Would ethernet have been feasible in the Pyra?

[sulu]

This "huge" empty space in the Pyra's front left corner, just below the volume wheel [1] has been bugging me for some time now and it got me thinking how that space could have been put to good use.
Also, the OMAP5432 has an ethernet interface that is not exposed by the Pyra, which I think I might miss sometimes.

I realize that the available space is not enough for a standard RJ-45 jack, but I believe that something like this [2] should have fitted.
On the other hand I've read that ethernet has a relatively high power consumption, so available space in the case might not be the only thing to keep in mind.
I also know that now it's too late for that addition, which is why this whole post is written subjunctive. I'd just like to know if it would have been possible if it had been considered one or two years ago.


[1] https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/ubergall/gallery-images/Proto-Bottom-with-battery.jpg
[2] http://www.te.com/usa-en/products/connectors/modular-jacks-plugs/industrial-mini-i-o-connectors.html

 

[Grench]

Don't fill that void - it's where the Red Hot Stylus goes.

Seriously, though, you can't just shove a peripheral jack into any void. It has to be connected to the main board.

Ethernet with the Pandora and Pyra is pretty simple - just get a supported USB to Ethernet adapter dongle. I have one that I used with my Pandora and it worked great!

 

[TrashyMG]

Also, the OMAP5432 has an ethernet interface that is not exposed by the Pyra, which I think I might miss sometimes.

It actually doesn't, on the OMAP5 EVM board it dedicates a USB line for Ethernet, one most likely taken up by the Cell Modem or one of the USB 2.0 ports in the Pyra.

dmesg | grep Ethernet
[   12.515608] smsc95xx 1-3:1.0 eth0: register 'smsc95xx' at usb-4a064c00.ehci-3, smsc95xx USB 2.0 Ethernet, 8e:f6:af:ac:e1:66

 

[2coop4]

I have a coredy usb hub with three 3.0 ports with ethernet port at the end. Could i get ethernet thru the 3.0 port on the pyra or is it only coming from the 2.0 port?

Sent from my LG-K373 using Tapatalk

 

[sulu]

Seriously, though, you can't just shove a peripheral jack into any void. It has to be connected to the main board.

Of course it has to be connected.

Ethernet with the Pandora and Pyra is pretty simple - just get a supported USB to Ethernet adapter dongle.

But you have to sacrifice a USB port for that.
One is already gone for power supply, two others are occupied by a generic USB mouse and keyboard (that just happen to be around at whatever place you've come to). That leaves only one to spare for things like external storage.

It actually doesn't, on the OMAP5 EVM board it dedicates a USB line for Ethernet, one most likely taken up by the Cell Modem or one of the USB 2.0 ports in the Pyra.

Now that you mention it, the reference guide [1] says this:

2.14.3   USBB3 HSIC Interface (Ethernet)
The OMAP5432 EVM uses the two-wire OMAP5432 USBB3 HSIC interface connected to an SMSC Phy
chip (part number LAN9730-ABZJ). This Phy uses the HSIC interface to provide a 10/100 Base-T
Ethernet interface via receive/transmit pairs sourced and received through isolation transformers included
inside the industry standard tab up RJ-45 connector at J5. The 93AA56AT device at U17 is a serial
EEPROM that can be used to store the MAC address and other information. It is not populated on the
OMAP5432 EVM board, so this information must be programmed by S/W. See Figure 16 for a block
diagram of the USBB3 interface connectivity.

I'm not really familiar with interpreting these kinds of documents, and even if I were I'd have to study the Pyra schematics in more detail, but it seems you have a point.

I have a coredy usb hub with three 3.0 ports with ethernet port at the end. Could i get ethernet thru the 3.0 port on the pyra or is it only coming from the 2.0 port?

I believe your hub has its own ethernet controller, so it doesn't really matter.
That hub looks nice btw. Thanks for the tip!


[1] http://www.ti.com/lit/pdf/swcu130

 

[Grench]

I have a coredy usb hub with three 3.0 ports with ethernet port at the end. Could i get ethernet thru the 3.0 port on the pyra or is it only coming from the 2.0 port?

