What?!? Only 20Mhz!!!

[marko3xl3]

Wow...eggard. Someone beat you to it...look :)

I would think that they could make a system with a faster processor that could withstand the "harsh" conditions.

Just a normal computer in a strong metal box with condensation protection etc etc...I think that's crazy...20Mhz tsk tsk tsk

[Artcwolf]

The processor is probably more comparable to a Mac's processor than PC's (if you want to even attempt to compare it's processor to a home computers). Also it had to be made to withstand the radiation on the surface, be able to run w/o much cooling, and on very little power.

[egarrard]

I've still got my little Trash-80 Pocket Computer. :rofl2

[marko3xl3]

LoL egarrard :eek:

You know what...I think they should use casing that can withstand radiation and put a Via Eden 1Ghz in there or something.

My point is, 100mhz would be better than 20. 20 is just...little :(:(:(

[wazman]

They've lost contact with Spirit, anyway...

[eire1274]

A superscalar RISC chip can at 20Mhz can go well beyond what the 100Mhz CISC could even think of, if the programmer knows what he's doing.

The idea was to make a tough little bugger with enough smarts to drive around and radio back home from time to time.

Figure that Palms are able to do quite a bit with just a teeny processor.

[marko3xl3]

Originally posted by eire1274
A superscalar RISC chip can at 20Mhz can go well beyond what the 100Mhz CISC could even think of, if the programmer knows what he's doing.

The idea was to make a tough little bugger with enough smarts to drive around and radio back home from time to time.

Figure that Palms are able to do quite a bit with just a teeny processor.

Palms can't be compared to this. I do agree with you a little bit, but this processor has to be able to control high-tech science equip, antennas etc...

It must be a special chip because it does seem to do the job, but I still think that maybe they should've used more advances technology so that if the software or anything else goes down (which will of course never happen) it could respond a little faster and fix itself before anyone has to worry.

Again, this wont EVER happen, NASA NEVER makes mistakes....

[Teddray]

I dont see what the problem is, the 20 MHz risc processors do exactly what they want them to do, as well as they want them to do it.... Would you buy a rack of servers or a triple lcd monitor uber overclocked vapochill system so you could check your e-mail once a day? Hell no. This falls within the same lines. The guy who made his own "segway" style scooter used a $10 8-bit controller with a 9600 baud serial port. it really doesnt take a whole lot for simple things.

[wiltshire]

Obviously Billy Gates wasn't in on the software design or it would need a faster chip.

[XxFaeryOnFirexX]

My Phillips clam shell Windows CE 1.1 device ran on a 16MHz RISC MIPS processor that I overclocked to 33MHz. lol

[marko3xl3]

Originally posted by Teddray
I dont see what the problem is, the 20 MHz risc processors do exactly what they want them to do, as well as they want them to do it.... Would you buy a rack of servers or a triple lcd monitor uber overclocked vapochill system so you could check your e-mail once a day? Hell no. This falls within the same lines. The guy who made his own "segway" style scooter used a $10 8-bit controller with a 9600 baud serial port. it really doesnt take a whole lot for simple things.

It does it's thing...but there is a lot to do. How about a liiitle faster. Like, 1Ghz. That would do the job too and it's so cheap compared to how much they spent overall...kaka

[thephenom]

Originally posted by eire1274
A superscalar RISC chip can at 20Mhz can go well beyond what the 100Mhz CISC could even think of, if the programmer knows what he's doing.

The idea was to make a tough little bugger with enough smarts to drive around and radio back home from time to time.

Figure that Palms are able to do quite a bit with just a teeny processor.
Palms can't even multitask.:Blah

[Septimus]

Originally posted by thephenom
Palms can't even multitask.:Blah

well mine sorta can ^_^

i got my mp3's playin in the background while i play soliatre ^_^ dose that count, atleast it acounts for a small small form of multi-tasking :p

[eire1274]

Originally posted by marko3xl3
It does it's thing...but there is a lot to do. How about a liiitle faster. Like, 1Ghz. That would do the job too and it's so cheap compared to how much they spent overall...kaka
Did you know that the closer transistors are to each other, the more likely they are to be affected (screwed up) by ambient radiation?

A low-complexity RISC chip can have 1/200th the transistor density of a modern processor. Ergo, less problems with background radiation. Ergo, better suited for an environment like Mars where there is insufficient atmosphere to absorb all of the solar and cosmic radiation. The surface of Mars sees 1000 times the radiation we do here.

[eire1274]

Some *cough cough* light reading for those so inclined.

On-line Integrity Monitoring of Microprocessor Control Logic (http://www.samsung.com/AboutSAMSUNG/SocialCommitment/HumantechThesis/downloads/7th/1.pdf) - Covers everything from VLSI processor modeling and increased transistor density susceptibility to ambient radiation as well as methods being employed or developed to correct for such interference. Technical.

[Maarek]

the CPU is a PowerPC made my Apple :)

[splashtech]

Originally posted by Maarek
the CPU is a PowerPC made my Apple :)

Motorola (sp?) made the powerpc chips, not apple.

And IBM do the G5 ones.

:Nice

[eire1274]

Originally posted by splashtech
Motorola (sp?) made the powerpc chips, not apple.

And IBM do the G5 ones.

:Nice
The PowerPC design was a co-development by Motorola and IBM. It was originally intended to be used in Macs as the 68000 series Motorola microprocessors were, and in IBM OS/2 Warp PCs. IBM kinda got the shaft because they were never able to cash in, as OS/2 Warp resisted proper translation from CISC to RISC until well after there was any demand for the OS at all. Motorola has backed out of the processor limelight mostly, and IBM has taken over production of top-end models.

[XxFaeryOnFirexX]

motorola makes the processors for palms but that has recently changed where many new palms are using Intel processors.

[Gadget421]

Originally posted by wazman
They've lost contact with Spirit, anyway...
It is still working!!!! Yeah!! I thought the little green men got another one


01.23.04 - Spirit Communicates With Earth
The flight team for NASA's Spirit received data from the rover for 20 minutes in a communication session early this morning.

"The spacecraft sent limited data in a proper response to a ground command, and we're planning for commanding further communication sessions later today," said Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager Pete Theisinger at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/mer_main.html

[lespaul50]

who cares if its just 20mhz? It got on freakin mars. Can your pc go to mars? Didn't think so.

[wazman]

Originally posted by lespaul50
who cares if its just 20mhz? It got on freakin mars. Can your pc go to mars? Didn't think so.

It might, if I overclocked it high enough and blew it into orbit... :)

[lespaul50]

:rofl2