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Author Topic: SAM440 EP Flex  (Read 6310 times)

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Offline Hans_

Re: SAM440 EP Flex
« on: June 02, 2008, 04:06:04 PM »
I'm sure that ACube would love to sell Amiga OS4 for SAM440 EP Flex, and/or the original. However, the inclusion of an optional ZigBee module (and the FPGA) suggests that they are responding to requirements from industrial customers. ZigBee is of zero interest to desktop users, but of great interest to robotics researchers and industry.

It looks like they're managing to do what Eyetech tried but failed to do with the A1; their primary business is with industrial customers, so they don't rely on Amiga related sales for survival.

Where does this leave us? Exactly where we were before. As long as they don't have a license for OS4, they don't have a product that I'm interested in. To be honest, I was more interested in their Moana project than SAM.

Hans
Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner.
https://keasigmadelta.com/ - see more of my work
 

Offline Hans_

Re: SAM440 EP Flex
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2008, 02:48:38 PM »
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takemehomegrandma wrote:
@Hans

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It looks like they're managing to do what Eyetech tried but failed to do


I don't read any signs of *success* out of the publicly available info, but at least it looks like they are *trying*, which is always a good sign to see at fresh entrepreneurs! :-)

Well, there are no solid indicators of success, but the Zigbee module and form-factor change suggests that some customers have had their input. Zigbee is a bit of an odd thing to put in; I hadn't even thought of that. However, I can see how its useful.

This is, IMHO, further than Eyetech got. I don't recall seeing any changes to their board designs to satisfy industrial needs.

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their primary business is with industrial customers, so they don't rely on Amiga related sales for survival.


That leads to the follow up question whether there really are any of these mysterious and rather vague "industrial customers"? In true volume, enough to "rely on for survival"? And why they would buy this product rather than something else?


If the specifications match what the control equipment needs, it would be a reason to buy this over something else.  

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However I still strongly question the FPGA. Why is it still there? I wonder if that has *ever* been used by *a single one* of acube's customers? And for what, exactly?

Your guess is as good as mine. I see it as an easy way to put a data bridge in to existing equipment.  

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No? It doesn't have Altivec you say?

I wish that they would stop making non-altivec PowerPC chips. It would be nice if having an SIMD unit could be assumed to be the minimum spec.

Hans
Join the Kea Campus - upgrade your skills; support my work; enjoy the Amiga corner.
https://keasigmadelta.com/ - see more of my work