Hi,
I have been investigating the PICO RP2040 for product use and have come up with some interesting suggestions (I understand sometimes get passed on here). I tend to come up with stuff other people haven't considered. They are doable.
The largest item is a FPGA section for some special processing functions, which you sleep, hyphenate or turn off sections not used to save energy.
TSMC has some new process for higher speed executable and storage memory, which holds it's image without power, instead of flash, which might be useful and for a more reliable internal flash alternative.
Objective, highest performance for lowest energy achievable, and highest performance using the same design driven.
Request, internal parallel high speed memory blocks, and storage.
That it is useful to have enough capacity in the FPGA, to load in a Forth processor softcore. Which are amount the most compact and efficient, starting at around a few hundred LUTS (part of the efficiency is to have main memory and two very small memories in parallel for data and return stacks). If you want to implement a high efficiency custom processor version in a few thousand transistors. The company, Green Arrays, does custom minimal instruction set computer versions, setting record for industry lowest energy processor and several hundred MHz on 130nm. They have an advanced design they are proposing which would be an alternative to an ARM. I'm not here to advertise them, but a use would be as a FPGA+2Ghz CPU, so they come to mind for PICO use.
==== FPGA End.
A Nano version, 1/4 to 1/8th size, with carrier board with pins on back, dual sided circuit's. An IC, that can have a board version that is small enough card that it could fit into a USB-C socket, would be useful. Ability to interface to USBC (say with a flat male board one which can have a male to female USBC converter plugged over, or USB C socket wired on, or plug into a female lead. For programming or for use). I was pursuing a product I could use to condition and enhance filter analogue signals in cables and plugs. Which is a use. However, with many people trying to make gadgets, with the PICO plugged into carry boards, these more compact Nano formats make a lot more sense, while the full sized PICO3 can be used for development prototyping. Basically, it's also like a miniature compute module, and can form the basis for a PI privacy phone board, or tablet.
Internal flash storage, high write life. The board flash takes up design space, and modern flash is becoming too delicate (consumer micro SD cards have little life, which people with PI's are using). TMSC has the executable alternative to flash with high use life. As an option for internal package chiplets, for commercial use versions, there is also one time programmable options that have 100 year retention life, as still used inlaw enforcement body cameras.
Uncompressed zero latency Video and multichannel audio over USBC. FullHD to 4k.
High speed formatted data and timing, multichannel DMA output IO (which blocks can be used to provide video video over USBC also). The device would also become suitable for a number of low to high embedded application use, and for commercial and industrial equipment.
MMU with support for RISC OS, Tron. Possibly Linux preemptive multi tasking.
1Ghz cores.
Additional parallel pads on back, like a chip, that can be used board mounted, which are not practical to use on a breadboard directly.
Better ADC (60-72db accuracy at 20 Mega Samples a second video rates) and DAC (120db SNR). Available at lowest current modes, DMA to memory for processing.
More internal high speed memory, as well as a parallel high-speed conventional mobile serial memory line external, and internal package chiplet use.
Ability to pack optional memory and storage chiplets (mentioned before) in IC package, to offer multiple memory options, and conventional high speed consumer handheld serial memory types).
Basically, a miniature PICO Zero type machine, which is able to form the sorts of devices already attempted with the PICO, but with more quality, and using RISCOS GUI (or JavaScript engine based). Maybe Linux. Something which can be used for people to make compact sleek consumer electronics kits, such as AV theatre products, portable speakers etc. But in an embedded fashion.
W version Video rate WIFI direct and latest audio quality BT.
Normal version NFC.
Minimalist GPU (with bump mapping) is a possiblity, but not strictly needed. While some retro machine fans may want to run Quake 4 on their retro handheld designs, the Cube 2 and Tesseract Engines are very efficient, and Quake like.
Normal ARM instruction set support.
I know presently, it is likely too late for these suggestions to be adopted to the next design,, but by the time of the design after that, they will be modest. Or, as a mini Zero product. Where the external consumer interfaces operate over a 10-20Gb/s USBC port, or two, to a hub. A PICO with a USBC on each end would be desirable as well.
The use of stacking chiplets on package, means a lot of cheap package variability, which can be dynamically organised as the market demands. It also will result in some variable height. It also makes vertical upright, one sided, pin package options viable as everything needed, except general purpose IO, can be packaged internally via chiplets.
