cheap RTEMS/PowerPC platform [was: Re: Open Desktop Workstation]

[Raquel and Bill]

That is not an entirely accurate accounting.  The ODW is a complete  
machine (in a case with PSU, graphics card, memory, hard drive,  
cables, etc.) with all the I/O you could want.  The others are just  
boards.

The earlier comparison to the MacMini would be more appropriate.  The  
difference is the ODW has three PCI and one AGP slot and plenty more  
expandability.  You can upgrade the CPU card, graphics card, or  
memory on the ODW, for example.

The ODW is also support multiple operating systems.  We thought RTEMS  
could be one of them.  We are even willing to provide FREE hardware  
to developers that are interested in supporting the port.

We joined the list and made the initial post because we had an  
inquiry from a customer that wanted to have RTEMS running on the  
platform.  Is there any interest?

Hope that clears things up!  :-)

Bill

On Aug 24, 2005, at 11:42 AM, Karel Gardas wrote:

> On Wed, 24 Aug 2005, Joel Sherrill <joel at OARcorp.com> wrote:
>
>
>>>> Hmm i have no idea what the mentioned hardware cost, so i can't  
>>>> answer
>>>> that question. But apple's mac mini is about 500USD which isn't  
>>>> that
>>>> expensive, when you want a general PowerPC.
>>>>
>>> The problem is that IIRC it does not even provide serial port  
>>> which is needed for serial console. Pegasos seems to provide one  
>>> RS-232.
>>> BTW: Anobody here get RTEMS working on MOAB or CerfCube?
>>> http://www.tamsinc.com/3011/index.htm
>>> http://www.intrinsyc.com/products/mob_ref_sys/cerfcube_405_ep/ 
>>> index.asp
>>>
>>
>> The Avnet evaluation board for the Coldfire that had a BSP submitted
>> recently is inexpensive.  Do they have any PowerPC boards like that?
>>
>> The PegasusPPC mentioned CHRP.  The EP1A and MVME2100 appear to be
>> CHRP.  Would one of the existing BSPs come close to working?
>>
>
> True, let's list here the market choices for the reference:
>
> 1) Pegasos Open Desktop Workstation:       $799  (Freescale 1GHz  
> G4/512MB RAM/80GB disc)
> 2) Avnet AMCC PowerPC 440GX Eval. Kit:     $749  (AMCC 440GX 533MHz/ 
> 256MB RAM/32MB FLASH)
> 3) TAMS MOAB 3011 (board/chasis/doc + CD): $650  (AMCC 405GPr  
> 400MHz/64MB RAM/128MB FLASH)
> 4) Avnet Freescale MPC885 Evaluation Kit:  $499  (Freescale MPC885  
> 133MHz/64MB RAM/16MB FLASH)
> 5) Intrinsyc CerfCube 405EP for Linux:     $399  (IBM 405EP/32MB  
> RAM/32MB FLASH)
> 6) TAMS MOAB 3011 (eval. board only):      $399  (AMCC 405GPr  
> 400MHz/64MB RAM/128MB FLASH)
> 7) Synology NAS DS-101g+ :                 $300  (Freescale MPC  
> 8241 266MHz /64MB RAM/16MB FLASH)
> 8) Buffalo Kuro-box HG:              somewhere between (7) and (9)  
> (Freescale MPC 8241 266MHz /128MB RAM/4MB FLASH)
> 9) Buffalo Kuro-box:                       $160  (Freescale MPC  
> 8241 200MHz /64MB RAM/4MB FLASH)
>
> where (2)-(6) seems to be "true" embedded solutions with proper  
> boot monitors (RedBoot, U-Boot, PPCBoot, etc.) and serial consoles,  
> (1) is more like general system ala PowerMac and (7)-(9) are cheap  
> NAS solutions sometimes hackable to contain serial console etc.  
> (like now popular Linksys NSLU2 for XScale platform).
>
> As my target hobby price (RTEMS/Linux/real-time is just hobby of  
> mine) is around $200, I will probably end with one of NAS solutions  
> or an old second-hand PowerMac. Anyway, my current strategy is wait  
> and see, since I expect PowerPC prices to fall a little bit after  
> recent IBM's move to more "open" PowerPC licenses and also after  
> enter of new game consoles into the market (XBox/PS3), not talking  
> about usual price-fall of new PowerPC-based NAS like DS-101g+.
>
> BTW: RTEMS does not run on any of the choices above, although it  
> might be probably easily ported to some of them (PPC405 etc.)
>
> Cheers,
> Karel
> --
> Karel Gardas                  kgardas at objectsecurity.com
> ObjectSecurity Ltd.           http://www.objectsecurity.com
>