A10-OLinuXino-LIME GPIO description

A10-OLinuXino-LIME Wiki page is updated https://www.olimex.com/wiki/A10-OLinuXino-LIME

GPIO connectors description is made in PDF format.

A13-OLinuXino has been featured in EDN: Top Single Board Computers for under $100

Yesterday, we noticed this article in EDN.

I have to say that this is a well-written and very accurate article, which uses the proper terminology unlike the bombastic article posted by Linux.com a few weeks ago, which was named “Top 10 Open Source Linux Boards Under $200” and 7 out of 10 boards quoted inside this article were not Open Source Hardware at all but closed source.

This often causes confusion – people assume that if a board runs Linux, it is open source but this is not the case. If this were true, I should call my laptop, which runs Ubuntu, Open Source Laptop which is obviously incorrect!

There is a very clear definition as to what Open Source Hardware is.

Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or hardware based on that design.

The hardware’s source, the design from which it is made, is available in the preferred format for making modifications to it.

Ideally, open source hardware uses readily-available components and materials, standard processes, open infrastructure, unrestricted content, and open-source design tools to maximize the ability of individuals to make and use hardware.

Open source hardware gives people the freedom to control their technology while sharing knowledge and encouraging commerce through the open exchange of designs.

i.e. to name a board (hardware) Open Source Board (Hardware) this board should have non-conditionally (requiring registrations etc) publicly available CAD source files which allow these boards to be studied, changed, modified etc.

Having schematic in JPG or PDF format DOES NOT MAKE the design/board OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE.

Releasing PDFs and JPG schematics is like to releasing binary codes for the software, so you can’t use them to modify or change the hardware for your need.

And the Linux.com article is not alone with the confusions about Open Source Hardware.

If you search for Open Source Hardware in your top hits you will see this List.

Inside the list there are:

• Cubieboard – low cost closed source hardware which have just schematic in PDF
• GP32 – closed source board with no CAD files
• Odroid – closed source board no CAD files
• Simputer – closed source hardware
• Raspberry Pi – low cost closed source ARM board even the creator of Raspberry Pi Eben say in his Circuil Cellar interview last month: “we are not open source hardware”, but this doesn’t stop one to list it there 🙂

If you look at the history of this Wiki page, you will see that at one time somebody removed some of these boards because they were inappropriate, but then another one returned them with the remark:  “reput some entries deleted by .., they are schematics available on these projects (google search guy !))”

This makes me think – just how trustworthy is the information in Wikipedia?

When somebody who has no knowledge for something is allowed to write whatever he/she wants on these pages and when one tries to correct him/her somebody else later again returns the incorrect information.

iMX233-OLinuXino first 10 prototypes are ready

We got the first 10 iMX233-OLinuXino prototypes assembled, our Easter Holidays add some delay, also the plastic box selection mess up with the previously planned release date, but anyway now everything is complete and we have the MAXI version prototypes ready to boot Linux.

Once we verify everything is OK as hardware we will proceed to the first lot of production board assembly in 1-2 weeks. So early in May we may have the first production boards assembled.

iMX233-OLinuXino development started today

The goal is to develop ultra low cost EUR 30 Linux single board computer with these features:

– iMX233 454Mhz ARM9 processor

– 64MB of RAM

– Linux bootable image from SD-CARD

– TV-Video Output

– USB host for Keyboard, camera, WiFi, etc interfacing

– lot of processor ports available on UEXT connector and GPIO connectors same style as DuinoMite.

with two separate optional plug-in modules: iMX-LCD 4.3″ TFT 24 bit color LCD with touchscreen for EUR 30, and iMX-HUB hub board which adds to OLinuXino two USB hosts and Ethernet EUR 15

This board will run Linux, Android, Windows as the BSPs are available on Freescale web.

Additionally we will try to port DuinoMite BASIC to be available as option, on this monster the speed should be around 1 million BASIC instructions per second.

The first hardware prototypes will be available in 2 weeks, and if everything runs smoothly we will have these boards for sale end of April 🙂

If there are interested software developers please contact us at http://www.olimex.com in 2 weeks we will have some limited number of hardware prototypes to ship to the interested to participate in the project development.

This will be completely Open Hardware / Open Source Project, all CAD files will be available so everyone can download modify and use them, same will be with the software.

This low cost board goal is to bridge the linux development community and the Duinomite/Arduino/Maple/Pinguino world of developers.

With the UEXT and GPIOs which could interface Zigbee, Bluetooth, RFID readers, relays, switches, sensors this would be highest performance prototyping platform on the market.

LPC3131 based Linux Single Board Computer for EURO 70

LPC-H3131 is now running Linux 2.6.33. It’s nice small credit card format 90×60 mm board with High speed USB, Audio codec, 512 MB on-board flash, 2MB boot flash.

http://www.olimex.com/dev/lpc-h3131.html

it comes pre-loaded with linux and all you need to boot is to apply power

On our web site there are step by step instructions how to build the linux image and restore it in case you do something wrong and erase it 🙂