In my case I don’t need the MMC because I need all the pin for the LCD7 & UART4 & UART1.
About the PRU, I don’t neeed either. Thx for the tips.
Micka,
Gerald,
Have you considered offering a 'full' version (at a 'much' higher price, with double eMMC
and AM3358/9) and a downgraded version with a cheaper (PRUSS-less) processor?
If this assembly option can be done with the same PCB it might solve both cost and
capacity problems without creating a too big logistical nightmare.
-- Bas
We have talked about it but I don’t think going to a AM3354 processor will save us anything at all. It would lower the quantity on the AM3358, causing the price to possibly go up on it. Not toemnetion th confusion it would undoubtedly cause among the users.
We are working on a plan and hopefully finalizing it by the end of the week,
Gerald
Have a feeling, even at an hiked up unit price of $75, the hoarders will gobble them up in large #s, and pass the extra cost on to their customers - after all, the free market price would also be $75. I doubt TI could guarantee supplies even at that price - unless something is done to prevent productizers from bulk-ordering huge quantities.
TI supposedly released this board as a “community product” and should try and pursue that goal and not just give up that easy. By hiking the price to say $55/60, and through beaglebone.org, TI can allow for the purchase of just a couple of boards to a given shipping address, it can be done since the extra cost could be used to support this option… Many MIR promoters do that today, not entirely impossible (even $60 ARM quad-core based board manufactures do it - 1 per forum member/acct). So beagleboard can make it say 2 or 3 or some reasonable small #. The hoarders can always buy from those other distributors - whose stock-notification scheme is a mere joke. 10mins into getting an email - they are back to 0-stock.
Gerald,
Pl. figure out a reasonably affordable scheme for the community and another for market-driven scene, where folks are building products using these, against all (practically legally non-enforceable) warnings. The entire learning/maker community, imho, is being heavily penalized, for the actions of a few hoarders.
thanks.
We have already tried your suggestion.
http://www.elinux.org/Beagleboard:BeagleBoneBlack#Terms_of_Use
That is why our plan is to increase capacity by being able to pay additional CMs to build the boards for us while still having the control over the whole process. The goal here is to find the right balance. Otherwise the community will lose every time.
Gerald
Actually, I was referring to that very warning - and that has been ineffectual, since day-1.
What I was requesting now, is to have a community small-# ordering scheme.
I only hear of hiking prices, but keeping all else the same. That in itself, imho, will not discourage hoarders - they will surely pass the extra cost to customers. What would help is a scheme to allow smal # orders to a given entity (shipping address, userid registered to this group or some such identifier,)
thanks.
We have that already, Adafruit limits purchases to 1 per order. Check daily for when they have stock and order then. When they run out, wait until they come back in stock to order more
Gerald
This shrotage is is a common problem, check www.bbbc1.com for a possible alternative supply.
Lafras
Venkat,
… I would have no problem paying $75 for this board if we could guarantee availibility and continued support (ie being able to stay in business)…
Have a feeling, even at an hiked up unit price of $75, the hoarders will gobble them up in large #s, and pass the extra cost on to their customers - after all, the free market price would also be $75. I doubt TI could guarantee supplies even at that price - unless something is done to prevent productizers from bulk-ordering huge quantities.
TI supposedly released this board as a “community product” and should try and pursue that goal and not just give up that easy. By hiking the price to say $55/60, and through beaglebone.org, TI can allow for the purchase of just a couple of boards to a given shipping address, it can be done since the extra cost could be used to support this option… Many MIR promoters do that today, not entirely impossible (even $60 ARM quad-core based board manufactures do it - 1 per forum member/acct). So beagleboard can make it say 2 or 3 or some reasonable small #. The hoarders can always buy from those other distributors - whose stock-notification scheme is a mere joke. 10mins into getting an email - they are back to 0-stock.
just a clarification here: TI has nothing to do with beagleboard.org other than sell circuitco the processors to be used on beagleboard.org products
Dave
TI has nothing to do with beagleboard.org but Gerald Coley is a TI Engineer ?
Which part I didn’t understand ?
Micka,
The part that says does not TI invests $$$$ into the operation of BeagleBord.org other than some of my day job and none of my time I spend on it in my personal time and weekends, the other 80 hours of my work week.
Gerald
TI pays my salary too, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone at TI
that knows what I'm doing day-to-day in relation to Beagle. TI
continues to pay our salaries as Beagle helps people use TI chips, but
my manager has 0 input on the direction of BeagleBoard.org----not that
we'd necessarily want to upset TI. Would be interesting to crowd-fund
Gerald's salary for the 100+ hours a week he spends supporting people
on Beagle. Be generous folks! 
Can we crowd fund elinux.org while we're at it
http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/BeagleBone-Black-Embest-p-1736.html
And another option. This one priced at $69.00
This is turning out to be a very interesting lessons for some high school students who are using this as a case study in supply and demand economics. Theres some priced at $45, but you can’t get them, because they are not available, but there are some priced at $69 and some people will buy them, because the cost of waiting is too long…
Interesting.
Don’t take it personally, I’ve nothing against you, or TI … . You did a great Job.
Micka,
Adafruit is very good with the email notification that items are now in stock. If someone is serious about buying, they can get one when the email arrives. I’ve used that option a number of times.
-david
BTW, just got an in stock email from Adafruit a few minutes ago and ordered one. Go get it!
How about that.
Gerald
I was Just wondering.
Given that, to my understanding, Arduino Tre (with essentialy a Black inside) will be a commercial product do you think we can expect it to bemuch more widely available?