Upgrading Pandoras with an CPU Upgrade?

[ingoreis]

Hi all..
..my Brother is able to solder Microchips and very little SMD Things.

Question1:
Is it possible to change the Omap3530 to an DM3730 with the same Pinout?

I want to buy DM3730 like this and i want to upgrade some of my Rebirth/CC Pandoras.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/TEXAS-INSTR...401910?hash=item2a98a25536:g:nDkAAOSw44BYIv6X

Question2:
Which one is exactly the right CPU?

Question3:
Is it possible to Upgrade to little faster but "combatible" CPUs?

Question4:
Is it possible to Upgrade the Ram on the Pandora with another DM3730?


Its just an Idea because my Brother can Solder and replace such little Things.

Maybe we can change some other things too?
Another Wifi Chip with N or AC Network?

I am Curious about the Answers

Regards from me

 

[levi]

Does he have access to a reflow oven? Because the CPU and the RAM are not only SMD they're BGA, so the only way to work with them is to reflow the board. Maybe you can get them off with a hot air gun - I've not tried that though.

And the RAM is stacked on top of the CPU as I recall. I don't know if you buy them as a unit, or have to PoP it on yourself, but this almost certainly limits what sizes are available.

 

[TeDaDeS]

Maybe have look at the migration guide:
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index..._Migration_Guide#General_migration_careabouts

 

[drock]

Was there a board revision before the GHz chips where used? I thought there was. If so you might have to see which board you have to make sure it's compatible.

 

[rygD]

Was there a board revision before the GHz chips where used? I thought there was. If so you might have to see which board you have to make sure it's compatible.

Rebirth. I didn't think that was a board revision, but may be wrong.

I would be interested in hearing if it is possible to upgrade a Pandora, although i don't think I would let anyone mess with mine.

 

[drock]

link
So there was a new motherboard revisions, but it was the same board for Rebirth and and 1Ghz. This means they should be replaceable. Besides swapping the CPU/Memory BGA pop packages, I would check the BOM for each to make sure there are no other changes such as resistors, capacitors, any other discreet component. While the boards are the same the different CPUs may have required some slightly different hard configurations set. I would also think you would need to flash a different firmware.

It's a tall order but unless anyone can say otherwise I think upgrading should be doable form a rebirth. We would have to know if the motherboard changes were necessary to try and upgrade a classic mobo(rev5). I thought I remember reading that they were back when rebirth/1ghz were released.

Good luck

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Hi all..
..my Brother is able to solder Microchips and very little SMD Things.

Question1:
Is it possible to change the Omap3530 to an DM3730 with the same Pinout?

I want to buy DM3730 like this and i want to upgrade some of my Rebirth/CC Pandoras.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/TEXAS-INSTR...401910?hash=item2a98a25536:g:nDkAAOSw44BYIv6X

Question2:
Which one is exactly the right CPU?

Question3:
Is it possible to Upgrade to little faster but "combatible" CPUs?

Question4:
Is it possible to Upgrade the Ram on the Pandora with another DM3730?


Its just an Idea because my Brother can Solder and replace such little Things.

Maybe we can change some other things too?
Another Wifi Chip with N or AC Network?

I am Curious about the Answers

Regards from me

Are you nuts!

 

[Binky]

While I may not have any psychiatric qualifications, I do feel entirely confident in saying that anyone who tries to desolder a POP BGA assembly from their rare, discontinued and highly valuable equipment is stark, staring bonkers.

 

[Grench]

While I may not have any psychiatric qualifications, I do feel entirely confident in saying that anyone who tries to desolder a POP BGA assembly from their rare, discontinued and highly valuable equipment is stark, staring bonkers.

And here I was thinking that spending 16 hours of painstaking detail work under a microscope to swap a $50 chip into a $150 board with a roughly 20% (high) chance of success ... Yep, you're right. Bonkers.

Now, if they somehow managed to get their hands on a stack of Pandora motherboards and the entire BOM and produced new fully functional 1Ghz Pandora boards, I'd consider buying one.

 

[levi]

IIRC ingo has six of the things. A small stack if you like, although I don't think any of them are for sale.

 

[drock]

The board files and BOM are completely open now. Anyone could do a run of they wanted. Community manufactured Pandora?

 

[crazyhorse]

The GPD Pandora?

 

[drock]

That would be weird. I hope not. I am pretty sure the license is for non commercial, unless you get permission from ED. I guess that never stopped china before though. I think the cost vs return of the pandora is too high for a chinese company to pick up and mass produce anyway. There may be some supply issues for parts as well.

 

[EvilDragon]

Hi all..
..my Brother is able to solder Microchips and very little SMD Things.

Question1:
Is it possible to change the Omap3530 to an DM3730 with the same Pinout?

Yes, the latest revision (Rebirth) boards are compatible with small BoM changes (have all been made public)

I want to buy DM3730 like this and i want to upgrade some of my Rebirth/CC Pandoras.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/TEXAS-INSTR...401910?hash=item2a98a25536:g:nDkAAOSw44BYIv6X

That one won't work, as it's the 423FCBGA version. You need the 515POP-FCBGA version.

Question2:
Which one is exactly the right CPU?

Check the BoM
You also need to get a PoP LPDDR/Flash-Chip which might need an update in the bootloader (if it's not one we used already).

Question3:
Is it possible to Upgrade to little faster but "combatible" CPUs?

No, the DM3730 is the fastest available.

Question4:
Is it possible to Upgrade the Ram on the Pandora with another DM3730?

You mean two processors? Where would you connect them?

Its just an Idea because my Brother can Solder and replace such little Things.

I doubt that, because even Global Components with their expensive rework stations won't suggest doing that, it would have a HIGH failure rate.
Especially as the RAM chip is on top of the DM3730. Desoldering the old one would probably be the easiest thing, but putting the new on the PCB AND the RAM on top praying that all connections are there without short circuits... well, you probably would have higher chances playing the lottery

Maybe we can change some other things too?
Another Wifi Chip with N or AC Network?

AFAIK there's no pin compatible chip from Jorjin that would fit.
So you'd have to remove it and solder all pins manually to an external chip.
That could work.

Don't forget you need to get a chip that's Linux compatible. And you'd need to somehow measure the new antenna unless you're fine having a 3m reception radius

So... yeah, probably easier soldering an USB Hub with stick internally to the USB port.
[doublepost=1514467171,1514467099][/doublepost]

That would be weird. I hope not. I am pretty sure the license is for non commercial, unless you get permission from ED. I guess that never stopped china before though. I think the cost vs return of the pandora is too high for a chinese company to pick up and mass produce anyway. There may be some supply issues for parts as well.

I wouldn't have any issues with that, but it would need a vast redesign as some parts like the Wifi Module are not available anymore.

 

[rygD]

I wouldn't have any issues with that, but it would need a vast redesign as some parts like the Wifi Module are not available anymore.

So what you are saying is that wifi wouldn't work? What a surprise!