Khadas VIM3 is launching on 24 June!

LibreELEC on VIM3 max running Linux 5.1 kernel and Kodi GBM :slight_smile:

8 Likes

Will there be a good OEM-able case that is fully enclosed and allows for our own logos?

2 Likes

Wow, amazing fast! Thanks, Chewitt & LE Team!

PS: The model is VIM3 Pro :blush:

Good day!

2 Likes

Congratulations on your good work. Do you already have a VIM3 sample for testing ? :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Hi Everyone!

Iā€™ve updated the top-post with contents for todayā€™s #VIM3 launch update!

Fresh Content:

VIM3 Comparison Table (Edge-V, Odroid-N2): Download PDF
VIM3 4K Photographs: Bottom
Social Sharing Images (Bottom): 720P - 1080P - 4K
LibreELEC on VIM3 Pro: Photograph by @chewitt

Supported ROMs (work-in-progress):

  • Android 9 (Pie)
  • Ubuntu XFCE 18.04
  • LibreELEC (Kodi GBM + Linux 5.1), thanks @chewitt

Description of the #VIM3 Underside:

MIPI-CSI:

  • 4-lane MIPI-CSI with two clocks
    • For a single camera configuration, lanes D0-D3 are paired with CLKA
    • For two camera configuration, lanes D0-D1 are paired with CLKA and lanes D2-D3 are paired with CLKB
  • PINOUT compatible with Edge-V

MIPI-DSI:

  • 4-lane MIPI-DSI, resolution up to 1920*1080
  • PINOUT compatible with Edge-V

M.2 Connector:

  • M-Key M.2 Connector
  • 1-lane PCIe 2.0, USB 2.0, 8-Ch I2S, I2C, 100-Mbit Ethernet, GPIO

Next Weekā€™s Teaser:

  • Retail Price

When writing your blog update, do help us out by asking people to vote for #VIM3 features. @Gouwa is curious to know if we should make a VIM3 model without an EMMC (just a TF-Card slot) and maybe even without a Wi-Fi / BT module.

The #VIM3 launch-update newsletter will be sent out around 9 to 10PM, Monday (today), GMT +8. We would be appreciative, if you can schedule any #VIM3 blog updates around that time too. :slight_smile:

Warmly,
You Jun
Khadas Team

5 Likes

A side note. You are asking people to vote for #VIM3 features in your email however voting is not available for new users hereā˜¹ļø.

1 Like

Voting has been re-opened. Thank you for pointing it out @igor_kh!

1 Like

LCD Screen Panel or G Sensor may not be one.Can VTV tuners be used instead?

1 Like

Fantastic!! That is something that I was really not prepared to come! but still fantastic!

1 Like

Well the PoE option is veeeery welcoming, I think this has to be the next thing implemented in the use. Even if there is no interested I think a lot of people donā€™t know what it is, and how can be used, but for me - network guide, I will do anything to have PoE!

Please do rethink about it even if the poll does not show this, or we can open another thread to represent the benefits of PoE!

What do you guys think?

1 Like

POE can be good for its needs
I recall adapters/power injectors are not to expensive nowadays.

2 Likes

I think PoE is awesome for those building large-area wi-fi networks. It is a convenient way to use ethernet to link up the repeater nodes. @Gouwa has got plans for ā€œstackable VIM3sā€, working in a cluster, PoE would help solve the wiring issues as well. @Urajmal what is a ā€œnetwork guideā€?

1 Like

Very nice. It is a bit a design of comprimizes. I donā€™t think you can do much beter with the S922X. Itā€™s an immense powerful CPU, but in I/O itā€™s lacking a lot.

There were talks about it having an NPU. This doesnā€™t seem to be in the recent info. Is that removed? Or for another model reserved? Iā€™m interested in that. I also heard a lot of an Edge-V with the RK3399Pro. Did that ever see light?

I used to be a neural network programmer so these things interest me a lot. In 2000 I worked on neural network machines 10 000x more expensive, and many times less powerul than what thereā€™s now.

It does look great, too bad Iā€™ve already got the Odroid N2.
@Gouwa If you guys would like me to make a great extensive review video about it, please contact me.
Good luck with it, I love seeing new gear.

Greetings, NicoD

1 Like

Does Wi-Fi work with the mainline linux kernel?

The PoE benefits a lot of advantages:

  • Plugā€™nPlay
  • Of course stacking of more devices on network and no need for extra power supply
  • One cable for power & ethernet (also 1Gbit/s and up), easy instaling, low cost UTP cables
  • Remote Hard Reset
  • Powering with 3rd party appliances aka PoE Routers / Switches
  • Long distance powering
  • Remote upgrading devices - Always on
  • Up to 50W and more over the same cable

Devices with PoE comes usually with one PoE injector and one power adapter. Since not anyone is using PoE additional cost beside PoE port on device itself is only PoE injector and additional UTP cable (optional).
Greetings.

2 Likes

Does Wi-Fi work with the mainline linux kernel?

BCM4359 has PCIe support in the mainline kernel but not SDIO - so there is currently no support for the chip - but the story has more nuances. The Android device responsible for driving the current g12a upstreaming activity also has the same chip and itā€™s possible to patch the out-of-tree bcmdhd driver from Amlogic buildroot into kernel sources (with some patches) as a workaround. In the longer-term the problem with the in-kernel brcmfmac driver needs to be investigated and resolved. The device-tree I concocted for a VIM3 prototype the other day contains everything needed to trigger the brcmfmac nvram/firmware loading (and BT works fine) but the WiFi firmware fails to load. The problem has been reported to the linux-wireless maintainers last October and was partially investigated. Unfortunately the person who reported the problem had a deadline to meet for a project and ended up switching to a different module to meet timescales, and at that point the investigation stalled and there was no conclusion.

5 Likes

@Kingsley will add you into our potential reviewers list! :smiley:

The VIM3 itself wonā€™t have an NPU, it is going be a VIM3*, where * stands for ā€œsomethingā€.

We couldnā€™t squeeze an RK3399Pro into a credit card sized form-factor, and the thermal requirements alone would have been a nightmare. So @Gouwa decided, based on 80/20 difficulty rule, to go with a smaller-sized Amlogic SoC for the NPU.

We would happily use the RK3399Pro for ODM projects, if anyone has a need - however it wonā€™t have a ā€œVIM Form Factorā€ design, likely be something larger, with a bulky heatsink.

2 Likes

Just putting it out here, perhaps for clustering applications it would be useful to have a VIM3 variant made without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, nor an eMMC, with the addition of PoE.

Iā€™m thinking that for cluster applications, if the OS dies, you just want swap out the TF-card, or if youā€™re installing the OS to multiple devices, a bulk-TF-card flasher is what you would use.

Obviously, with PoE, you would not want Wi-Fi, nor Bluetooth, and the TF-card renders an eMMC redundant.

5 Likes

Could not agree more for those using device in such a way! So maybe there should be also the 5th version :wink:

1 Like

Thank you for your extensive answer.
I also had wondered how the RK3399PRO would fit in a small form factor. The thermals of the S922x are exceptional compared to the RK3399. 12nm vs 28 nm seems to make a huge difference.
I really would love to review The VIM3. Here is my Youtube Channel NicoD
Iā€™ve bought and reviewed the Khadas Vim2 Max. The S922x is a way better SoC than the S912. So it will be an awesome board.
Greetings, NicoD

3 Likes