MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Difference between different versions of Kindle

knc1 · 06-19-2012, 10:17 AM

The major hardware difference is the SoC running the Kindle and the processor core running the SoC.
K1, K2, K3, DX(G) : i.MX3* series SoC - ARMv6l core
K4, K5 : i.MX5* series SoC - ARMv7l core
This forum does not "do" K6 (Kindle Fire).

Then the next important hardware difference (if you want to see something) is the hardware controlling the e-ink display.
That is built into the i.MX5* series (K4 & K5) and is an external chip on others.

There are enough other hardware differences that Amazon/lab126 builds different kernels and system images for each.
In the case of the K4 & K5, different kernel and system images within the same series ("4" and "5") - just to make things more difficult for us (or to up the manhours of paid labor for lab126 members).

So the C API and headers being the same as some supercomputer running Linux does not count for much when you get into the details.

06-19-2012, 10:17 AM	#3
knc1 Going Viral Posts: 17,212 Karma: 18210809 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Central Texas Device: No K1, PW2, KV, KOA	The major hardware difference is the SoC running the Kindle and the processor core running the SoC. K1, K2, K3, DX(G) : i.MX3* series SoC - ARMv6l core K4, K5 : i.MX5* series SoC - ARMv7l core This forum does not "do" K6 (Kindle Fire). Then the next important hardware difference (if you want to see something) is the hardware controlling the e-ink display. That is built into the i.MX5* series (K4 & K5) and is an external chip on others. There are enough other hardware differences that Amazon/lab126 builds different kernels and system images for each. In the case of the K4 & K5, different kernel and system images within the same series ("4" and "5") - just to make things more difficult for us (or to up the manhours of paid labor for lab126 members). So the C API and headers being the same as some supercomputer running Linux does not count for much when you get into the details.