OESF Portables Forum

General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Anonymous on January 16, 2004, 01:29:29 pm

Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2004, 01:29:29 pm
Someone posted this in one of the subforums:

Quote
Amazon has the SL-5600 for $299...with a PXA255 processor!!!!

Can anyone confirm this rumor?  Do the last batches of 5600s really have the upgraded CPU?

Also, I noticed on Amazon\'s 5600 page, the \"while supplies last\" has appeared.  I guess the 5x00 line is being phased out...
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 16, 2004, 02:26:58 pm
Where did you see that post? I have not heard anything of the sort, but the \'special\' kernel is getting good feedback:

http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?n...=776&highlight= (https://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=776&highlight=)
http://www.zaurus.com/dev/board/index.php?...wtopic=7536&hl= (http://www.zaurus.com/dev/board/index.php?showtopic=7536&hl=)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 16, 2004, 02:44:50 pm
It was posted in this thread:

http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?n...viewtopic&t=111 (https://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=111)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: VeeDubb on January 16, 2004, 06:59:09 pm
Obviously any new 5600 would have the pxa255.  Intel stopped production of the 250 shortly after newyears LAST YEAR.  There are no 250\'s out there anymore.  The only way you could buy a new sl-5600 right now with a pxa250 is if you bought one that had been on the shelf for the last 8 months or more.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Robson on January 16, 2004, 07:06:10 pm
Has the 250 problem made anyone else gunshy about being a new model early adopter?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: weili1977 on January 17, 2004, 10:47:19 am
Just got mine from Amazon. It is PXA250, not PXA255:(
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 17, 2004, 04:19:04 pm
Sharp could well have bought a huge stock of the PXA-250\'s (Intel always discounts CPUs more, the larger the batch bought), so they could have produced 5600s with the old CPU well after Intel stopped producing them. Intel also probably had a fairly large stock to flog after stopping too. So there are bound to be many 5600s with the PXA-250 left in many stocks. Even if Sharp has switched to the PXA-255 (which seems a little odd as it would require a full QA test and it looks like they\'re about to stop making it) then you certainly cannot say that all 5600s bought now will have the new CPU.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: VeeDubb on January 17, 2004, 05:54:24 pm
Quote
...... then you certainly cannot say that all 5600s bought now will have the new CPU.

I didn\'t, read my post again.  

I never said it wasn\'t possible that the cpu and or 250 were on the shelf for ages, I just said that\'s the only way you could get one.

As for requireing a huge GA test, I think you\'re wrong.  According to an Intel press release when the chip was replaced, the pxa255 is, and I quote, \"A drop-in replacement\" for the 250.\"

They said that manufacturers would only need to swap the CPU\'s and one or two ic\'s that all have the same configuration, and most PPC manufacturers continued all their current models with less than 2 weeks production downtime using the new CPU.  Toshiba kept producint it\'s e740 until it ran out of 250\'s and then switched to the 255 with LITERALY NO DOWN TIME, because they knew it was coming, and just renamed it the e750.  HP continued all of it\'s ipaqswith no conusumer end shortages, and Dell, only stopped shippments on the Dell Axim Series for 2 weeks while they made the minor updates that were all laid out for them by intel.  Many PPC makers did not mention a word to anyone when they switched.  They just did itand kept moving to avoid idiots claiming they deserved a free upgrade which happens all the time.  When the OS was upgraded from PPC2000 to PPC2002, there were so many people that had bought in recent months that claime3d they deserved a free upgrade that many companies went ahead and did it.  The same happened with the upgrade from the Sa-111 to the 250 and later, the upgrade from 2002 to WinodwsMobile.  So lot\'s of companies wanted to  keep quiet about their upgrades.

All that in mind, it\'s more likely that sharp HAS upgraded, as it\'s very unlikely that they would stockpile that many cpu\'s.  I\'m sorry to the guy that just got one with a 250, but logicaly, the 255\'s must be out there.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 17, 2004, 07:10:16 pm
Does anyone know how many 5600s have been sold? I don\'t think it has sold very well because a lot of people knew about the buggy PXA-250 CPU and $499 was way over priced, so many places could well have large stocks with the buggy CPU. I\'m not contesting that they have changed the CPU.

Production downtime has got nothing to do with it. Sharp continued to make 5600s with the buggy CPU for a significant period after Intel *announced* they were stopping production of the PXA-250, otherwise 5600s with the new CPU would have turned up much sooner than now, no matter how well or bad they were selling. Sharp is also obviously devoting less funds to the Zaurus line of PDAs than other companies, so they probably held out for as long as possible before changing to the PXA-255.

