Subject: StrongARM/PCI (lack of) news

From: David Alan Gilbert <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 11:35:12 +0000

Hi,
  I've just been on the phone to Digital and the situation with
StrongARM/PCI is thus:

1) The Ebsa 285-01 StrongARM PCI development cards won't be out until
September/October. Bummer!

2) The StrongARM/NC doesn't use the 21285 PCI interface - even the
version with PCI; apparently it uses some Cirrus chipset.

3) The StrongARM/NC isn't  available yet and will only be made available
to large OEM's initially.

4) When things eventually do become available you'll have to buy via a
distributor; e.g. Eurodis Bytech - I've got a contact name for them.
They won't be too happy selling to individuals at a guess but they
should do it.

Dave
-- 
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From: "Neil A. Carson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 11:17:13 +0100 (BST)

Hi,

> September/October. Bummer!

That doesn't of course mean that nobody's going to develop for the damn
thing before then! It should be more than possible to get hands on boards
before then.

> version with PCI; apparently it uses some Cirrus chipset.

Well, it effectively sits the StrongARM on a VESA-local-bus, and pops a
VESA->PCI bridge on the end. This is where its flexibility comes from -it
can do ISA, VLB and PCI all at once whilst still beoing very cheap.

> to large OEM's initially.

Yep, but a lot of large OEMs will be selling the thing dirt cheap.

--
Neil A. Carson
Marketing Director              Causality Limited (London, UK)
Tel/Fax: +44 (0)181 930 7408    Mobile: +44 (0)370 593183
Email: [email-masked]       WWW: http://www.causality.com.

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From: Manar Hussain <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 12:18:15 +0100 (BST)

>They won't be too happy selling to individuals at a guess but they

I don't know what the product number is but there are definately developer
boards available. At worst you can get them for a notional $1500 but it's
really by negotiation based on what you are planning on developing with
$1500 an unusual figure to pay.

Continuous revision of the board will occur to drive more and more features
being available as sensible options on NS like devices - I think we're up
to revision 5 or some such so far.

Manar

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From: Alan Cox <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 12:22:55 +0100 (BST)

> version with PCI; apparently it uses some Cirrus chipset.

That doesnt suprise me at all. There isnt a lot of logic to using something
as expensive as PCI in a toybox computer. If you look at other ARM (non
strongarm) embedded/NC units they have either a simple muxed bus or cut down
ISA (as in the Cirrus 75xx). Cirrus [as crystal] also make a single chip
network controller (RAM etc onboard) that is pseudo ISA, and modems in the
same form. Most likely then they'd use the Cirru ISAish interface.

Alan

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From: "Neil A. Carson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 12:46:41 +0100 (BST)

> same form. Most likely then they'd use the Cirru ISAish interface.

No, it's fundamentally VLB-based, which alows lots of cheap peripherals
that way. Then if you want PCI you just stick the VLB->PCI bridge on the
end. I can see some situations where PCI may be useful.

	N.

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From: David A Rusling <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 13:15:40 +0000

All,
	ok, couldn't resist this as it is my job to run the software team
for the EBSA-285 which we're developing in Reading.

> September/October. Bummer!

That is correct.  We're working on the boards(s) now; there are two, a
passive PCI backplane and the EBSA-285 which contains an SA-110 and the
DECchip 21285 PCI support chip (as announced).  The EBSA-285 can run 
either as the bus master or as an intelligent device or standalone on
the bench.  The EBSA-285 is about a 2/3 length PCI card in size.

We are doing this in two phases.  Phase 1 which we're in involves building
only a few boards and getting those boards to OS and tools vendors.  Phase
2 is volume.  That's where the September/October dates come from (although
I couldn't possibly comment).  
 
> version with PCI; apparently it uses some Cirrus chipset.

Correct.  Our developments are seperate although they _may_ merge.
 
> to large OEM's initially.

Again, correct.  Don't forget that the NC is a product and not an evalution
board.
 
> They won't be too happy selling to individuals at a guess but they

Again correct but our wish is to sell this board widely and in volume.
There should be no barrier to individuals buying them.

Dave

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David A Rusling				Principal Engineer
European Semiconductor Applications	Digital Equipment Co Ltd.,
	Engineering			PO Box 121,
					Imperial Way,
					Worton Grange
					Reading RG2 0TU
Linux, Alpha, StrongArm, PCI		Tel: UK-(0)1734-204380
					Fax: UK-(0)1734-203133
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