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Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

linuxgizmos.com

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Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#91

Post by fian »

Uberphallus wrote: post #85
Ecio78 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I knew there were problems with some audio ouput, but I had read about the possibility of passthrough - in my case it will be ok. I suppose the CPU "choking" is only present when trying to let the RPi transcode the audio, right? I have a 2012 Panasonic Plasma TV and the integrated media player is so-so: i.e. it doesn't support external srt subtitles when playing mp4 or mkv files, so I have to remux them in mkv with s…

In that case I think RPi can fit your needs, though the GUI will feel slow anyway.

Were you using a Class 10 SD card? The preinstalled SD cards you could buy with Raspbian from places like element14 are really slow. Swap in a class 10 and XMBC becomes much more responsive.

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#92

Post by angusgr »

voltagex_ wrote: post #65
angusgr wrote: post #26

Freescale i.MX6 is a really nice platform. Shame it hasn't gotten broader traction, I think because it is moderately more expensive than its competition. Since May I've been using an imx6 based gk802 ($70 quad core "Android TV" stick) as a personal server (email, RSS, VPN, etc.) Has worked really nicely considering. (Blog post about installing debian on it: http://projectgus.com/2013/05/debian-installer-for-zealz-gk8…

Don't Freescale have a bad reputation for not being particularly open?

I haven't tried any of their other products, but the iMX6 has a very large detailed technical manual (publicly available, not under NDA) and their Linux kernel trees are updated in public via git (presumably not everything is public but it's a lot more transparent than the occasional tarball source drop approach), plus they have people involved in yocto development. Better than many/most of the ARM SoC manufacturers.

The only undocumented/secret squirrel business AFAIK is the Vivante GPU. And that's universal across ARM Soc GPUs, sadly.

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#93

Post by hdsjulian »

I'm still looking for the optimal device to connect to my HiFi and TV. I used to have a Fit-Pc2 but unfortunately it comes with a GMA500 chipset, for which there aren't proper Linux drivers.

So what I want is: - something that is actually available in Germany - Fanless - At least 2 USB ports (4 would be better), so I can add external HDDs as well as a DAC for good sound output - Fast enough to run XBMC and similar stuff (no, Raspi doesn't do that trick) - WiFi - HDMI

Optimal would be: - an IR interface for remote controls - Ethernet - eSata - An internal Hard Drive

Any hints? Prices below 99 USD would be nice :)

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#94

Post by Uberphallus »

fian wrote: post #91
Uberphallus wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In that case I think RPi can fit your needs, though the GUI will feel slow anyway.

Were you using a Class 10 SD card? The preinstalled SD cards you could buy with Raspbian from places like element14 are really slow. Swap in a class 10 and XMBC becomes much more responsive.

Class 10, but it's not the issue, as XFCE + XBMC isn't even close to swapping in the 512MB model. It's more matter of CPU hogging on XBMC code (you can see it using ~20% idling).

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#95

Post by wycx »

ollybee wrote: post #13
dlhavema wrote: post #10

a new one of these little computer in a box things seem to be popping up every couple weeks, are they selling that well to warrant so many companies making so many varieties?

Is there a good website for keeping track of these ARM SoC PC's ? I'd like to see at a glance what is currently available and detailed spec of the chipsets.

Also check the Linux Devices subreddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/linux_devices/ Not hugely active, but most boards from the last year or so will be there.

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#96

Post by Someone »

grannyg00se wrote: post #61
icambron wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Happy to be wrong about this, but I wouldn't think that thermal dissipation in the case would make the case less hot. Where does the heat go?

If the whole case is sinking heat, that's a relatively decent amount of surface area to dissipate it. If the heat was a problem it would be pretty simple to add additional surface area. The fact that they have not done so would suggest to me that the heat situation is just fine.

That's my worry :-) _just_ fine, or fine by a wide margin? If this thing dissipates 5W as is (without powering USB devices), I would think it gets fairly warm. 2 inch = 5 cm, so area will be 150 cm^2, or 0.015 m^2, or about 300W/m^2 = one third of summer sunshine, radiating out of what looks like a plastic enclosure.

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#97

Post by [deleted] »

voltagex_ wrote: post #69
joezydeco wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The OP's site, http://linuxgizmos.com , is pretty good for that kind of thing. The blog to be called Linux Devices but got idled in some kind of Ziff-Davis acquisition. The editor has restarted it at this new address. Unfortnately there isn't a central chart tracking each of these chip families and their capabilities. You're better off targeting a processor core (MIPS or ARM), speed/core quantity, and then deciding w…

What I struggle to find is whether we're finally seeing USB3, or GigE that can go faster than 350mbit.

[deleted]

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#98

Post by joezydeco »

angusgr wrote: post #92
voltagex_ wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't Freescale have a bad reputation for not being particularly open?

I haven't tried any of their other products, but the iMX6 has a very large detailed technical manual (publicly available, not under NDA) and their Linux kernel trees are updated in public via git (presumably not everything is public but it's a lot more transparent than the occasional tarball source drop approach), plus they have people involved in yocto development. Better than many/most of the ARM SoC manufacturers.…

Here's the i.MX6 documentation and file dump:

http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?co...

The TRM is also here: http://cache.freescale.com/files/32bit/doc/ref_manual/IMX6DQ... , all 7000+ pages of it.

I've built the Linux kernel and Android AOSP/ICS directly from their git repos and it all runs just fine. You can ask support questions on http://imxcommunity.org but the response you get will be sporadic. Your best bet at getting answers is to be a real customer and get an FAE to help you out. But otherwise I've never had a problem with a lack of "openness" from Freescale.

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#99

Post by ajtaylor »

voltagex_ wrote: post #66
DannyBee wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They run something like openelec (IE XBMC based). Geexbox is usually what supports these things. I use a mini-pc (a little asus eeepc box with a "who cares" intel cpu in it and a nvidia gt620m running openelec). The reason is actually simple: A lot of the embedded processors are much more finicky in terms of hardware decode. I used to run geexbox on a TI OMAP4460, and it worked wonderfully, right until you hit a trac…

I've gone with the WDTV series for my media needs - the earlier gens were very hackable but they've turned on codesigning in the latest WDTV Live Media hub range. They're not bad and play everything I throw at them (Sigmatek decoders, afaicr)

My current media player is a 3 or 4 year old ACRyan PlayOn Mini, which works wonderfully and has played everything I've ever tried on it. The only downside is that there are some video files which once you start fast-forwarding you can't stop. I _think_ this is due to mkv header compression which my version of the firmware doesn't support.

Since any new media player will be the replacement for my primary TV, it has to pass the wife and daughter test. :)

Re: Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux

#100

Post by voltagex_ »

joezydeco wrote: post #98
angusgr wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't tried any of their other products, but the iMX6 has a very large detailed technical manual (publicly available, not under NDA) and their Linux kernel trees are updated in public via git (presumably not everything is public but it's a lot more transparent than the occasional tarball source drop approach), plus they have people involved in yocto development. Better than many/most of the ARM SoC manufacturers.…

Here's the i.MX6 documentation and file dump: http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?co... The TRM is also here: http://cache.freescale.com/files/32bit/doc/ref_manual/IMX6DQ... , all 7000+ pages of it. I've built the Linux kernel and Android AOSP/ICS directly from their git repos and it all runs just fine. You can ask support questions on http://imxcommunity.org but the response you get will be spo…

Thank you, this is fantastic!
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