I have been investigating the PICO RP2040 for product use and have come up with some interesting suggestions (I understand sometimes get passed on here). I tend to come up with stuff other people haven't considered. They are doable.
The largest item is a FPGA section for some special processing functions, which you sleep, hyphenate or turn off sections not used to save energy.
TSMC has some new process for higher speed executable and storage memory, which holds it's image without power, instead of flash, which might be useful and for a more reliable internal flash alternative.
Objective, highest performance for lowest energy achievable, and highest performance using the same design driven.
Request, internal parallel high speed memory blocks, and storage.
That it is useful to have enough capacity in the FPGA, to load in a Forth processor softcore. Which are amount the most compact and efficient, starting at around a few hundred LUTS (part of the efficiency is to have main memory and two very small memories in parallel for data and return stacks). If you want to implement a high efficiency custom processor version in a few thousand transistors. The company, Green Arrays, does custom minimal instruction set computer versions, setting record for industry lowest energy processor and several hundred MHz on 130nm. They have an advanced design they are proposing which would be an alternative to an ARM. I'm not here to advertise them, but a use would be as a FPGA+2Ghz CPU, so they come to mind for PICO use.
==== FPGA End.
A Nano version, 1/4 to 1/8th size, with carrier board with pins on back, dual sided circuit's. An IC, that can have a board version that is small enough card that it could fit into a USB-C socket, would be useful. Ability to interface to USBC (say with a flat male board one which can have a male to female USBC converter plugged over, or USB C socket wired on, or plug into a female lead. For programming or for use). I was pursuing a product I could use to condition and enhance filter analogue signals in cables and plugs. Which is a use. However, with many people trying to make gadgets, with the PICO plugged into carry boards, these more compact Nano formats make a lot more sense, while the full sized PICO3 can be used for development prototyping. Basically, it's also like a miniature compute module, and can form the basis for a PI privacy phone board, or tablet.
Internal flash storage, high write life. The board flash takes up design space, and modern flash is becoming too delicate (consumer micro SD cards have little life, which people with PI's are using). TMSC has the executable alternative to flash with high use life. As an option for internal package chiplets, for commercial use versions, there is also one time programmable options that have 100 year retention life, as still used inlaw enforcement body cameras.
Uncompressed zero latency Video and multichannel audio over USBC. FullHD to 4k.
High speed formatted data and timing, multichannel DMA output IO (which blocks can be used to provide video video over USBC also). The device would also become suitable for a number of low to high embedded application use, and for commercial and industrial equipment.
MMU with support for RISC OS, Tron. Possibly Linux preemptive multi tasking.
1Ghz cores.
Additional parallel pads on back, like a chip, that can be used board mounted, which are not practical to use on a breadboard directly.
Better ADC (60-72db accuracy at 20 Mega Samples a second video rates) and DAC (120db SNR). Available at lowest current modes, DMA to memory for processing.
More internal high speed memory, as well as a parallel high-speed conventional mobile serial memory line external, and internal package chiplet use.
Ability to pack optional memory and storage chiplets (mentioned before) in IC package, to offer multiple memory options, and conventional high speed consumer handheld serial memory types).
Basically, a miniature PICO Zero type machine, which is able to form the sorts of devices already attempted with the PICO, but with more quality, and using RISCOS GUI (or JavaScript engine based). Maybe Linux. Something which can be used for people to make compact sleek consumer electronics kits, such as AV theatre products, portable speakers etc. But in an embedded fashion.
W version Video rate WIFI direct and latest audio quality BT.
Normal version NFC.
Minimalist GPU (with bump mapping) is a possiblity, but not strictly needed. While some retro machine fans may want to run Quake 4 on their retro handheld designs, the Cube 2 and Tesseract Engines are very efficient, and Quake like.
Normal ARM instruction set support.
I know presently, it is likely too late for these suggestions to be adopted to the next design,, but by the time of the design after that, they will be modest. Or, as a mini Zero product. Where the external consumer interfaces operate over a 10-20Gb/s USBC port, or two, to a hub. A PICO with a USBC on each end would be desirable as well.
The use of stacking chiplets on package, means a lot of cheap package variability, which can be dynamically organised as the market demands. It also will result in some variable height. It also makes vertical upright, one sided, pin package options viable as everything needed, except general purpose IO, can be packaged internally via chiplets.
Statistics: Posted by 111 — Tue May 28, 2024 8:33 pm — Replies 0 — Views 34