I work in the Global Supply Chain of a multi-national telecommunications equipment manufacturer, at the main factory, and I have seen this kind of thing happen before.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 17, 2004, 07:55:07 pm
Kinda sad really.  It seems as though Sharp has concluded that since a buggy, poorly supported, poorly marketed, overpriced (but otherwise fabulous) product does not sell astronomically well, then the market must not exist.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: clivel on January 17, 2004, 07:57:19 pm
Quote
Does anyone know how many 5600s have been sold? I don\'t think it has sold very well because a lot of people knew about the buggy PXA-250 CPU and $499 was way over priced, so many places could well have large stocks with the buggy CPU. I\'m not contesting that they have changed the CPU.
I don\'t think that the buggy CPU had much to do with poor sales, it didn\'t slow down the sales of Pocket PC devices. The average PDA user probably new nothing about the buggy CPU. Poor sales are a direct result of Sharp\'s poor marketing effort, and inadequate PIM apps.
I guess Sharp, like the Pocket PC makers, continued to supply PXA250 based devices until they ran out of stock of assembled PDAs as well as any PXA250 chips that they could not return to Intel. The slow sales of the 5600 compared to a Dell for instance, is why it has taken so long for the PXA255 based devices to filter down to the market.

It would be very convenient if Sharp had of given a new model number to the PXA255 devices, something like SL5600A to differentiate them.
Regards,
Clive
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 17, 2004, 09:05:27 pm
Quote
I don\'t think that the buggy CPU had much to do with poor sales, it didn\'t slow down the sales of Pocket PC devices. The average PDA user probably new nothing about the buggy CPU. Poor sales are a direct result of Sharp\'s poor marketing effort, and inadequate PIM apps.
I think it\'s a combination of these things. Sharp has never marketed the Zaurus properly or done anything for the PIM. And whether Sharp was intending it or not, a lot of the buyers end up being technies that will know about the CPU issue. Plus I know a lot of existing SL-5500 owners did not upgrade because of the CPU (and only 32MB of RAM and ridiculous price).

In any case, I think it\'s wrong to give the impression that there are now loads of 5600s out there with the new CPU and if you buy one now that you will get the PXA-255. To my knowledge, so far only one person has reported (anonymously) that they have a 5600 with a PXA-255 and did not explain how they knew that. But if a load of people now suddenly find they\'ve got a 5600 with a PXA255 then great and please let us know!
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: meangene on January 17, 2004, 09:40:34 pm
Hello.  I\'m the guy who started this new discussion about the PXA255 processor.  I bought mine from Amazon.com just 1 week ago.  It definitely has a PXA255 processor, according to the outside of the box.  I took a big chance (and hoped) that it would have it.  For $299 and free shipping, I couldn\'t go wrong.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: VeeDubb on January 17, 2004, 10:06:29 pm
Quote
Hello.  I\'m the guy who started this new discussion about the PXA255 processor.  I bought mine from Amazon.com just 1 week ago.  It definitely has a PXA255 processor, according to the outside of the box.  I took a big chance (and hoped) that it would have it.  For $299 and free shipping, I couldn\'t go wrong.

I guess that ends the debate now doesn\'t it.  LOL  
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 22, 2004, 09:56:33 pm
I just got my Zaurus 5600 from Amazon today and the box says 250. So it looks like I am screwed. Any suggestions/insight? Are there patches to do, or should I just send it back to Amazon and try and get at 5500?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 23, 2004, 05:42:53 am
There are still more people reporting that they have just got a PXA250 5600 than the new PXA255 (in fact only 2 people have reported getting the PXA255). So I don\'t think Amazon could guarantee anything about which version of CPU you would get.

