Love the idea of tinkering around with a small, single-board computer (SBC) but need something more powerful than most ARM-based offerings provide?
If so, the new Radxa X4 from Radxa may be of interest.
Powered by an Intel N100 CPU with Intel UHD graphics, the Radxa X4 delivers better performance in CPU and GPU tasks than a Raspberry Pi 5, at a similar price point. …
Source: A $60 Intel-Based SBC Cheaper & Faster than a Raspberry Pi 5 – OMG! Ubuntu
SBC Case Builder V3.0 case design utility has just been released with the ability to create over 1,000 standard cases – not including customization – for popular SBCs from Raspberry Pi, Hardkernel, Orange Pi, Radxa, and others, as well as standard motherboards following Mini-ITX, Pico-ITX, NUC, Nano-ITX, etc.., and SBC adapters following these standards, meaning you could install a Raspberry Pi 5 into a mini-ITX case if needed. … Once you have generated a case design, you can use the resulting OpenSCAD file with a 3D printer or CNC machine to build the enclosure.
… there is a new Raspberry Pi competitor that is quite affordable. In fact, some folks may view it as a Pi-killer. The $30 FriendlyElec NanoPi M1 Plus has an arguably superior design and layout, plus important integrated features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It even has an IR receiver, onboard microphone, 8GB storage, and both power and reset buttons. Best of all? It is ready to run Debian, Ubuntu Core, and Ubuntu Mate from the start.
Source: FriendlyElec releases Ubuntu Linux-ready NanoPi M1 Plus — a $30 Raspberry Pi killer (BetaNews)
Forget fruit, wood is where it’s at when it comes to miniature computing – or at least that’s what the makers of the Pine 64 would have us believe, a rivalling board that undercuts the Raspberry Pi 3.
…
As far as connectivity goes, you get two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and HDMI – this little board is capable of piping out 4K video. There’s also a 3.5mm stereo output mini-jack and a microSD slot into the bargain.
Source: Pine 64 is Raspberry Pi 3 that does 4K, but you’ll have to wait to get one | TechRadar
EDIT: Apparently not all comments on the Pine 64 are positive – see this Reddit post for some perceived negatives.
It’s been a big week in the world of inexpensive single board computers, and everyone’s talking about the new Raspberry Pi 3. It blows away the competition they say, nobody can touch it for the price.
Almost nobody, that is.
With a lot less fanfare on these shores, another cheap and speedy 64-bit quad-core ARM-based SBC slips onto the market this week, Hardkernel’s Odroid C2. And looking at the specification it seems as though the Pi 3 may be given a run for its money.
Source: Odroid C2 Bests Raspberry Pi 3 in Several Ways | Hackaday
When the Raspberry Pi team launched a tiny, low power computer priced at just $35, it was pretty remarkable. But that was 2 years ago, and while the Raspberry Pi has seen a few updates in that time, it’s still powered by the same single-core 700 MHz Broadcomm BCM2835 ARM11 processor.
Over the past few years a number of other single-board computers with more powerful hardware have appeared, but they usually also have higher price tags.
Hardkernel’s ODROID-C1 doesn’t though… it’s a quad-core mini computer that sells for just $35.
Full article and demonstration videos here:
ODROID-C1 is a $35 quad-core, single-board Android/Linux PC (Liliputing)
Related:
$35 quad-core hacker SBC offers Raspberry Pi-like size and I/O (LinuxGizmos.com)
Ordroid-C1 vs Raspberry Pi B+: Hardware, Benchmark, Storage and Ethernet Performance Comparison tables from Ordroid
Consider that a Raspberry Pi costs $35 (for the higher end model) and for that money you get no case and no power supply. Now look at what you can get for $45, or perhaps a bit more if you want a more powerful device. If you were going to use a Raspberry Pi with XBMC or some other media center software, you might want to wait until the reviews for this device come in (we’d love the chance to review one, if anyone from SolidRun happens to read this!). Note that it has optical audio SPDIF out, which is something the Raspberry Pi doesn’t offer!
More information here:
Tiny $45 cubic mini-PC runs Android and Linux (LinuxGizmos.com)
SolidRun introduces a small, modern and impressive mini-computer that fits everybody’s budget (cubox-i.com)
I was recently looking into the options to buy a living room “home server” to centralize certain services like file and print server, media server, etc.
It didn’t take me long to realize that for less money I could get a whole legion of small microcomputers that do the same work better and more securely; and use less energy while doing so.
This was of course the pretext to buy my first Raspberry Pi. A few more should follow… This article starts a little series explaining what I did and how I did it. Today, I will look at the first and simplest type of server …
Full article here:
A Raspberry Pi File and Print Server (Sascha’s Blog)
I needed to control a DC motor from my Raspberry Pi’s GPIO port as part of my time-lapse dolly project. I had to be able to turn the motor on for approximately 150ms which would in turn move the dolly along by 3mm.
Full article here:
Simple way to control 12V DC Motor using Raspberry Pi’s GPIO port and NPN transistor (Geeking About)
Related article:
Tutorial : Control a DC motor with Raspberry Pi (My Robot Lab)
Did you know that you can measure temperature, from one or more locations, with a Raspberry Pi or Arduino? And that you can do it with as few as two wires (or even just a single wire with ground return, though three wires are preferred if available) connecting to as many temperature sensors as you want to use? Here are a few articles that explain how to do this:
Arduino and DS18B20 – 1-wire digital thermometer (Ogalik OÜ) (Read this one first to see the wiring options)
How to use the DS18S20 and DS18B20 temperature sensors with Arduino (Dedication to DIY and programming)
Working with Dallas DS18S20 and DS18B20 temperature sensors (Tutorialpedia)
Raspberry Pi 1- Wire Digital Thermometer Sensor (Raspberry Pi Spy)
RaspberryPI DS1820 (Webshed)
Raspberry Pi + DS18B20 Temperature Sensor + RRDtool (Tony Tosi)
DS18B20 Temperature Sensor with Raspberry Pi (Chris Swan’s Weblog)
Raspberry Pi – Python & Temp Sensor DS18B20 (Stuff about code)
WebUI for a Raspberry Pi thermometer (github.com)
Monitor your home temperature using your Raspberry Pi (PrivateEyePi Project)
A note on that last link, only “Step 1” is needed to get the temperature sensor working on a Raspberry Pi. All the steps after that are just to install and use their software, which you might not wish to do if you don’t plan on completing their Home Alarm System project.
Note that the DS18B20 temperature sensors are available for only a few dollars at eBay, Amazon, and other places. You can even buy them in the form of a waterproof probe, which would be preferred for outside temperature readings.
By the way, there are more types of 1-Wire Devices than just temperature sensors available. One that seems like it might be useful in Raspberry Pi projects is the DS2413 1-Wire Dual Channel Addressable Switch, though I don’t think many people have explored that option yet. But if I understand it correctly (and I might not, so don’t take my word for it), you could use one or more of those to emulate GPIO pins (sort of) but without any real limitation on the number, and also they could all be placed on the same wire(s) and controlled from the same GPIO pin on the Raspberry Pi or Arduino (maybe even on the same wires that the temperature sensors are on, if you’re also using those?). And there are many other 1-Wire Devices available.
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