Custom SOC manufacturer - any recomendations?

dot_txt

Hello,

Has anyone here worked with custom SOC manufacturers (that can produce something similar to a rasperry Pi)? I'm looking to hire a company to design and produce some application specific ARM based systems for us in limited quantities (about 1000 individual SOCs plus mounting and control hardware). If anyone here has done something like that, and doesn't mind sharing their experience, I'd be most appreciative.

thanks!

afterSt0rm

I would try contact with Rockchip and Actions-Semi for the SoC and Avanti Circuits for the final PCB manufacturing. But I think you should plan to adapt software for a line-production platform as it would be faaaaar less expensive than projecting and manufacturing a entire new platform.

rm_

Start with formulating why none of the existing SoCs are suitable for your tasks, that you want to roll a custom and an order of magnitude more expensive one (due to the extremely small production run).

Or maybe you meant you just want a custom board (not a SoC). This is at least somewhat more reasonable.

rds100

SoCs (chips), even non-custom ones are usually ordered from manufacturers like Allwinner in minimum quantities of 10k. Perhaps as @rm_ suggested you really need a custom board for a "standard" chip (SoC)?

trewq

dot_txt said: that can produce something similar to a rasperry Pi

I think you're after a custom board as the others have mentioned. It's more than likely going to be cheaper to buy a retail product and modify it.

dot_txt

Ah yes, I can see where that may have been a bit misleading. Sorry about that. I mean a custom board to house an existing cpu (Likely an A53 or similar cpu).

Background: we are designing a rackmounted, high density, distributed computing environment specific to the arm platform with modular computing units that will be plug and playable into a 2u chassis. Unfortunately, none of the existing solutions out there meet our needs at this point. We are obtaining quotes from Element14 and a couple other existing manufacturers the design single board computers now, but I'd like to pursue some other vendors too.

Thanks for the suggestions and help so far.

afterSt0rm

@dot_txt said:
Ah yes, I can see where that may have been a bit misleading. Sorry about that. I mean a custom board to house an existing cpu (Likely an A53 or similar cpu).

Background: we are designing a rackmounted, high density, distributed computing environment specific to the arm platform with modular computing units that will be plug and playable into a 2u chassis. Unfortunately, none of the existing solutions out there meet our needs at this point. We are obtaining quotes from Element14 and a couple other existing manufacturers the design single board computers now, but I'd like to pursue some other vendors too.

Thanks for the suggestions and help so far.

Where do you live?

rm_

Check out https://radxa.com/ https://www.itead.cc/ http://www.cubietech.com/ https://www.olimex.com/

All of these have their own Allwinner-based boards, and most also mention custom board design services on their website.

dot_txt

Chicago, USA.

dot_txt

@rm_ said:
Check out https://radxa.com/ https://www.itead.cc/ http://www.cubietech.com/ https://www.olimex.com/

All of these have their own Allwinner-based boards, and most also mention custom board design services on their website.

Thanks! I will reach out to them

afterSt0rm

@dot_txt said:
Chicago, USA.

Try http://avanticircuits.com/ too.

dot_txt

@EkaatyLinux said:
Try http://avanticircuits.com/ too.

Thanks!

pbgben

I have designs for a pi based unit.40 SOCs in a 2u space though they could be squashed into 1u

dot_txt

@pbgben said:
I have designs for a pi based unit.40 SOCs in a 2u space though they could be squashed into 1u

That looks very well thought out. Lets talk soon!