On Oct 13, 2011, at 6:23 AM, Wim Vandeputte Mailing list only wrote: > > hey, > > On Sat, Oct 08, 2011 at 09:51:10AM -0400, [email protected] wrote: >> I'm planning on a net6501-70 with the rackmount case once it's available. >> (Any updates on availability and pricing for the case?) > > right now there is no date but the cost should be about the same for > the 5501 rack case from soekris > >> Any chance we can get (preliminary) case drawings so I can start planning? >> In particular, I'm interested in the arrangement of the two PCIe slots and >> how much empty space would be available for batteries. > > I have not seen any info
It's been almost a week since there was an update that the rackmount case prototypes are being made. Any chance for prelim. drawings? What about cooling? The net5501 rack case doesn't appear to have fans. Will there be mounting holes for adding 40mm fans? Is airflow side-to-side or front-to-back? > >> Also, is there anything that can be shared about the battery management >> architecture? What sort of monitoring will be available? Will there be >> charge information available, or will I need to insert my own "gas guage" >> chip between the board and battery pack? > > I'd be interested to know ;-) > > do you like the choice of the NiMH batteries? I was expecting something > more suitable for long life like lead batteries... NiMH batteries have better Wh per mass and Wh per volume energy densities, but don't require as specific charging regimens as Li ion/poly. They can also be recharged more times. See the table at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rechargeable_battery#Table_of_rechargeable_battery_types> for more. > > The 6501 docs state: > > 4.16 JP16, Battery Backup > 2 pins AMP MTA100 header, for connecting a 8.4V NiMH rechargeable battery. > > Function Pin Number > VBAT 1 > GND 2 > > > so I assume that the NiMH controler is on the motherboard... no need for > additional controlers? Yes, there's supposed to be a charging controller on board, but there's no mention of more advanced features beyond charge, cutover, discharge, and return to charge. A standard UPS will tell you battery health, charge/discharge current, time to full charge/exhaustion.... I can implement them myself by adding a chip to a battery pack and attaching to one of the various busses on board, but it's easier if the features I want are built-in. > > By the way, if you are interested, the Kerberos rack case is now > available for the 6501, but it has room for only one PCI express card: > > http://soekris.kd85.com/images/6501/ _______________________________________________ Soekris-tech mailing list [email protected] http://lists.soekris.com/mailman/listinfo/soekris-tech
