hi kaklik - ok, the reason why it's been so long is because (a) i'm the only person working on this extremely comprehensive project and (b) the standard, because it is designed as a long-term "just plug it in, it will work" standard with at least a decade lifespan, had to be changed *four* times to take into account electrical advice that i received, developments in mass-volume SoCs over a four year period, as well as projections on what future SoCs might have. each revision requires a minimum of $USD 1,500 for QTY5 samples, which takes 2 months from time of order to time of receipt, and that's excluding "thinking time" as well as "PCB and Schematic design time". it was some tough decisions, but necessary. i'm not doing a "get it done, get the profit as fast as possible and as much as possible" project, i'm doing a "this is a seriously responsible eco-conscious project that HAS to be trustworthy" so i'm taking my time to make absolutely sure that i get it right. revision 2.5 i'm happy with.
kaklik
over 8 years
Hi lkcl,
Thank you for the fast reply. I definitely need the EOMA68 CPU card because I will use it in several other projects not only in the laptop. Therefore I shortly sing up to your mailing list. But I firstly want to ask on something which should be cleared there.
There is much more than 250 pcs demand on this orders page: http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/orders/
But the EOMA68 is still unavailable as a "standard product". Is it only a challenge of first "small batch" price or is it a more complicated problem?
lkcl
over 8 years
hi kaklik great to hear that you want to build a 10in EOMA68 laptop, i'd be more than happy to help. i'm planning to make a run of revision 2.5 prototype EOMA68-A20 CPU Cards in the next couple of months - do subscribe to the arm-netbooks mailing list and make sure you say "yes!" when they're available - the veryveryvery early (first) revision 2.5 CPU Card pricing will critically depend on volume: if there's only 5 made they'll be $USD 400 each. if there's 25 made, they'll be around $250 each. by the time you get to qty 250 that'll be around $75.. but that will be later. so it is up to you. i really love the idea of solar panels. a 3-way power input however is going to be particularly tricky (USB-OTG, DC-IN, Solar) so will need careful consideration. also remember that the bamboo panels are a critical part of the mechanical structural design. so again, lots to consider. best to join the mailing list and discuss it there.
kaklik
over 8 years
Hello,
I am planing to build a 10" version of laptop based on EOMA68 quite long time. But my major problem is obtaining of EOMA68 CPU card.. Other components I am able to build or derive from my MLAB.cz electronic modular system.
The one feature which I want to contribute is adding of solar panels to the notebook cover. It allows battery charging during an outdoor activities... This feature is missing to me on standard commercial laptops..