Frequently Asked Questions
We answer your questions about our products to help you make an informed decision.
What processor do you use?
Eight understands that an ARM based SoC is the only solution that will offer the reduced complexity, efficiency and sufficient power to run the variety of apps likely to be used now, and in the foreseeable future, on these small devices. Our latest generation uses a Quad “ARM Cortex A53” core CPU running at least OpenGL 3.0 ES.
How do you select your SoC
All of Eight’s SoC solutions come from reputable and trusted manufacturers. For example, we always check to ensure there are no IP or Open Source Foundation violations that neither you, as our customer, nor us as your hardware partner, would want to be aligned with. We make sure that no components used in our systems come from SoC manufacturers who are likely to be sanctioned by one government or another.
What decisions do you make when choosing the most appropriate platform?
Any platform we use must support the latest proven version of Android. It makes no sense building anything new on a legacy version because by the time it gets to market, it’s likely that it will have been superseded. Commitment to the next version of the operating system is always a positive and reasonable strategy.
How do you manage changes in hardware or operating systems when they occur?
Updates to the Android source code are made in an industry standard way, with version control when hardware changes during batches, or even updates to the OS are released.
What flexibility do you have in your PCB design to handle our varying requirements on functionality, communication and connectivity?
Eight always ensures that its platform has as much flexibility as possible, within cost constraints. The main PCB is able to be used between different screen sizes and comes with a choice of different camera modules, depending on the application. We are able to choose between different wireless modules, depending on your price/performance requirements, and the PCB has very good connectivity – USB at a bare minimum but with the option of using other common protocols like UART, I2C or SPI.
How do you maintain compliance with UL or equivalent certification?
There is no substitute for intelligent, diligent feet on the ground when it comes to quality assurance. Eight employs American, Australian and New Zealand citizens who are fluent in the language of the country where our product is being manufactured and we hold our supplier’s hand through the UL certification process. We ensure they implement and comply with batch tracking processes, and ensure their PCB, wiring and labelling suppliers building and packaging their products all conform to UL compliance.