NEW PANGOLIN FB4-XE
Users have felt the effects of lower supplies in recent years, especially in terms of FB4 availability.
After encountering ongoing challenges in combating these supply issues, the need for a new approach was recognized. The solution included a redesign of the FB4, incorporating readily available, modern components. This undertaking was quite a challenge, requiring rebuilding the entire assembly line and developing the firmware from scratch.
As a result, we are proud to present the FB4-XE.
The FB4-XE is a new variant of the FB4, designed specifically to meet market demand while ensuring the integration between existing variants is as seamless as possible. While the basic components have been completely overhauled, all other aspects have remained unchanged. The FB4-XE retains the same physical dimensions, the same pinouts and board-level connections as the FB4-SE.
From an end-user perspective, the transition to the XE variant is equally smooth. Although the firmware has been rebuilt from the ground up, the user interface, feature set and options remain the same. Pangolin aims to develop firmware and features simultaneously for both the XE and SE versions. Inside the software, interaction with the XE versions will be the same as with the SE versions. The only visible difference will be “XE” tags in various places to help identify XE variants.
The only downside encountered with the new FB4-XE is the inability to ensure backward compatibility of the brand-new firmware with BEYOND versions earlier than 5.2. This challenge stems from the complex interaction between the new processor and firmware, and the interaction between the new firmware and BEYOND. While attempts have been made to emulate the SE variant to ensure backward compatibility, it has been found that this would introduce stability and complexity issues that are not conducive to a device used for show production, where reliability is paramount.
On a positive note, significant progress has been made in clearing the backlog of orders, and we expect to have sufficient FB4 availability within the next month or two.