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

[Crystal1988]

Hi guys,

I created this thread with the purpose of collecting information, documentation and photos about Light Peak implemented into Z21 to be sent to Village Tronic, cuz they say that it's possible to implement Light Peak with a module, in ViDock 4G. In this way it'l be faster the instrumentation.

What we need is:

- documentation and detailed specification about LIGHT PEAK technology (and NOT Thunderbolt)

- photos about chips and wires and ports about Z21 concerning that hybrid USB 3.0 port used for Light Peak

- documentation and specification about that hybrid port

In addition, Village Instruments will launch an open letter to see how many people want this implementation. Since Z21 it's expensive, not many people would be available, so we must be all together to obtain this objective.

*** Village Tronics when wrote that Open letter for Thunderbolt reached 150 people in 5 days, at the fifth day they decided to develop the technology. We'll be obviously less then them and we have to see if Sony won't say anything about an implementation of something that would be against their own PMD... in any case, check here for Village Tronic page on facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/ViDock/89321949134 in discussion they'll put the new Open Letter in the next weeks or maybe September. If you see a certain Claudio, that's me :P

!!!IMPORTANT!!! Write here if you would like this implementation of ViDock for Light peak/Z2

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Here the Open Letter for VAIO Z Community, for LIGHT PEAK!

Dear Sony Vaio Z community,

First of all, many thanks to you, the Sony Vaio Z community for being the largest Notebook community in terms of ViDock sales. Thanks are due to Oleg and Jim to provide the installation instructions that made it easy enough to convince a Sony Z to cooperate with ViDock. Also thanks is due to the lively forums on notebook review, specifically to DIY ViDock / eGPU and especially to Nando4. Last but not least many thanks to the Macintosh Community. The overwhelming response to the http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?ui...34&topic=17768 (Open Letter: Do you want a Thunderbolt ViDock?) not only triggered this open letter, but with all we learned with our first open letter, this one can be much more specific. With no further ado, here goes:

If you want a ViDock to connect to your Sony Vaio Z using its Sony Light Peak port, please make a post below and answer the following questions:
1) Graphics Card Power: ( 75 W | 225 W = 2 pcs 6 pin | 375 W = 2 pcs of 8 pin )
2) What Notebook do you own:
3) Purpose: ( Gaming | Photo/Video/Artwork | Office | Scientific )
4) Modular I/O is useful ( Yes | No )
5) Do you want to buy the ViDock PCB only or finished product ( Parts | Product )
Answering above questions allows us to give you the ViDock you want. Help us to help you :-)

About ViDock G4, a Modular Docking Station System
* 3 Base models (ViDock Lightning (2 PCIe / 1 ExpressCard) , ViDock Mini (1 PCIe) , ViDock Drive (2 internal / 2 external drives)
* Host Interface Modules: ( ExpressCard | Thunderbolt | possibly Sony Light Peak, that is what this vote is about )
* I/O Modules: ( USB 2 | USB 3 | Power | ExpressCard Slot | Thunderbolt Port | eSATAp | ViXLR | FireWire )
* Case: ViDock Unibody
* Upgrade Program: ViDock G3 can be upgraded to ViDock G4
* All parts are available separately, start out small and then scale your ViDock System when you need it or when you can

Conditions under which we can build it:
a) There are more than 50 people posting in here that they would want to by ViDock for Sony Light Peak and answer the questions in their post.
b) We are permitted to buy the necessary chips / connectors / cables.

How you can help us to develop it faster:
If anybody knows where to find Specifications on Sony Light Peak, where to buy connectors and chips, please post in your reply

An Open Letter to Sony:
As far as we understand, your Light Peak Port on the new Sony Vaio Z is proprietary. We do not want to offend you by trying to make our Docking Station System compatible to your Notebook. We (and the Sony ViDock Community) want to compliment you on your design. We also do not want to compete with your own docking station. We offer to complement it. The features of our docking station system are quite different than yours. ViDock G4 can support up to 375 W graphics cards. It can connect with just one cable a vast number of I/O, such as high end graphics cards (plural), Disk Raid System, USB 3, IEEE 1394, Firewire, Mouse, Keyboard, etc to your Sony Vaio Z notebook. This would make the Sony Z a preferred notebook for power users. Elegant and light for traveling, powerful when docked.

Guangzhou, August 07, 2011
Hubert Chen
CEO, www.villagetronic.com

References:
* http://www.tomshardware.com/news/lig...eon,13019.html (Sony Vaio Z @ tomshardware)
* http://www.anandtech.com/show/4474/s...d-external-gpu (Review at Anandtech)
* ViDock 4G for Light Peak (Z21) - POSSIBLE. (The Notebook Review Post that triggered this open letter)
* Z1 + ViDock + GTX 570 > FTW (the Z2/PMD killer) (Sony Z, ViDock, GTX 570, Courtesy Computer Cowboy)
* http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?to...id=89321949134 (How to configure Sony Vaio Z to work with ViDock G3)

As you can see, we'll need 50 people to start the developement when there will be the open letter for light peak.

SO GO TO FACEBOOK PAGE of ViDock at this link --> https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?u...34&topic=17792 AND ANSWER!!! WE NEED TO REACH 50 PEOPLE!!