In the ZUG Downloads, in the 5600 Patches area there are some specially compiled kernels that do not include the workaround for the PXA250 bug. This workaround effectively halved the speed of the PXA250 5600. These kernels let it run at full speed without any apparent instability. Lots of people are using them now and no one has reported any crashes as a result. In fact the Dhrystone benchmark gave better results for the 5600 with the special kernel than a C760 with the pre-emptive kernel, although it\'s not exactly a fair benchmark comparison.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: ced on January 23, 2004, 06:11:24 am
tummus -] if you work in a \"Global Supply Chain of a multi-national telecommunications equipment manufacturer\" then do you have any contact that will do an upgrade? apparently it\'s just a drop-in to change from a pxa250 to a pxa255... :-)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 23, 2004, 07:14:42 am
I wish  . We have outsourced most of our facilities and the IC stuff went with it. Besides which all the managers round here are mean and probably wouldn\'t let me do something like that.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: ced on January 23, 2004, 08:50:31 am
anyone else will be able to do it?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: clivel on January 23, 2004, 12:41:22 pm
Quote
apparently it\'s just a drop-in to change from a pxa250 to a pxa255... :-)
\"Drop-in\", is a bit of an understatement.  these cpu\'s have 256 pins in an area 17x17 mm. Removing the old chip without damaging the board could be tricky. Mounting the new chip would require specialised equipment including X rays, to ensure that the chip is alligned correctly. Unless you know someone who has access to the equipment and the skill to use it, it would probably be more cost effective to buy a C860 or wait for a SL6000, than to have this done. You would also have the problem of getting hold of a pxa255.
Clive
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Felicity_Palmer on January 23, 2004, 01:03:40 pm
Just to add to this, my Zaurus arrived from Amazon two days ago and it says on the box PXA255 Processor Version.  So I suggest to Guest that you contact Amazon and perhaps try and get them to exchange it for one with the PXA255 rather than the PXA250 processor as they are obviously available.

Given that two people (me and meangene) have just recently got PXA255s from Amazon but one person (anonymous Guest) got a PXA250, I imagine that Amazon just has a pile of them in a warehouse somewhere without any differentiation being made between PXA250 and PXA255 so whoever is in charge of packing it just grabs one and sends it off.  But if you tell them that they gave you the wrong processor they might be more careful and be sure to put the right one in.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tapjpa on January 23, 2004, 02:45:59 pm
Given the fact that \"the box say\'s its a PXA255\" have you actually verified on the hardware that this is so.
ie run \"cat /proc/cpuinfo\" from the terminal.
Sorry but  I am very hesistent to believe this just because two people are saying the box lists the PXA255.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 23, 2004, 04:43:43 pm
Actually Felicity_Palmer makes three reportings. The other two people did give the output of \'cat /proc/cpuinfo\' and it did indeed say they had the PXA255. It was inevitable at some point that Sharp would have to make the switch as their stock of PXA250 would run out at some time. But obviously Amazon still has lots of stock of the PXA250 5600s at some of their warehouses.

I wouldn\'t be too bothered about gettting a PXA250 5600 as the workaround for the PXA250 CPU bug can be turned off without any apparent consequences other than getting the full speed out of your 5600. I don\'t know what the fuss was all about as I haven\'t had a single lockup with the special kernel and I have loaded it quite heavily with benchmark tests, playing graphically intensive games, DivX videos etc.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 23, 2004, 06:02:34 pm
For the uninitiated how do I install the special kernel (I do not know code). I will be loading the update from Sharp tonight on my Zaurus. Is this the special kernel or is it something else? Also, what alternative ROM works for the 5600. It looks like the Open Zaurus does not work for the 5600. Also, how do I run cat /proc/cpuinfo from the terminal. Showing my ignorance how do you do that? Brad.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tapjpa on January 23, 2004, 08:40:18 pm
I would keep it for the price it is a good deal, just flash the rom up to 1.32 and apply this kernel update http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...q=getit&lid=165 (http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=UpDownload&file=index&req=getit&lid=165)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: stahlrosen on January 23, 2004, 10:02:08 pm
I contacted Amazon, they said they had no idea which processor they were sending out, nor would they look at the box if you told them you wanted one or the other. They said all the information they had was on their web site. Guess it is too much to ask for them to actually inspect the product they are sending out. Oh well. It is still a good deal.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 25, 2004, 12:46:58 am
It\'s not THAT big of a deal.  Most of the people that complain don\'t even own the 5600, they just think it sucks because of the bug.  I have a 5600, use it every day... network with it, write scripts on it, interface with all sorts of servers and am never really affected by the bug.  Maybe in 5 years, I will get the newest sharp... If the 6000\'s bring a dramatic drop in 5600 prices maybe I will get a second.