Sent from my LG-K373 using Tapatalk

If you paired that with a USB 3.0 OTG adapter and if the USB to Ethernet adapter in the hub was supported in the Debian build on the Pyra, then yes.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Micro-USB-Adapter-Samsung/dp/B00II0H7T6

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Of course it has to be connected.

And since the main board doesn't live there, that void doesn't have board to connect to.

But you have to sacrifice a USB port for that.
One is already gone for power supply, two others are occupied by a generic USB mouse and keyboard (that just happen to be around at whatever place you've come to). That leaves only one to spare for things like external storage.

Mmm... your count is off.
There is a microUSB shaped power connector that is essentially power only - it is NOT a USB port. So, no loss of a port to power.
Your example generic mouse and keyboard could plug into the two USB 2.0 ports.
That leaves the USB 3.0 OTG port free to connect a hub (via above mentioned USB OTG adapter) with Ethernet to and have more USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet.
0 USB ports on the device free, but with the right USB 3.0 Ethernet hub adapter, you should have 3 more USB 3.0 ports to use.

If you're going to physically plug into Ethernet instead of using wireless, you're likely already carrying a cable. So, a 6" USB 3.0 OTG adapter cable and a small hub/Ethernet adapter isn't overly far fetched.

You could, of course, use a USB 2.0 to a hub + 100 Mb Ethernet adapter and only carry the one dongle, but USB 2.0 adapters are going to limit you to 100Mb Vs the OTG cable + USB 3.0 Ethernet Hub connection's 1000Mb capability.

But - don't underestimate the capabilities of that USB 3.0 OTG port.

 

[sulu]

And since the main board doesn't live there, that void doesn't have board to connect to.

There are rumors of a great invention: It's called "cables".

Mmm... your count is off.
There is a microUSB shaped power connector that is essentially power only - it is NOT a USB port. So, no loss of a port to power.

So we already start with one USB port less than I thought. That doesn't improve the situation.

Your example generic mouse and keyboard could plug into the two USB 2.0 ports.
That leaves the USB 3.0 OTG port free to connect a hub (via above mentioned USB OTG adapter) with Ethernet to and have more USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet.

Ethernet then has to share the USB 3.0 bandwidth with any other devices that are connected to the hub and vice versa.
It also means that I have to bring the hub, whenever I want to use ethernet. But that doesn't seem that bad after all, because until yesterday I didn't know there were small USB hubs with integrated RJ-45 jacks. Still, a custom-made adapter for a dedicated port could have been smaller, similar to the eSATA adapter.

If you're going to physically plug into Ethernet instead of using wireless, you're likely already carrying a cable.

No, it just means that there's a cable available wherever I am.

 

[TrashyMG]

That USB port used for charging is also a serial interface.

 

[hns]

We initially discussed this but didn't find a small enough (low profile) connector back then. And there are good bus-powered USB(3) to Ethernet converters, some with integrated multi-port hub.
And since WLAN is more widespread than some accessible RJ45 socket, we finally decided not to add this complexity.

If you think about retrofitting, there is a spare (USB2) HSIC port from OMAP and there are HSIC based Ethernet/USB-hub chips. So you do not have to use the existing USB ports.

 

[fusion_power]

From the pictues, It looks like the Stylus could have been much longer and still fit inside the case. Why we get such an short Stylus instead?

 

[rygD]

From the pictues, It looks like the Stylus could have been much longer and still fit inside the case. Why we get such an short Stylus instead?

It is modeled after the Pandora stylus. There is an option, though.

Don't fill that void - it's where the Red Hot Stylus goes.

 

[bukkit]

I experimented with Ethernet too, but found it more practical to use a simple USB cable for tcp/ip networking in most circumstances.
https://pandorawiki.org/USB_reference#Network
No need for an adapter, works with plain USB cable and is quick if you have a small script prepared. Doesn't work if you want to go into a switch or sth like that, of course.