer with an external keyboard.

I guess it's a purely commercial decision that can be worked out if you asked hns how small it could be made, and how much that layout work would cost. And factor in the cost for plastic cases, I guess. If that costs more than the savings you could make by producing smaller builds for a predicted number of sales (perhaps half of the Pyras already preordered), then instead just building more peripheral boards as is, and putting those in boxes might do almost as well.

 

[Grench]

In the hypothetical future, 4 years or so from Pyra release, if a new SoC is released; on that day the existing Pyra SoC becomes nearly worthless and may as well be used as a keychain decoration. By that time anything 'new' would so vastly out perform the existing SoC that it would be akin to re-purposing an 8086 desktop machine (computationally not worth the cost of electricity to keep it powered on).

 

[sm0kew0n]

^ so it would retro then? huh! no one uses that stuff!

 

[levi]

In the hypothetical future, 4 years or so from Pyra release, if a new SoC is released; on that day the existing Pyra SoC becomes nearly worthless.

My Pandora was sold to me around 5 years ago, IIRC. It's still very far from worthless for me personally. How worthy it is after the release of the Pyra remains to be seen to be fair, but I expect to still use it for listening to podcasts when I'm travelling and don't need to take my Pyra with me.