Don\'t believe the hype.  There are many people who actually OWN 5600\'s who are quite happy with them (tumnus?  Can I get an amen?)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: RichS on January 25, 2004, 01:34:11 am
I\'ll give \"guest\" an \'amen\'! As a fairly new owner of an Amazon 5600 with a 250 chip... I have mine on a wireless network. Opera is fantastic,! I now have slrn reading newsgroups. I\'m getting back into linux programming. And last night I got doom to run. I play my mp3\'s, stored on my PC\'s drive. I can read my \'pda\' books. And best of all, I\'ve got a linux machine in the palm of my hand!
I can\'t say if mine is slower than a 255? And I don\'t really care! It works, and works just fine for me, and I love it. I\'m just sorry I didn\'t buy one a long time ago, even if it would have been a 5500 or 5000...
Or, you could wait for the 6000, or 7000 or 8000... Just keep waiting. There will always be a better model in the wings. Look at Sony. They up their models once a month and all the clie geek moan about having to get rid of their current ones to grab the latest-greatest...
Yeah, I do envy the 7xx,8xx owners for the clamshell design and resolution, but not enough to sell mine and buy one. I\'ve got a 5600 and I\'m happy with it. If I find something it can\'t do, well, I\'ll find someting else it can...
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tcrouch on January 25, 2004, 02:29:45 am
I just recently purchased the 5600 from Amazon.... it has the 250.  But I have not experienced any \"odd\" issues (that I didn\'t introduce myself).
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Mort on January 25, 2004, 07:19:22 am
I bought one about two weeks ago from Amazon for $299. According to the box it has the PXA 255.

Note: cat /proc/cpuinfo shows:  Intel Xscale-PXA255 rev 6 (5.1)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Felicity_Palmer on January 26, 2004, 10:26:52 pm
tapjpa, here is the relevant line from my /proc/cpuinfo:

Processor: Intel XScale-PXA255 rev 6 ( v51)

Guest/Brad who was asking about how to run cat /proc/cpuinfo from the terminal, you must have the terminal package installed; it did not come installed by default in my 5600.  I got it from the Zaurus Software Index (http://killefiz.de/zaurus/) but it is also available on the CD that came with the 5600.  Once it\'s installed, open a terminal from your apps menu, then at the prompt

bash-2.05$

type the line:

cat /proc/cpuinfo

The processor info should be in the first line of the file.  Type exit to exit the terminal.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: RadioRental on January 26, 2004, 11:15:35 pm
I got one from amazon its got the 250 cpu. I havent started pushing it yet but havent noticed any issues.  What exaclty are these bugs?

Are we talking bad productions rates (then an non issue for the end user) or are we talking about a cpu rev (unlikely as that would have meant a major retest and incompatible software??)

I\'m totally happy with my purchase, its met all my expectations and then some. Be objective with what youve got and the desire for the \'next model up\' syndrome
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: w4lna on January 27, 2004, 02:31:27 am
I also got a Zaurus SL-5600 from Amazon this week.  Box and System Info say PXA250....
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 27, 2004, 03:41:42 am
The bug in the PXA250 CPU could potentially cause some memory corruption, which would like lead to a crash. They made a workaround in the PXA250 5600 kernel to ensure this never happens, although the effect of the workaround is that the PXA250 5600 runs at half the speed it should.

But like I have said, the kernels here  http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...download&sid=53 (http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=UpDownload&file=index&req=viewsdownload&sid=53) have this workaround turned off and let the PXA250 5600 run at the full 400MHz and no one has reported any instability.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: lpotter on January 27, 2004, 08:06:06 am
i highly doubt sharp would spend the resources to drop in a 255 in a 5600
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: DrWowe on January 27, 2004, 09:14:41 am
They had no choice.  Intel stopped producing the PXA250.  

Quote
i highly doubt sharp would spend the resources to drop in a 255 in a 5600
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: w4lna on January 27, 2004, 09:35:08 am
Quote
They had no choice.  Intel stopped producing the PXA250.  

Quote
i highly doubt sharp would spend the resources to drop in a 255 in a 5600


Hey how about a class action suit against Intel to replace them...

 :wink:

Mike
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: brycenut on January 29, 2004, 01:01:34 pm
As another data point or two, my brother-in-law got one from Amazon.com a week ago, don\'t know which warehouse, but it went to Houston, and has a PXA250.

I just received mine from HSN.com (no, they don\'t have any more, sold out 1200 in about 10 minutes), with the camera for the same price as Amazon.  It\'s a PXA255, according to both the box and /proc/cpuinfo
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 29, 2004, 01:31:16 pm
The SL-6000 must be coming out soon. They had a firesale like this for the SL-5500 just before bringing out the SL-5600, which was even more secret than the SL-6000. To top it off, I got a tip from a UK retailer that there was news of a new Zaurus in the UK! I\'m going to see if I can pry a model number out of them

Anyway, I guess Sharp had no choice in swaping to the PXA255. Though I could well imagine that if Sharp still had stock of the PXA250 they would not have changed it, especially since it looks so close to a new model coming out.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 29, 2004, 01:56:41 pm
and all this while zaurus.com is being revamped.....
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on January 31, 2004, 12:33:50 pm
I purchased one of the SL5600\'s from Amazon.  It came
with the PA250.  Another data point.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: rgbman on January 31, 2004, 03:27:17 pm
Hey All,

So I just bought a 5600 from Amazon last week and it has the pxa250 processor, it says on the box and in /proc/cpuinfo..  This thing rocks though!

