Raspberry Pi PCB Layout Revealed 112
An anonymous reader writes "Yesterday, the final Raspberry Pi printed circuit board (PCB) layout was revealed. The word 'packed' comes to mind as this is one very complicated looking board. The reason for that is just how much Raspberry Pi has strived to save money on the machine by using complex routing to keep things small and cheap. The Raspberry Pi team don't believe the design is going to change again unless they missed something. With that in mind, they revealed the final board is exactly the same size as a credit card, measuring 85.65 x 53.98mm."
Re:Screen and keyboard? (Score:5, Insightful)
How am I going to use this computer without a screen and keyboard?
I demand a credit card sized keyboard and screen!
Thats called a "cell phone"
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
complex routing ? (Score:5, Insightful)
At first glance, this looks like a normal routing with a 4-layer board. Eventually 6, if you add proper ground + power.
There's nothing indicative of PCB parameters, like drill sizes, clearances, blind/buried vias, minimum trace width, so on. Again, a simple look reveals nothing but common parameters for PCB.
Again, TFA is biased.
Re:Repeat much? (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm fine with this. R-Pi is worth it.
This could make a pretty big change for computing hardware and software learning.
Too much is done on overbloated hardware where you aren't even exposed to said hardware.
Most people in computing don't even understand the very basics of yester-2-decades-agos knowledge.
The most they touch on it sometimes is throwing together things in Java, if they are lucky.
It's all fine and well if you can do X on a really powerful computer, but being forced to do it and have noticeable slowdown or inefficiency in code by not doing it is a HUGE difference.
Having limits forced on to you in order to design efficient code is the best way to design said code.
But most developers these days are absolutely atrocious at their work, abusing the hell out of hard drives, flooding your RAM and page files with crap all over the place because they feel that their program has more worth than another persons program.
Worse when they do all that AND LAG LIKE HELL. (STEAM! DAMN IT VALVE FIX THAT CRAP ALREADY)
PEOPLE. MULTITASK.
I'm hopeful for the next generation of developers actually having an education on this, as well as possibly other similar boards. (admittedly a little on the expensive side in comparison)
So many lost techniques with all this high-level abstracted knowledge.
It's like building the frame of a car without the body. Sure, people could push it, people could pull it, hell, they could roll it down a hill. Still doesn't work efficiently.
Re:Complicated? (Score:5, Insightful)
Would be great to get all the components on the top side. Unfortunately, you pay for that in extra track length between the SoC decoupling caps and the BGA balls. I believe Beagle and Panda both do this with their OMAPs, and (mostly) get away with it, and we may investigate it in a later revision; in general departing from datasheet recommendations makes me queasy, even for a chip I worked on...
Re:Features? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why not? The CMOS 4000 series and TTL 74xx series is still around, even in the various combinations (74HCxx CMOS, 74HS, etc). They're still availble from Digikey and the like, and many designs actually use them still.
Re:Features? (Score:4, Insightful)
It would be rather difficult to make any GHz computer board these days using parts that a person could solder by hand. That's the price we pay for having $100 GHz computers.
Re:Complicated? (Score:3, Insightful)
"What concerns me more is the "proprietary" aspect. How many of the chip's features will be accessible by hobbyist developers? Will we be receiving full public documentation on how it works?"
No, getting data sheets from most silicon makers today, is tanamount to asking for state secrets,err...ok not such a good example, well not hapenning... and don't mention to the Pi people.
See:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=1077 [raspberrypi.org]
Re:Repeat much? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think the biggest thing that can come out of this project (especially if more like it come around) is the fact that the hardware is too cheap to run a non-free OS on it. Now sure, to make it into a full computer you have to add a monitor, keyboard, mouse, USB hub, storage (not sure if it comes with flash built in or if it needs a SD card to boot from), and and Internet connection. But most people are going to see the $25 price (assuming something like this ever gets retail) and pick one up. The netbooks almost made this happen (since they were Linux only when they first came out -- until Microsoft cut a deal for Windows XP). Only thing is, would the typical user be using a Debian based (or similar) distro, or would they be using a version of Android?
The only thing I think that would make this more useful is if they added another, say, $30 or so to the price and added a calculator screen / keypad to it (and battery/charging circuitry). Since most high school kids need a $100 graphing calculator, one that transforms into full workstation when plugged into a monitor/keyboard would be great. Of course the schools probably would never allow the use of an "open" calculator on exams (but then again, most high school level exams only need a simple scientific calculator -- or a slide rule).