It is reasonable to assume that the ES8316-based detection of headphones would work without issues. The manufacturer of the ES8316 codec specifies the detection as one of the features, providing the reference detection citcuitry. The manufacturer knows perfectly what to expect on the audio output channels, and knows how to handle that properly. On the other hand, the detection circuitry currently used in the PineBook Pro looks pretty much like a workaround.
However, please don't get me wrong. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that the ES8316-based detection of headphones would be issue-free, but that cannot be actually known without a detailed testing and validation of the actual implementation.
Alright, so you were talking about the USB-to-UART bridges, as the FT232R datasheet clearly states. IIRC, I've seen such a bridge in an open-hardware USB TRNG, and I was disgusted by the need to use FTDI-provided drivers for the so-called virtual COM ports that are exposed on the USB side of the bridge. Yuck, no thanks. :/
Having a USB Micro-B device port as the serial console would be a rather good solution. I haven't become accustomed to the "fancy" concept of USB consoles yet, although I've seen a few network switches and routers that had Micro-B or Mini-B ports as their consoles.
However, using a special USB cable (which actually isn't that much special) with a TRRS jack for the PineBook Pro's serial console may also be acceptable because there are already other Pine64 devices that use the same cable and jack for their consoles. Let's remember that pretty much nobody complained about the "baby-blue serial console cables" that Cisco used for nearly a couple of decades.
Quite frankly, I'd much more prefer to have an Ethernet port than a dedicated console port. Having both would be fine, though.
Edit: By the way, I don't think we're going to see a new PineBook Pro revision any time soon, unfortunately. So far, no known major issues or new feature requests have been acknowledged by the Pine64 team.
However, please don't get me wrong. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that the ES8316-based detection of headphones would be issue-free, but that cannot be actually known without a detailed testing and validation of the actual implementation.
Alright, so you were talking about the USB-to-UART bridges, as the FT232R datasheet clearly states. IIRC, I've seen such a bridge in an open-hardware USB TRNG, and I was disgusted by the need to use FTDI-provided drivers for the so-called virtual COM ports that are exposed on the USB side of the bridge. Yuck, no thanks. :/
Having a USB Micro-B device port as the serial console would be a rather good solution. I haven't become accustomed to the "fancy" concept of USB consoles yet, although I've seen a few network switches and routers that had Micro-B or Mini-B ports as their consoles.
However, using a special USB cable (which actually isn't that much special) with a TRRS jack for the PineBook Pro's serial console may also be acceptable because there are already other Pine64 devices that use the same cable and jack for their consoles. Let's remember that pretty much nobody complained about the "baby-blue serial console cables" that Cisco used for nearly a couple of decades.
Quite frankly, I'd much more prefer to have an Ethernet port than a dedicated console port. Having both would be fine, though.
Edit: By the way, I don't think we're going to see a new PineBook Pro revision any time soon, unfortunately. So far, no known major issues or new feature requests have been acknowledged by the Pine64 team.