ViDock 4G for Light Peak (Z21) - POSSIBLE.

[Crystal1988]

I'm in too. I'm not Z21 owner yet but soon(if there is nothing change).
1. 1 4x
2. for gaming and 3d engineering
3. usb3.0 dvd drive and others

Go here https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?u...7792#topic_top read and answer, they've already made the open letter.

By looking at the pictures there is no thunderbolt controller in there, there are 2 versions eagle ridge (mba) and light ridge (entire mac line up except the air), we have to remember that when we develop something there are at least 3 prototypes, this could have been a different prototype that led to the sony implementation, or a best case scenario its an eagle ridge (because its small, and there are some parts of the pictures that we cant see).

By no means Im trying to post negative things here, Im just looking and taking guesses, from what I see there would be a need for an entire unit to be developed for sony implementation

I repeat, that's only one face of the PBC and as you can see, the cable with rx/tx and also power supply output for laptop is on the hidden side. So I continue to think that there's another TB controller on the hidden side or a small one on thi side. If it's an Eagle Ridge developement would be similar to TB. I wonder if it's like those used for Thunderbolt or if they're different (since we talki about optical fiber)

[Ung_Kung]

1) Graphics Card Power: ( 75 W | 225 W = 2 pcs 6 pin | 375 W = 2 pcs of 8 pin )
225w

2) What Notebook do you own:
well currently i'm own sony Z11 Carbon Premium Limited edtion, also Clevo D900F, MacbookPro 17" 2011 and incoming sony Z21

3) Purpose: ( Gaming | Photo/Video/Artwork | Office | Scientific )
Wow Factor : )


4) Modular I/O is useful ( Yes | No )
yes

5) Do you want to buy the ViDock PCB only or finished product ( Parts | Product )
doesn't matter as long as the price is not crazy for finished product.

btw i have 1 extra condition ViDock please develop it to be power notebook screen not external so i can take ViDock with me while i'm travelling

[Crystal1988]

^ already posted on FB.

[Ung_Kung]

^ already posted on FB.

thanks brother

[Karamazovmm]

I repeat, that's only one face of the PBC and as you can see, the cable with rx/tx and also power supply output for laptop is on the hidden side. So I continue to think that there's another TB controller on the hidden side or a small one on thi side. If it's an Eagle Ridge developement would be similar to TB. I wonder if it's like those used for Thunderbolt or if they're different (since we talki about optical fiber)

eagle ridge is one of the 2 thunderbolt controllers.

I thought that I emphasized that you cant see the controller and there are areas that you cant see.

[User Retired 2]

That's your optical to copper adapter right there. Now the question is, does it have x4 2.0 pci-e or TB signals on the end of it. FInding if you are running muxless or mux HD6650M will provide clues. If it's muxed then start looking for a TB controller in there somewhere. If it's muxless, then they aren't transmitting DP/LVDS signals so are probably doing straight pci-e. If it's straight pci-e then could just work out the lane + signalling pinouts and wire it straight to bplus' PE4H which already has a x4 lane setup, giving a x4 1.0 (no 2.0 working solution as yet) Sony Z2 eGPU solution in weeks not months.

[Crystal1988]

eagle ridge is one of the 2 thunderbolt controllers.

I thought that I emphasized that you cant see the controller and there are areas that you cant see.

Sorry, didn't see it. My fault

That's your optical to copper adapter right there. Now the question is, does it have x4 2.0 pci-e or TB signals on the end of it. FInding if you are running muxless or mux HD6650M will provide clues. If it's muxed then start looking for a TB controller in there somewhere. If it's muxless, then they aren't transmitting DP/LVDS signals so are probably doing straight pci-e. If it's straight pci-e then could just work out the lane + signalling pinouts and wire it straight to bplus' PE4H which already has a x4 lane setup, giving a x4 1.0 (no 2.0 working solution as yet) Sony Z2 eGPU solution in weeks not months.

Since the technology is maybe this one http://download.intel.com/pressroom/...Pro_materials2, we would have a 25 Gb/s (12.5*2 channels) But I'm not sure that there's a TB controller at this point.

By the way how would it be possible to reach 4X 2.0 which requires 16 Gb/s X 2 direction when here we would have 12.5 Gb/s * 2 directions?

[User Retired 2]

By the way how would it be possible to reach 4X 2.0 which requires 16 Gb/s X 2 direction when here we would have 12.5 Gb/s * 2 directions?

http://download.intel.com/pressroom/...Pro_materials2 tells us

The complete link includes two silicon chips, a transmitter and a receiver, with all the necessary optical technologies from previous breakthroughs. It is composed of four optical channels, each running at 12.5 Gbps, which are combined onto a single fiber to transmit data up to 50 Gbps (see Figure 1).

Sony's implementation has 2 fibres, each capable of 50Gbps. Maybe one is Displayport (10.2Gbps) and the other is x4 2.0 pci-e (20GT/s both directions = 40GT/s)?

[Crystal1988]

^ My mistake. But why putting 2 cable when 1 was more then enough? And there's no display port in PMD...

By the way, you said that if the setup it's muxless, it means that there's no LP controller.. why? And why yes for muxed setup?

PS. thank for all you're teachin me

[User Retired 2]

^ My mistake. But why putting 2 cable when 1 was more then enough? And there's no display port in PMD...

By the way, you said that if the setup it's muxless, it means that there's no LP controller.. why?

Right: source Intel's Photonics whitepaper

The likely the reason for two fibres would be to eliminate the need to mux the LCD traffic and the pci-e traffic - can just run them over two fibres instead. You can see that TB controller does that muxing and so is the problem in getting a timely solution due to Intel + Co giving no info about that TB controller to the public - no one knows what the pinouts for it are AND if whether or not it can accept straight pci-e such that a TB controller will be required on the eGPU board to do pci-e to TB conversion. More headaches if Intel aren't giving those chips to anyone other than Apple partners.

The other reason for two fibres is that 40GT/s is the bandwidth required for x4 2.0 bidirectional. That's not far from the 50Gbps max on a fibre. 10.2Gbps is required for DP.

So I'd guestimate that the Sony LP setup is

- x4 2.0 (40GT/s) pci-e traffic down one fibre
- DP (10.2GBps) to drive the internal LCD down the other fibre

Based on above theories: recipe to create a Sony Z2 LP eGPU solution

If the first is true, then it's simpler to create a Sony LP DIY eGPU than it is to make a TB one. It would go something like this:

(1) replicate the Sony LP cable identifying the pci-e and DP output copper pins. Can it be bought as a spare part from Intel or Sony for not much $$?

(2) route the pci-e pins to 4 mini HDMI cables. Then use those 4 mini HDMI cables to attach to a x4 capable DIY eGPU PE4H

(3) route the DP pins to mini DP connector from which cable could attach it to a eGPU's DP port. Then the eGPU can be used to drive the internal LCD.

How to find the pci-e/DP pinout of the Sony LP cable?

Sony aren't likely going to tell you so either need to probe them with some PCI-E analyzer, knowing what pins have what output OR get someone to hack their PMD, pull off the HD6650M chip with a BGA IR desolder and do DMM continuity tests back to the LP copper pins, matching them up against AMD's pinout for the HD6650M (if can get it?).

How could a Sony LP DIY eGPU be made?

If you knew the pci-e pinouts then it would be possible to take a current x4 capable PE4H, 4 mini HDMI cables that attach to it, strip the mHDMI cable ends and solder them onto those pins and you'd have a test Sony LP eGPU.

No Intel TB controller to get in the way of a timely solution.