A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:
Proof of Concept
Explorations that test ideas and functionality.
Functional Prototype
Demonstrates the functionality of the final product, but looks different.
Appearance Prototype
Looks like the final product, but is not functional.
Design Prototype
Appearance and function match the final product, but is made with different manufacturing methods.
Production Prototype
Appearance, function, and manufacturing methods match the final product.
Prototype Gallery
These photos and videos provide a detailed look at this project’s development.
Product description- ESPRESSOBin Board is a low cost high performance ARM based 64bit single board computer aimed at the networking, storage, and connectivity space. It utilizes Marvell's newest Armada 3700 chipset which is a dual core SOC running up to 1.2Ghz based upon the ARM A53 64bit instruction set.
ESPRESSObin Specs
Powered by a 64bit Dual Core ARM A53 Armada 3700 SOC clocked up to 1.2Ghz
1x Topaz Networking Switch
1x uSD card slot with footprint for an optional 4GB EMMC
512MB DDR3, 1GB DDR3 & 2GB DDR3 options
2x Gb Ethernet LAN
1x Ethernet WAN
1x SATA interface for HDD storage
1x USB 3.0 and 1x USB 2.0
1x MiniPCIe for Wireless/BLE peripherals
2x Row of GPIO headers for accessories and shields
Physical Interfaces
Board Interfaces
GPIO Map
Armada SOC and Topaz Switch Specs
Armada 3700 SOC block diagram
Topaz Switch
Strengths-
ESPRESSObin is much more than just another SBC like the Raspberry Pi and the Pine64. It has a powerful set of Networking & Storage interfaces such as a dedicated networking Switch and Gigabit WAN & LAN. It can connect to storage such as USB 3.0 thumb drives and HDD hard drives via USB and SATA. For networking applications it acts like an ethernet switch with 2 LAN and 1 WAN.
ESPRESSObin has a very low power consumption with less than 1W Thermal dissapation at 1 Ghz
Use Cases
ESPRESSObin address a host of applications that has been overlooked by other SBC such as home and office networking, storage,& media streaming, and IoT. Here are a few examples that we demonstrate on the lab using open software applications.
NAS-SATA-Wi-FI-connect the device Sata interface to Hard drives and stream via wireless or ethernet.
NAS implementation streaming to Monitor
Video Camera Monitor- connect old USB cameras to the EspressoBin and stream it to your computer as a power conscious IP camera
convert old usb webcam for IP camera use
Plex Media server- Stream content via ethernet or Wi-Fi to connected TV in multiple rooms. Stream personal content from your hard drive or USB stick from your personnel network or NAS device.
Plex Media Server
Video of the actual working demos
Replay with sound
Play with sound
Stacking switch cluster- Connect storage and ethernet to create your own power efficient storage and compute cluster for Torrent server applications
IOT Gateway-Use the ESPRESSObin as an IOT gateway connecting LORA, BLE, Zigbee, Zwave , and other protocols through its variety of interfaces.
Rewards Chart
Key Team members-Globalscale
Bryan Cheng-Project manager
DH Liu-Engineering Manager
Winchester Hsu-Hardware Engineer
C.P Chang-Software Engineer
Steven Ding-Software Engineer
Wayne Yang-Test Engineer
Marvell partnership and advisors
Eran Jurman-Technical Marketing Manger
Maen Suleiman-Software Community Lead
Philip Nguy-SOC engineer
Erez Alfiya- Application Manager
Guru Bachchu-Software Engineer
Joe Zhou-Software Engineer
Bobby Dhanota-Lab Supervisor
ESPRESSObin in the Media
Video-Description of an early board sample at Computex 2016
Timeline
The software is open source and will be available here and on a new Wikipage coming out.
ArchLinuxARM, one of the most lightweight and flexible Operating Systems
Debian, one of the most popular OS available
OpenWRT for your Router and networking applications
Initiatives
Partners
Powered by Marvell
Why do we need your help?
Despite being an established company we are not a large company. Especially with this aggressive price target we need economies of scale to be able to buy parts in sufficient quantities to offer a $49 base price. We also have to pay for certification such as FCC & CE.
Risks and challenges
Building the Boards
The big fear with many Kickstarter projects is that people come up with great ideas but cannot execute because of the inexperience of the product team. Manufacturing of electronics especially carries unique risks such as supply chain management and mandatory certification.
At Globalscale we have extensive background and expertise in RF and networking electronics. Starting as the pioneers of the original Sheevaplug plug computer in 2008 we have delivered countless finished goods of high quality to enthusiasts and large corporations of industrial and consumer goods. Another concern is continuity of supply, with boards coming out and vendors closing up shop. Today we are still shipping product from design from 2008 for longtime customers while continuing to update for modern software packages.
Software Support- There is no point in building a great board if there is not an equally strong and open software ecosystem to go with it. This is why documentation is open here with software available on github and releases coming on http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/t-downloads.aspx . We have partnered with our key chip vendor Marvell to host and support the program with software from the chip vendor and a host of operating systems such as OpenWRT, Debian, Ubuntu and Archlinux ARM. Theinitial kernel is 4.4 and the device has mainline kernel support.
Shipping- A lot of first timer manufactures are surprised with the effort it takes to ship around the world. With shipping from Shenzhen, China and Anaheim, CA we have the experience and capability to ship all around. Unfortunately from our experience and because of our structure we cannot ship direct to the following countries.
Includes one Loaded ESPRESSObin unit with a preprogrammed 4GB uSD card, Wi-Fi module via the miniPCIe connector, and 2GB of DDR3 DRAM. Includes a 12V power supply.
Includes one Loaded ESPRESSObin unit with a preprogrammed 4GB uSD card, Wi-Fi module via the miniPCIe connector, and 2GB of DDR3 DRAM. Includes a 12V power supply.
Includes 2x Loaded ESPRESSObin unit. Includes preprogrammed 4GB uSD cards and Wi-Fi modules via the miniPCIe connector. Includes 2x 12V power supply. Each board comes with 1GB DDR3
Includes 2x Loaded ESPRESSObin unit. Includes preprogrammed 4GB uSD cards and Wi-Fi modules via the miniPCIe connector. Includes 2x 12V power supply. Each board comes with 1GB DDR3
Pack of 4 Loaded ESPRESSOBin boards to stack into a cluster or do as you please Includes 4x 12V power supplies and 4 preprogrammed uSD cards and standoffs for stacking. each board comes with 1GB DDR3
Pack of 4 Loaded ESPRESSOBin boards to stack into a cluster or do as you please Includes 4x 12V power supplies and 4 preprogrammed uSD cards and standoffs for stacking. each board comes with 1GB DDR3
Attend a custom tour of the Globalscale Facilities in Shenzhen, Taiwan, or Anaheim CA. Includes dinner with the founding team members a 20 pack of boards and custom design documentation. Picture with the founding team and support for your special projects. includes hotel for 2 nights for you and one other, and transportation from the airport. airfare not included.