Previously I had an ipaq 5455 which was garbage. I bought it for wireless networking and soon realized it was woefully inadequate.  The Z is way faster than the ipaq, the browser most notably.  I know it\'s apples to oranges, but the Z just feels quicker, and probably is.

I\'ve been using the thing all week for kismet wifi sniffing, games, web surfing, and email and I haven\'t had any problems or even one crash.  Updated to the 1.32 Sharp ROM also.

So, for us noobs, what\'s this bug with the 250\'s and how to avoid it?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on January 31, 2004, 04:58:34 pm
Quote
So, for us noobs, what\'s this bug with the 250\'s and how to avoid it?
Read my previous, previous post in this thread
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 01, 2004, 02:30:03 pm
The specs on the sl-5600 say pxa250 400mhz processor on the web for this. Read zdnet as well (see below). I doubt that they changed the processor in the development of the same unit.

From zdnet:

The SL-5600 uses a 400MHz Intel PXA250 XScale processor, not the low-voltage PXA255, which has a faster CPU bus and uses less power. With 32MB of SDRAM and 64MB of flash memory, the Zaurus gives you plenty of room to work in. Taking about 3 seconds to start or close programs, we were able to back up the system in 2 minutes and restore it in 3 minutes, 15 seconds, including restarting the system.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: clivel on February 01, 2004, 02:55:07 pm
Quote
The specs on the sl-5600 say pxa250 400mhz processor on the web for this. Read zdnet as well (see below). I doubt that they changed the processor in the development of the same unit.
Sharp didn\'t have an option, Intel stopped making the pxa250. Sharp would either have to switch to the pxa255, or stop manufactuirng of the 5600.
Clive
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: rgbman on February 01, 2004, 04:43:38 pm
Quote
Quote
So, for us noobs, what\'s this bug with the 250\'s and how to avoid it?
Read my previous, previous post in this thread


Yeah oops, I re-read that after I posted.   :oops:

-dork
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 01, 2004, 05:02:33 pm
Guess I was wrong. Anyway, so what would you suggest if you just purchased this a few weeks ago online? Do you think the seller or Sharp would make good and exchange it? Or will the kernel fix, do just as well as the upgrade. What is main difference they both are 400 processor is just some performance tweaks?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on February 01, 2004, 05:05:31 pm
Guest, please read the rest of the thread
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: stormer on February 01, 2004, 06:21:53 pm
My new 5600 has the PXA255, I noticed a difference in speed when I went back to the sharp 1.32 ROM after playing with Zynergy (problems with the graphical ipkg tool, not much fun if you cannot install new software without jumping through hoops) and OZ (problems communicating with my PC over USB, want to use it in work and have no wifi there)

The sharp ROM was very noticably slower than the original ROM that came with the 5600 so I am going to give the pre-emptive kernel a go, I am resisting the urge to co for the special overclocked kernel as my Z is still less than a week old !

So the quest goes on for a ROM for 5600 !
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: dz on February 02, 2004, 02:24:11 pm
my new zaurus (from hsn, 5600 + camera for $260) has pxa255 also..  but i\'ve noticed a ton of sites are down/out of existence?  did the zaurus community take a hit or something?

sorry, i just got into the whole zaurus scene, i\'ve been a slackware user for years and the zaurus seemed neat

btw, anyone know where i can get the sharp rom from?  i cant find it on the cd :/
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: bluedevils on February 02, 2004, 04:49:58 pm
The sharp site and the community site and forum that it hosted is down and in transition.  Nobody seems to know what will replace the old site.

Check the download section of this website for the sharp ROM.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on February 02, 2004, 06:00:02 pm
For official ROM downloads there is still http://www.myzaurus.com (http://www.myzaurus.com)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 03, 2004, 03:36:53 pm
I\'m assuming that the following isnt the case? Lets say you want to try the openzaurus rom. You put it on, install software etc, and want to go back ... You are then running oz rom version x... Can you just reflash from below regardless as to what rom is on there already, or will it cause some problems?



This Zaurus OS and PC Software update can only be applied to the SL-5600 with ROM version 1.00. To check your Zaurus ROM version number, go into the “Settings tab” on your Zaurus and click on the “System Info” icon. Open the “Version” tab and scroll down to the bottom of the screen for the version number.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 03, 2004, 09:46:03 pm
What is the CPU bug you are talking about?  Is it really bad?  I have just ordered my 5600 from amazon and I still have time to cancel it before it ships.  Please let me know asap.

