6 ms·

Check your router's CPU. I own 4 routers and all of them use MIPS. RISC-V is more like Graphene, it's yet to leave the lab.

by slezyr 6y ago

makomk 6y ago
Home routers used to be one of the last holdouts of MIPS, but all the modern ones have been switching to ARM. It's pretty much on its last legs there aside from the really cheap, low-end stuff.
- dfox 6y ago
  It is not that way today but for a long time the entry-level Cisco IOS router was PowerPC based, while the highend was invariably MIPS. On the other hand both architectural choices had nothing to do with the architecture and everything to do with choice of usable SoCs for that particular application (with Motorola/Freescale/NXP's "m68k Cisco router/Sun2 on a chip" SoCs being somewhat ironic in this regard).
  - genmud 6y ago
    I wouldn't consider cisco to be a tech-forward company or look to them as the barometer to where the networking industry is headed. Most of Broadcoms stuff is ARM based now, which is what most folks are putting in white label switches.
    - bnjms 6y ago
      Fwiw, Broadcom is also what’s going into Cisco routers. Which supports your point.
gnufx 6y ago
Ho, ho. Graphene has left the lab, but it's only got as far as the hype mill, not the factory. https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/the-university-unveil-new-graphene-graduation-gowns/ https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/the-university-un... was a notable success though; and allegedly graphene-powered trainers there on a different date. In contrast, with RISC-V you can put your hand in your pocket for early models, can't you?
- FullyFunctional 6y ago
  2021 to me really marked at turning point for RISC-V embedded cores. $4 (+ S/H) for a BL602-based pinecone (or any of the many other BL602 boards). Pretty nice.
cptskippy 6y ago
> it's yet to leave the lab. You can buy them on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W2J9B8J https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W2J9B8J https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=pUKx8fyJudB1sOWbbEnGFw%3D%3D https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=pUKx8fyJudB1sOWbbEn...
- chrisseaton 6y ago
  > You can buy them on Amazon. > Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock. Clearly not!
  - simcop2387 6y ago
    Shows as in stock on the 15th for me. I suspect there's some bot arbitrage going on there.
  - pantalaimon 6y ago
    How about these then https://aliexpress.com/item/4000221852639.html https://aliexpress.com/item/4000221852639.html https://aliexpress.com/item/1005001762637137.html https://aliexpress.com/item/1005001762637137.html https://aliexpress.com/item/4000394347886.html https://aliexpress.com/item/4000394347886.html
  - MarcusE1W 6y ago
    This board is BL602 based. Available and has a growing community. https://pine64.com/product/pinecone-bl602-evaluation-board/ https://pine64.com/product/pinecone-bl602-evaluation-board/
    - FullyFunctional 6y ago
      I have a few of them blinking next to me. They are fine albeit documentation is severely lacking at the moment, but once you realize how cheap they are compared to the alternatives, new possibilities open up. Interestingly it's based on a 3 stage core from SiFive, not the RocketChip.
ksec 6y ago
Most newer generation, upcoming replacement of lower cost SKUs, including NAS are all going to ARM. At one point there were a few more MIPS and even OpenPOWER solution on NAS and router, but at the end having everything on ARM is just so much easier. Little sad to see it go. Especially good old Broadcom MIPS tends to be exceptionally stable.
bigbillheck 6y ago
Tell it to Digikey: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/seeed-technology-co-ltd/114991695/9975980 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/seeed-technology-... (I've got a single board computer from those people that I got in, I think, 2019)
- cjdaly 6y ago
  even the BBC is pushing RISC-V: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/17596 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/17596
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
vardump 6y ago
All of the recent home routers are ARM based. Maybe yours are at least a few years old?
askvictor 6y ago
I had a cheapie 'smart' TV a while ago which was running Android on a MIPS CPU

Check your router's CPU. I own 4 routers and all of them use MIPS. RISC-V is more like Graphene, it's yet to leave the lab.

by slezyr 6y ago

Check your router's CPU. I own 4 routers and all of them use MIPS. RISC-V is more like Graphene, it's yet to leave the lab.

makomk 6y ago

Home routers used to be one of the last holdouts of MIPS, but all the modern ones have been switching to ARM. It's pretty much on its last legs there aside from the really cheap, low-end stuff.

dfox 6y ago
It is not that way today but for a long time the entry-level Cisco IOS router was PowerPC based, while the highend was invariably MIPS. On the other hand both architectural choices had nothing to do with the architecture and everything to do with choice of usable SoCs for that particular application (with Motorola/Freescale/NXP's "m68k Cisco router/Sun2 on a chip" SoCs being somewhat ironic in this regard).
- genmud 6y ago
  I wouldn't consider cisco to be a tech-forward company or look to them as the barometer to where the networking industry is headed. Most of Broadcoms stuff is ARM based now, which is what most folks are putting in white label switches.
  - bnjms 6y ago
    Fwiw, Broadcom is also what’s going into Cisco routers. Which supports your point.

gnufx 6y ago

Ho, ho. Graphene has left the lab, but it's only got as far as the hype mill, not the factory. https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/the-university-unveil-new-graphene-graduation-gowns/ https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/the-university-un... was a notable success though; and allegedly graphene-powered trainers there on a different date. In contrast, with RISC-V you can put your hand in your pocket for early models, can't you?

FullyFunctional 6y ago
2021 to me really marked at turning point for RISC-V embedded cores. $4 (+ S/H) for a BL602-based pinecone (or any of the many other BL602 boards). Pretty nice.

cptskippy 6y ago

> it's yet to leave the lab. You can buy them on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W2J9B8J https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W2J9B8J https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=pUKx8fyJudB1sOWbbEnGFw%3D%3D https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=pUKx8fyJudB1sOWbbEn...

chrisseaton 6y ago
> You can buy them on Amazon. > Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock. Clearly not!
- simcop2387 6y ago
  Shows as in stock on the 15th for me. I suspect there's some bot arbitrage going on there.
- pantalaimon 6y ago
  How about these then https://aliexpress.com/item/4000221852639.html https://aliexpress.com/item/4000221852639.html https://aliexpress.com/item/1005001762637137.html https://aliexpress.com/item/1005001762637137.html https://aliexpress.com/item/4000394347886.html https://aliexpress.com/item/4000394347886.html
- MarcusE1W 6y ago
  This board is BL602 based. Available and has a growing community. https://pine64.com/product/pinecone-bl602-evaluation-board/ https://pine64.com/product/pinecone-bl602-evaluation-board/
  - FullyFunctional 6y ago
    I have a few of them blinking next to me. They are fine albeit documentation is severely lacking at the moment, but once you realize how cheap they are compared to the alternatives, new possibilities open up. Interestingly it's based on a 3 stage core from SiFive, not the RocketChip.

ksec 6y ago

Most newer generation, upcoming replacement of lower cost SKUs, including NAS are all going to ARM. At one point there were a few more MIPS and even OpenPOWER solution on NAS and router, but at the end having everything on ARM is just so much easier. Little sad to see it go. Especially good old Broadcom MIPS tends to be exceptionally stable.

bigbillheck 6y ago

Tell it to Digikey: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/seeed-technology-co-ltd/114991695/9975980 https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/seeed-technology-... (I've got a single board computer from those people that I got in, I think, 2019)

cjdaly 6y ago
even the BBC is pushing RISC-V: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/17596 https://www.sparkfun.com/products/17596

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

vardump 6y ago

All of the recent home routers are ARM based. Maybe yours are at least a few years old?

askvictor 6y ago

I had a cheapie 'smart' TV a while ago which was running Android on a MIPS CPU