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System-on-a-Board VS Modular Approach — Parallax Forums

System-on-a-Board VS Modular Approach

AwesomeCronkAwesomeCronk Posts: 1,055
in General Discussion
I am at a point in the VIPMC design where I am questioning my current design. (who's surprised?) Should I continue to make a single board about two-thirds the size of a standard keyboard, escape to backspace keys, or should I make a modular design with cards for different purposes notched in like RAM on a desktop motherboard? As a side note, If I were to sell this, would people buy it and in what market would it do best?

Comments

  • SaucySolitonSaucySoliton Posts: 487
    I've built a propeller based board of the size you mention. Most board houses charge a fortune to manufacture a board that size. I had Aisler manufacture my board. They were quite affordable.

    Connectors can be expensive, and it's easy to get the pinout wrong when connectors go on different sides of the board. (Ask me how I know XD A single board will make the end product cheaper overall. That's why some cheap computers have soldered-on RAM, etc.


    The idea of stacking the propellers seems like a neat idea. I'm not really sure what the VIPMC is supposed to do.



    Realistically, I think everyone is itching to move to the P2. People and companies will part with their money if they are getting something else of value in return. Think about what value the VIPMC would provide potential customers.
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,607
    I dunno. For my purpose, distributed makes sense because ultimately, I need to hook up with many 18AWG conductors and I dislike breakouts.

    P1 is still very useful and always will be.
  • AwesomeCronkAwesomeCronk Posts: 1,055
    On the one hand, I want to make something small like a raspberry pi. On the other hand, I want a system like a standard x86 based pc. I think, though, that a raspberry pi type device is better for the scale of the prop1.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    I tend to lean more to modular designs unless there is a very good reason for a monolithic single board system. Easier to design, simpler to modify/re-purpose, and simpler to troubleshoot.
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,607
    If you wanted to make something really kick-a$$, how about a host for a whole bunch of Mikroe Click modules? The P1 can have a slew of UARTS, I2C, SPI, etc. Even a multi-processor host.
  • AwesomeCronkAwesomeCronk Posts: 1,055
    After Th so official release of P2, I might make a bigger, badder version of this, but I want to wait until the documentation is expanded and tools are solidified.
  • MicksterMickster Posts: 2,607
    Oh, I was referring to the P1 :lol:
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