Also, do you think I should wait after 6000 come out and see if the prices go down for the lower models (or even shell out for the 6000)?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: spaul on February 03, 2004, 10:40:17 pm
Do a search on this topic and Tumnus, one of the extremely helpful frequent posters here. He frequently answers your q.   I have the \"defective\" pxa250 5600 and with helpful patches from here it rocks.  No crashes and much faster than when i bought it.  So don\'t worry.  The Z5600 right now is a fantastic deal
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: joebeaudoin on February 11, 2004, 12:44:18 pm
FYI: I wouldn\'t trust too much in what it says on the box.  From my experience, they may have packaged the newer 5600\'s in the older boxes (they still probably had these floating about even after they started sending off the newer 5600 Zs) to save some moolah.  

I would recommeding installing opie-sysinfo (and the appropriate libraries to load opie progs), which\'ll provide the true processor of your Z.  To get to that info, simply click on System Info and on the CPU tab.  

Best and sure way to find out whether or not you inadvertantly bought yourself the crummier processor...
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 11, 2004, 01:43:19 pm
are you saying that \"cat /proc/cpuinfo\" is not returning correct information?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: bluedevils on February 11, 2004, 01:50:42 pm
I guess we now know what the price point is to make the 5600 fly off the shelf.....   :roll:
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: DrWowe on February 11, 2004, 02:13:19 pm
Quote
are you saying that \"cat /proc/cpuinfo\" is not returning correct information?

cat /proc/cpuinfo will always return the right information.  (it comes straight from the Linux kernel)  Other applications may display the info in a prettier format.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 11, 2004, 03:51:45 pm
I can\'t believe the price has dropped another $10 on Amazon to $288!!!
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: kpsimm on February 11, 2004, 06:13:14 pm
Just got one from Amazon. System Info reports:
Intel XScale-PXA250 rev 4 (v5I)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 11, 2004, 08:34:00 pm
Just got mine an hour ago it says pxa250 on the box.  I will double check with cat /proc/cpuinfo once the battery has some charge and I get a console installed.  BTW mine shipped out of PA.

I wrote to amazon about the price decrease and since I just ordered it, they agreed to credit me the $10.

A mixed result, I guess.  There seems to be no way to guarantee getting a pxa255 except by  buying in person unless they start popping up on ebay (probably at a premium price).

Peace
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: hkphooey on February 12, 2004, 08:43:55 pm
Quote
btw, anyone know where i can get the sharp rom from?  i cant find it on the cd :/

yeah, what were they thinking? ... Its really not a great deal of effort to burn a ROM installer onto the spare 500Mb of space on that CD.

You can also get the ROM from www.myzaurus.com
     http://www.myzaurus.com/ROMupdate6.asp (http://www.myzaurus.com/ROMupdate6.asp)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Tarkus on February 12, 2004, 09:28:03 pm
Just got the SL-5600/camera package from HSN.  It\'s a PXA255 unit according to the box.  Will d-check with cpuinfo once I get it up and running.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: dz on February 13, 2004, 12:04:07 am
Just spoke to someone who ordered from HSN, said he got a PXA250 from them.. first one from HSN that I\'ve heard that\'s gotten a 250
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Murga on February 16, 2004, 10:56:01 am
Ummm ... I Got mine from Amazon on Friday and it says PXA255. Does this mean I was lucky ?

Incidentally, what would be the best ROM/Kernel to flash it to ?

Cheers
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: joebeaudoin on February 16, 2004, 11:05:59 am
Quote
Ummm ... I Got mine from Amazon on Friday and it says PXA255. Does this mean I was lucky ?

Amazon seems to have both the PXA250 and 255 in stock, so I would imagine that you were, in a way, lucky.  (I was lucky too, since I ordered the 5600 from Amazon and got the 255.)  They seem to have their 255 stock intermingled with their 250 stock, as far as I can tell.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: kpsimm on February 16, 2004, 06:30:45 pm
Received 2/16 from Amazon the PXA255, shipped from their Nevada WH.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: kevbpsych on February 19, 2004, 06:46:15 pm
2/19 PXA250 from kentucky
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: SeanB on February 20, 2004, 01:48:10 am
2/19 - HSN.com delivered a PXA-255 this morning with the camera ($290)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: bender647 on February 20, 2004, 11:59:04 am
2/13 - Amazon.com  PXA-250.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 23, 2004, 05:01:34 pm
# cat /proc/cpuinfo
Processor       : Intel XScale-PXA255 rev 6 (v5
BogoMIPS        : 397.31
Features        : swp half thumb fastmult edsp
CPU implementor : 0x69
CPU architecture: 5TE
CPU variant     : 0x0
CPU part        : 0x2d0
CPU revision    : 6
Cache type      : undefined 5
Cache clean     : undefined 5
Cache lockdown  : undefined 5
Cache unified   : harvard
I size          : 16384
I assoc         : 16
I line length   : 32
I sets          : 32
D size          : 16384
D assoc         : 16
D line length   : 32
D sets          : 32

