Mini-review: The Clockwork Pi DevTerm R-01, or RISC-V on the go

https://www.talospace.com/2022/05/mini-review-clockwork-pi-devterm-r-01.html

by todsacerdoti • 4 years ago

74 26 4 years ago

DeathArrow• 4 years ago

I've observed that there are two main markets for OpenPOWER workstations, namely people who want to support alternatives to the x86-ARM duopoly

There is no duopoly. There's just x86.

pointlessone• 4 years ago

If you only consider PC/server market then yes. But I'm fairly confident any given household has more ARM chips in it than x86 CPUs.

rwmj• 4 years ago

Even your PC has more non-x86 CPUs than x86.

hulitu2• 4 years ago

But you cannot use your household ARM computers. They use you.

shrubble• 4 years ago

Yes, but if its operation is invisible to you, and you can't install anything on it (without the use of a soldering gun and a JTAG style adapter), then it really an apt comparison...

snvzz3• 4 years ago

But after this first personal taste of RISC-V, I don't think OpenPOWER has much to worry about right now.

The D1 is far from the state of the art in RISC-V. It already was a low-end chip when it was released two years ago. What's good about it is the low cost of the modules.

brucehoult3• 4 years ago

Exactly! It's a Pi Zero / Pi CM kind of µarch at Pi CM clock speed and performance and (roughly) price.

This 1.0 GHz single-issue in-order CPU gets 37% of the performance of a 3-wide PowerPC G4 at 1.5 GHz (I think he probably means 1.42 GHz).

That seems like a pretty good result to me. At equal clock speeds it would be about 50% the speed.

He also says SiFive's U74 dual-issue in-order "gets by the G5, but by less than you'd think". The actual figure isn't given, and I think he still means G4 there, but that's also pretty good given the much simple µarch and similar clock speed.

And it's 270x faster than the 68030, at only 40 times the clock speed. I remember when I had a IIcx (my first personally-owned computer) and lusted after a cache-card equipped IIci. L2 cache card that is, the 68030 having L1 cache built into the chip.

The D1 isn't a powerhouse. We know that. Treat it like a Pi Zero and you'll be happy. Much faster things are on the way.

classichasclass2• 4 years ago

So what CPU would you have recommended for a machine like this? I hear "much faster things" all the time and this is exactly what I mean by the hype machine. What silicon is out there that people can get?

The Mac mini is a 1.5GHz G4. This was the last generation (the "secret clock bump" one).

jazzythom4• 4 years ago

If you’re into the D1 get a $25 Mango Pi 1Gb from Alixexpress. They also have very nice minimalist metal cases if you search. Wifi and bluetooth onboard.

This Devterm product looks great largely because it copied the design of the Tandy. But, the reviews for the build quality are damning, the chip is underpowered for this task and some of the design choices make no sense. Who needs a thermal printer in 2022? Why are there two giant bezels on the sides that pop open the case?

But hey nice try. A few more revisions and I might buy one. I like that they’re trying something different, big points there. I wonder if they could put magnetic modules on the back like Motorola’s bricks (phoneblocks?) concept.

asojfdowgh• 4 years ago

Same reason why I need a UART plug externally accessible

Its a cyberdeck, the more questionable the features the better, because then you can make up silly scenarios about saving the world with it, e.g. doing a direct audit of the network hardware in a datacenter, plug in your serial cable, download the running/stored configs, beam them up to some wifi accessable server, plus generate a paper backup at the same time

or, log into your deck at the start of the day, as you are reading the morning news, you get a printout of today's todo list and agenda

etc, its a lifestyle meme, not a computer

deltaonefour4• 4 years ago

I bought one. The build is actually really good. The bezels are there for easy access for opening (no screws). The thermal printer is just a Retro gimmick which is the whole theme of the devterm. I disagree with LazyDev about the build, it's actually very good IMO, and fun to build.

It basically runs linux but I don't like it too much mainly because the UI isn't suited for the keyboard and the little mouse roller (which is terrible). A form factor like this really needs an entire GUI targetted specifically for it, instead this uses XFCE.

I would say if someone made a GUI specifically targetting the DevTerm it would be great. If you exclusively use a mouseless interface then I would say this is actually quite good in the sense that it's this portable retro thing you can bring to places. But compared to say a small linux ultrabook, the ultrabook is lightyears ahead of this.

Only get this if you want something with retro vibes.

jazzythom4• 4 years ago

Is it retro? Sounds like some kind of fantasy game. The Tandy it was designed to mimic was actually made to help real people in real work

Mini-review: The Clockwork Pi DevTerm R-01, or RISC-V on the go

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