[HH] Cubieboard update

[Tom Metro]

The Cubieboard was mentioned here last October:
http://www.mail-archive.com/hardwarehacking@blu.org/msg00528.html

back when this Indiegogo funded project was about halfway to reaching
their goal. Apparently they've since met and exceeded the funding
threshold, and the boards are now available for purchase for $50:

http://www.element14.com/community/community/knode/single-board_computers/blog/2013/05/03/cubieboard-offers-hackers-another-low-cost-high-performance-arm-board-option

  This board, designed by Tom Cubie and friends who almost doubled up on
  their crowd-funding goal last year, offers DIYers a completely
  hackable board capable of running Android, Ubuntu, and other Linux
  distributions.
  [...]
  To begin the list of specs, the Cubieboard contains a Cortex-A8 ARM
  processor operating at 1 GHz speed with a Mali400 OpenGL ES GPU.
  [...]
  The Cubieboard comes with 1080P HDMI output support, 10/100M Ethernet
  capability, 2 USB hosts, 1 microSD slot (with SDHC support), 1 SATA
  connection, an IR [receiver] interface, and a 2x48 extend pin for
  external headers.
  [...]
  Some of the team's Cubieboard project suggestions include: an Android
  TV multimedia powerhouse, a home network file server, a lightweight
  Linux desktop, and a network accessible home automation device.


It distinguishes itself from most SBC by including a SATA port, and
apparently one that actually works, as they ship it with a SATA cable,
and the unboxing video at the above pages shows it being hooked up to a
laptop drive.

They do answer the question of whether the SATA port supports port
multipliers:
http://linux-sunxi.org/Cubieboard/FAQ#Does_the_Cubieboard_support_SATA_port_multipliers_and_what_is_the_max_limit_of_a_SATA_hard_disk_drive.3F

and the answer is no. So not exactly a cost effective NAS, unless you
only need one drive.

The Indiegogo page claimed it was an open design, but didn't back it up
with anything. I see their site now has links to the board schematic:
http://cubieboard.org/download/

software tools and OS images can be found on the same page. But I don't
see board layout files.

Manufacturer:
http://cubieboard.org/

Store:
https://cubieboard.myshopify.com/products/cubieboard-1gb

A $30 expansion board is also available from another vendor:
http://www.iotllc.com/joomla/index.php/what-is/72-what-is-a-baseboard

which adds VGA, LCD, and touch screen connectors, voltage regulator,
audio amp, and easier access to the Cubieboard's I/O pins.

 -Tom