Hardware        : SHARP Poodle
Revision        : 0000
Serial          : 0000000000000000
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 23, 2004, 05:05:23 pm
Oops, cut last line

Processor       : Intel XScale-PXA255 rev 6 (v5l)

rcbullock \'AT...\' cox.net

Anyone willing to let me know how to undo a segmentation fault\'d ipkg install?

It faults and leave the ipkg partially installed, with no easy way that I see to undo it.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Ethereal on February 23, 2004, 10:46:03 pm
Rec\'d 23 Feb

From HSN.com (shipped from Jax, FL)

Processor : Intel XScale-PXA255 rev 6 (v5l)

ROM is v1.32

Anyone know of any 3-rd party ROMs optimised (or just coincidentally optimal) for the PXA255?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 25, 2004, 03:09:49 pm
\'Nother data point: HSN.com :: pxa255 model, arrived 2/17!
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: wolfman on February 25, 2004, 05:30:43 pm
HSN.com is sold out
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on February 25, 2004, 06:56:44 pm
just got a PXA255 from Amazon, PA
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: swhite916 on February 26, 2004, 10:23:57 am
FWIW, I just received a PXA255 from Amazon also.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on March 02, 2004, 03:39:40 am
It would be interesting to see the Dhrystone benchmark for 5600s with the PXA255 that still have the original ROM that they were shipped with. I have a feeling they are being shipped with the crippled kernel.

Get the Dhrystone binary here: http://laurent.lieben.free.fr/zaurus_kernel/dhry21 (http://laurent.lieben.free.fr/zaurus_kernel/dhry21)
Copy it to your Z, make sure it is executable and run it with 50,000,000 iterations (may take a couple of minutes) and then post the contents of the file dhry.res that is created in the current directory.

A 5600 with a PXA255 should get something like the following if it is running at full speed:
Microseconds for one loop: 2.5 (The lower the better)
Dhrystones per second: 400.0 (The higher the better)
VAX MIPS rating: 230 (The higher the better)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on March 05, 2004, 11:49:05 am
These results:

Dhrystone Benchmark, Version 2.1 (Language: C)
Register option not selected.
Microseconds for one loop:     2.8
Dhrystones per second:   351741.1
VAX MIPS rating:    200.194

From this cpu:

Processor   : Intel XScale-PXA255 rev 6 (v5l)
BogoMIPS   : 397.31
Features   : swp half thumb fastmult edsp
CPU implementor   : 0x69
CPU architecture: 5TE
CPU variant   : 0x0
CPU part   : 0x2d0
CPU revision   : 6
Cache type   : undefined 5
Cache clean   : undefined 5
Cache lockdown   : undefined 5
Cache unified   : harvard
I size      : 16384
I assoc      : 16
I line length   : 32
I sets      : 32
D size      : 16384
D assoc      : 16
D line length   : 32
D sets      : 32

Hardware   : SHARP Poodle
Revision   : 0000
Serial      : 0000000000000000
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on March 05, 2004, 11:53:46 am
Ok, that\'s somewhere in between what I was expecting. Don\'t know what Sharp has or has not enabled/disabled in the default PXA255 5600 ROM then. But that is slower than a PXA250 5600 with the bug workaround turned off in the kernel. I think someone else posted Dhrystone results from a PXA255 5600 using the latest Special kernel and that gave the same results as a PXA250 5600 with the same kernel.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on March 05, 2004, 12:06:23 pm
Any idea of the results for the PXA250? Or an overclocked 250/255 for that matter?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on March 05, 2004, 12:31:38 pm
Been posted plenty of times, but a PXA250 5600 using the Special kernel, with no overclocking gets about:

Microseconds for one loop: 2.5
Dhrystones per second: 400.0
VAX MIPS rating: 230

With overclocking at 471MHz the PXA250 5600 gets about:

