boards

[jfox@xxxxxxxxxx (Jeff Fox)]

Dear MISC readers:
Eugene asked:

>When do you expect the first F21 eval boards to become available?
>What restrictions/upgradeablity/exact makeup will they have?

We still have six weeks to get boards before chips arrive.  It takes
a week or two to get them made.  I will make about 10 ten boards
by the time the first chips arrive.  

I expect to make a very simple board, but 4 layer with power and
ground planes since I want to try to push SRAM speed.  Other than
that it is simple, F21 socket, DRAM (zipp I think), SRAM, xtal,
and a ROM socket, maybe a PCMCIA socket as well.  I may jumper
two of the parallel port lines to use as select between PCMCIA
and ROM.
Other than that there is not much too it.  It could be credit card
sized, but I may spread it out a little.
DRAM is still a problem, availability and price keeps getting worse
and worse.  I am not sure which package I will use on the board.

Jeff Fox