*************** For those who wants to see differences between 4x and 2x slots (remember that 4x will not be at its own maximum speed with Z2 due to thunderbolt/lightpeak bandwidth limit)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...caling/11.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gami...ml#post5122549
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Taking into account a powerful and actual video card such HD 6870/6950 or GTX570, follows performance ratio versus pci-e connection (against PCI-E 16X 2.0):
1X 1.0 slower 20-80%
1X 2.0 slower 15-60%
4X 2.0 slower 5-30%
8X 2.0 slower 0-15%
it varies carr by card.

Thunderbolt is bidirectional and it reaches 20 Gb/s and it's in the range of PCI-E 4X 2.0. We don't know values for this Light Peak implementation into Z.

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There's also another chance..

A Lightpeak DIY eGPU?

On the DIY eGPU side, I have contact hwtools who have previously advised that they are working on a Thunderbolt product as detailed in eGPU PCIe 2.0 and Thunderbolt update. DIY eGPU set out to originally be a low cost, community driven solution for performance enthusiasts.

Briefly, Thunderbolt is copper based so once pci-e 2.0 cabling and Thunderbolt pinout has been sorted, it should be a relatively straightforward to update a PE4H to be a x4 Thunderbolt device.

Thunderbolt development is a stepping stone to Light peak since a x4 2.0 TB product would just need to be adapter to use an optical TX/RX pair. That could be done in a specific product OR via a Lightpeak to Thunderbolt adapter which does the optic to copper conversion. I personally think a Sony-specific LP to TB adapter would be a great solution as then any Thunderbolt device (storage, video) could be used on a Z2. Or the eGPU itself could be the adapter if it provided daisy chaining for other TB devices. Sony's proprietory LP implementation is probably their way of circumventing any Apple licensing issues in using Thunderbolt connectors.

I emailed hwtools yesterday to see if they'd be interested in making a LightPeak PE4H product and/or a Lightpeak to Thunderbolt adapter. The Z2 s deserving of such products to complement it's highest performance in smallest chassis design.

I'll update the NEWS section on the first page once I know more details of hwtool's response. If we have a firm go-ahead, interested Z2 owners may wish to liase in the design and track development of such product.

[Crystal1988]

UPDATE 31-08-2011

Village Tronic is waiting Intel's specification and pin out for TB chips. Probably they'll have news from Intel after IDF, like a TB development kit.
They collected our links about LP parts such as cable, optical fiber, connectors in order to use them for a cable replica.
The new ViDock will be modular and probably to change from TB to LP there will be only the need to change the cable and not the module.


DOCUMENTATION:

WhistlerPro laptop schematics: MEGAUPLOAD - WhistlerPro Laptop Schematics

PMD explanation

Transceivers

CABLES and JUMPERS/OPTICAL INTERNAL CONNECTOR

CORNING article on optical fiber of LP

CORNING OPTICAL FIBERS

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People willing of Light Peak ViDock: NOT UPDATED

Crystal1988
ComputerCowboy X2
Malgrave
Emev
Ung_Kung
Chfshifter
Ersey
Maven1975
Louche
VaioLover
Allengeb
Louche ???
Deodot
Andrew08
Mr MM
Antonynus
Bjornb
noap_
GsunH
Sundial
Joshmcx
goldentreesang
MikjoA

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Documentation

[ComputerCowboy]

OMG! If we make enough noise maybe they will make one. This is a great idea. I will tell the guys at Village about this thread once we get some momentum going. If we could get a ViDock for the Z2 that would be so much better than the "Power Media Dud"

I would like to see much higher wattage ratings on the new version, enough to run a GTX590 and beyond.

[Malgrave]

Great stuff! Rep to you Crystal. Let us know as soon as there is something to reply to.

[emev]

If they would really make a ViDock for the Z2 (and if it could drive the internal display without having to hack around too much), I'd buy it.

[Ung_Kung]

i'm in, however i do not have a facebook...

[Crystal1988]

OMG! If we make enough noise maybe they will make one. This is a great idea. I will tell the guys at Village about this thread once we get some momentum going. If we could get a ViDock for the Z2 that would be so much better than the "Power Media Dud"

I would like to see much higher wattage ratings on the new version, enough to run a GTX590 and beyond.

I'm already in contact with them but the more we contact them directly, the more they'll think.. hey!! It would be a great developement!

i'm in, however you i do not have a facebook...

Don't worry, we'll cooperate with Village Instruments to take a look here.

Great stuff! Rep to you Crystal. Let us know as soon as there is something to reply to.

In any case, all of you, write here an answer to this:

1) What do you want to use the Light Peak ViDock for ?
3) Do you want 1 slot x4 or two slots x2 ?
4) Any other feature you want?

These are 3 of the 4 questions made by the CEO of Village Instruments in the open letter...

[ComputerCowboy]

1) I use the ViDock to drive WQXGA displays, I'd love to do even more with it, like SATA RAID for example
2) Two 2X slots would be more useful for me, I could either run two graphics cards for more displays... or run a single graphics card and some sort of SATA RAID controller.
3) More USB ports, USB3 and LOTS of ports, as many as can be added, eSATA would be great also.

Super high wattage, maybe make it a bigger box that is just a board with slots inside, the box could take a full ATX powersupply of our choice. I think people would like that.

[chfshifter]

I'm in! 10chars

[Crystal1988]

1) drive multiple displays at QXGA and WQXGA and eSata drives, chance to drive the laptop display
2) Two 2x slots (one for audio card)
3) USB ports, eSata ports, ethernet port