Microseconds for one loop: 2.1
Dhrystones per second: 471.0
VAX MIPS rating: 270
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: nowonmai on March 05, 2004, 12:34:55 pm
Ok.. I found a post that had different results for with and without VNC server running... does this make a difference for the standard kernel?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on March 05, 2004, 06:24:27 pm
Running processing that constantly consume CPU cycles will always affect benchmarks.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on March 05, 2004, 07:57:53 pm
I just got my 5600 from Amazon--about 2 hours ago.  I\'m doing the initial charge right now.  My box says it has the PXA255.  I paid $289, but I sprang for one day shipping.  I wanted it before the weekend so I could play!
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: nowonmai on March 08, 2004, 12:28:53 pm
On a PXA255 SL5600
This result from original Sharp 1.32 kernel

Dhrystone Benchmark, Version 2.1 (Language: C)
Register option not selected.
Microseconds for one loop:     2.8
Dhrystones per second:   351741.1
VAX MIPS rating:    200.194

This result from Standard pre-emptive kernel 1.2

Dhrystone Benchmark, Version 2.1 (Language: C)
Register option not selected.
Microseconds for one loop:     2.8
Dhrystones per second:   352559.6
VAX MIPS rating:    200.660

remarkably similar, no?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on March 08, 2004, 04:23:04 pm
How is the \'255 better than the \'250?

Faster? Better battery life? bigger cache?
Does anyone have any data on this?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: wirawan0 on March 08, 2004, 04:50:58 pm
OK. I would also join the Zaurus users by buying SL5600 from Amazon, regardless what the CPU would be. From what I looked around this website (and others), there seems to be no serious problems of using PXA250. What are the issues anyway? Any pointer?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on March 08, 2004, 05:09:04 pm
could anyone put the results for 5500 and pxa250 5600
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on March 08, 2004, 06:15:03 pm
All results have been posted several times. Please search the forums.

The issues of the PXA250 vs PXA255 have also been discussed many times.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: nowonmai on March 10, 2004, 07:54:32 am
tumnus, I\'d be curious to know your thoughts on the similarity between the two followinf results. It was my impression that the pre-empt kernel should be quicker than the standard sharp one.

Quote
On a PXA255 SL5600
This result from original Sharp 1.32 kernel

Dhrystone Benchmark, Version 2.1 (Language: C)
Register option not selected.
Microseconds for one loop:     2.8
Dhrystones per second:   351741.1
VAX MIPS rating:    200.194

This result from Standard pre-emptive kernel 1.2

Dhrystone Benchmark, Version 2.1 (Language: C)
Register option not selected.
Microseconds for one loop:     2.8
Dhrystones per second:   352559.6
VAX MIPS rating:    200.660

remarkably similar, no?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: tumnus on March 10, 2004, 08:40:27 am
For one, you should be using v1.3 of the Special Kernel now. All others have been superceded by this. Secondly it looks like the kernel wasn\'t updated to me. I have seen someone else post benchmarks with a PXA255 using v1.3 of the Special kernel and they got higher results.

You\'re not going to get much better results anyway, since the PXA255 doesn\'t have the same bugs that the PXA250 has at least with regards to the cache.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Anonymous on March 10, 2004, 08:52:55 pm
tumnus, according to the thread below, enabling async option in kernel source improves
the speed and stability for CF/SD cards. Do you know if your special kernel has the same
feature? Thanks.

http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?n...ht=configfssync (https://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1605&highlight=configfssync)
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: polansky on April 29, 2004, 02:22:38 pm
PXA250 from Amazon in Kentucky.
Received 04/27/2004
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: Omicron on April 30, 2004, 01:25:47 am
Quote
I just got my Zaurus 5600 from Amazon today and the box says 250. So it looks like I am screwed. Any suggestions/insight? Are there patches to do, or should I just send it back to Amazon and try and get at 5500?

ANybody try lately?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: guh on April 30, 2004, 06:27:43 am
how do we know ? How do you run commands with the default sharp rom ?
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: amrein on April 30, 2004, 06:53:33 am
guh: see FAQ (you need to install the terminal package).

Note: What could be very interesting if we wanted to have better performance on Sharp PDA would be to replace the old pthead library by the new posix compliant GNU library (NTRL or something like that) and recompile the wall application set to see how it goes.
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: AnalogTek on May 06, 2004, 01:16:35 am
A bit late, but...

SL-5600 ordered from Amazon on 20040403, received 20040407. Box indicates PXA255, and \'cat /proc/cpuinfo\' yields \"Intel XScale-PXA255 rev 6 (v5l)\".
Title: Recent 5600s have PXA255 processor?
Post by: TheFly on May 06, 2004, 11:56:26 pm
That\'s good news.  I just placed my order tonight.  Here\'s hoping.

Oh, and \'lo.  I\'m TheFly.  *bows*