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Ready! Model 100 is a retro computer shell for Raspberry Pi, SBCs, Nano/Pico-ITX boards (Crowdfunding)

We recently wrote about Devterm, a modular, retro-looking portable computer that looks like a typewriter with an extra-wide display, and takes Raspberry Pi CM3-series modules, or other compatible modules made by Clockwork based on Rockchip RK3399 or Allwinner H6. If you’re into this kind of device, but would like to use your own Raspberry Pi,  another SBC,  an Intel NUC motherboard, a Nano/Pico-ITX board, or even your smartphone, Ready! Model 100 single board computer expansion system may be worth looking into. Ready! Model 100 key features and specifications: Compatibility – Accommodates any hardware using 5V or 12V power input including smartphones, or arm or x86 SBCs such as Raspberry Pi 4, and compact motherboard following NUC, 4×4, 5×5, or Nano/Pico ITX form factors. Storage – Space for SSD Display – 8.8-inch 1920×480 “3xVGA” HDMI Touchscreen Video Output – HDMI (if dual HDMI supported on SBC) Audio – 10W stereo speaker […]

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Lisperati1000 Lisp portable programming workstation features Raspberry Pi Zero W, ultra-wide display

Conrad Barski (Lisperati) wanted a portable “workstation” to write in Lisp and see all those parentheses. Since there aren’t many devices with an ultra-wide display, he decided to build his own “Lisperati1000” ultra-compact Lisp programming workstation powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero W, and equipped with an ultra-wide 1920×480 8.8-inch display, a compact keyboard made of Cherry Brown switches, and a 4,400mAh dual battery all housed in a 3D printed enclosure. When Conrad first showcased his little handheld computer on Twitter, he first claimed only 3 will ever be built, but think quickly got out of control with the project being featured on Hacker News, and he changed his mind after seeing the popularity of the DIY computer. UPDATE: Due to high demand, I have decided to fund a project to release this as a kit. If you are an electrical engineer and/or know about machining Aluminum, please get in […]

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NODE Mini Server V3 Transforms Raspberry Pi 4 Into a Server or Mini PC

Hardware hacker NODE has had a busy month starting with the announcement of Zero Terminal V3 modular Raspberry Pi Zero W powered handheld PC, and now he’s just showcased NODE Mini Server V3 that transforms a Raspberry Pi 4 into a compact server or mini PC. The project brings all ports to the same side in a similar fashion as Argon One enclosure through the use of custom adapter boards, but also enable easy integration of USB SSD drives, easier access to the MicroSD card socket, and support for fanless or dual-fan cooling. Besides the Raspberry Pi 4 SBC, NODE Mini Server V3 includes the following components: HDMI Micro HDMI Male Component. “Wedge Type” as this HDMI connector on Aliexpress. HDMI Type A Connector (47151-1001) USB Pololu USB 2.0 Type-C Connector Breakout USB-C Male Plug Breakout Board Male USB 3.0 Plug (692112030100) Female USB 3.0 Connector (48405-0003) Storage USB3 to […]

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KitDuino Proto – An Arduino Compatible Board with a Built-in Prototyping Area

At the initial stage of development, many people would connect their Arduino board to a circuit build on a breadboard, and once this is done, some may either want to design their own board or for simpler circuits, simply move from the breadboard to a perfboard with components soldered to it. With Microchip ATMega32U4 based KitDuino Proto you could do that directly on the Arduino board itself since it comes with a small prototyping area. KitDuino Proto specifications: MCU – Microchip ATMega32u4 8-bit AVR MCU @ 8 MHz with 32 KB flash program memory, 2.5 KB SRAM, 1 KB EEPROM Expansion Arduino Leonardo compatible headers 6-pin SPI header Built-in 15 x 13 prototyping area. 3.3V or 5V I/Os Misc – Power LED, Tx/Rx LEDs, 1x user LED Power Supply 5V via Micro USB port (3.8V after regulation) 7+V via DC barrel jack or Vin pin for stable 5V rail 3.3V […]

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Getting Started with Qoitech Otii Developer Tool using ESP8266 and Raspberry Pi 4 Boards

Last month, I received Qoitech Otii Arc power supply, power meter, and DAQ unit that aims at helping hardware and software engineers develop energy-efficient products. I’ve now had time to test the unit with an ESP8266 board and Raspberry Pi 4 SBC, so I’ll show how to get started and my overall experience with the hardware and program. Requirements and Initial Setup The unit takes a 9V power supply or micro USB adapter as power input, but power output is done through banana plugs. I did not have any cables with banana plugs so I bought one on eBay for about $5 shipped. This cable is really convenient with output to USB (female connector), crocodile clips, and hook clips. However, as we’ll see below it may not be suitable for all types of loads, and you may have to make your own with a higher rated cable. You’ll need to […]

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Know the Differences between Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and ESP8266/ESP32

CNXSoft: This is a guest post written in collaboration with SurfShark. When it comes to choosing a platform for STEM education or hobbyist projects, there are a number of low-cost, compact maker boards on the market. The most popular include the kid-friendly Raspberry Pi SBC that was designed with children in mind, Arduino boards for electronics projects, and more recently boards and modules based on EspressifESP8266 and ESP32 wireless SoC’s. In this post, we’ll look at the use cases and strong points for each of the boards whether you are just dabbling in the hobby of coding and DIY electronics, or you have a commercial project. Raspberry Pi The Raspberry Pi is a lineup of single-board computers (SBCs) that are from the UK and were first introduced in February 2012. These small computers were initially designed to teach students the basics of computer science, but they’ve found their way into […]

Rockchip RK3568/RK3588 and Intel x86 SBCs
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CutiePi Open Source Tablet uses Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3

The announcement of the CutiePi, an open source tablet-based on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 comes a bit late for the Pi-based tablet/laptop space. We have reported on some of the more versatile tablets using the Raspberry Pi platform, the Diskio Pi 13.3” DIY Tablet and the RasPad tablet kit, with a few more Raspberry Pi-based tablet/laptop kits also listed in the same article. Timeline and Pricing CutiePi Tablet has no firm release date, but the company is saying late 2019 for launch. The development team is also saying everything is subject to change, but look for the pricing to be USD $150 – $250. Click to Enlarge How CutiePi is Different The tablet is different in its thinner design and in the software designed specifically to use Linux Raspbian OS for a touch screen platform. There are readily available source code and case plans for the ambitious developer […]

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Khadas VIM3 Review – Part 1: Kit Unboxing and Assembly

We started to read about Khadas VIM3 in May of this year as an Amlogic S922X development board with an M.2 socket for NVMe SSD, and 802.11ac WiFi 5 & Bluetooth 5.0 wireless module. Eventually, Shenzhen Wesion decided to change the processor to Amlogic A311D before the launch last month, since it does not cost much more, but includes a 5.0 TOPS neural processing engine. The company has sent me a Khadas VIM3 kit for evaluation and review. Before going through the software part, and especially the tools for the NPU which will be one of the highlights of the board, I’ll check out what I received today, and show how to assemble the kit. Khadas VIM3 Kit Unboxing The package is rather boring… But what’s really important is what’s inside… We’ve got an enclosure, a smaller package with the board itself, a USB-C power supply, a thermal pad + […]

Boardcon Rockchip and Allwinner SoM and SBC products