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Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

raspberrypi.org

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Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#301

I was lucky to get a pre-release version to test, and I decided to tear it down before I started trying it out. I posted this blog post with detailed pictures of the insides, and some more details and performance benchmarks: https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2020/raspberry-pi-400-tear... There are also a couple videos linked in the post, if you're more visually-inclined. Fun fact: the Pi 400 (and Compute Module 4) bo…

Hey Jeff, I recently bought the RPi Keyboard Hub (Pictured in OP and In parent blog) for its soft keys (Got bone issues), I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. I use Wacom Touch Tablet for trackpad along with a Steel series mouse in its Hub; But I'm worried about saturating the bandwidth as it's just USB 2.0 although I haven't found any conclusive issues.

Have you tested the Keyboard hub's limits? Controller seems to be QinHeng Electronics USB-Serial.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#302
post #275
post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you use the keyboard.... as a keyboard for other computers?

With a little bit of code, you should be able to pipe keyboard input to one of the USB ports.

There's a project that did that but for a different purpose - a network KVM using a Pi4 - https://mtlynch.io/tinypilot/

It had to use the one USB-C connector that's used for power for emulating the keyboard and mouse since that's the only one that supported USB-OTG. So you kind of either need PoE or another adapter to both power the device and be able to hae the Pi act as an input device.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#303
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rubbish. They do. My daughter's school has a pile of knackered Pi's that the teachers don't have the time and budget to fix. Broken connectors, duff microSDs, bricks. They don't use them now, preferring python on windows.

I'm sure your experiences are legitimate, just like mine for similar usage profiles are. My only conclusion can be that it's not the hardware itself that's the problem, unless we allow for the possibility that it's different batching. Unlikely, but not unthinkable.

Or maybe you're using Pis in ways that aren't so hard on SD cards, etc? It seems very likely that this is the case given that these users experience these issues on Pis but not other systems.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#304

As an engineer/founder from India who dreams of access to the Internet for everyone on this planet, these are the efforts that make me smile. I am in the process of sorting out my financial situation - tough founder luck. But I am happy to order a few of these (and monitors) and rent a small garage to give local kids a free computer lab to learn. (Kolkata, India)

E-waste is a massive problem nowadays. Why not assemble the lab out of "old" computers? They might take a bit more electricity to run, but, at least in the US, you can get truckloads of computers that were destined for the scrapyard, for free. One local school here threw away 50+ small dell quad-core i5's in their quest to make sure they spend their money wisely. I've assembled a small lab, with many computers, laser…

> E-waste is a massive problem nowadays. Why not assemble the lab out of "old" computers? They might take a bit more electricity to run

In the developing world electricity tends to be very scarce. Raspberry Pis, and stuff of that sort, are ideal for that environment.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#306
post #162
post #81

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Except these problems don't occur for most people, as evidenced by the fact that the current system works fine. Complaints like yours are relatively rare.

I think that's because "most people" who buy a Raspberry PI use it once or twice then it lies in a drawer somewhere. In my experience, if you actively use it for something, you'll get into annoying problems like that, it's just a matter of time and how much you are hitting that SD card, or how many times you unplug it without shutting down the Pi properly.

I've had my Pi 3 running constantly for the last three years as a Plex server. The only thing that has gone wrong is the Western Digital hard disk drive that failed. The Pi itself and even the microSD card have been fine.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E-waste is a massive problem nowadays. Why not assemble the lab out of "old" computers? They might take a bit more electricity to run, but, at least in the US, you can get truckloads of computers that were destined for the scrapyard, for free. One local school here threw away 50+ small dell quad-core i5's in their quest to make sure they spend their money wisely. I've assembled a small lab, with many computers, laser…

how did you find out about the local school throwing away 50+ small dell quad-core i5s?

Check your county/state/school auction websites.

Hard to give more info, there isn’t just one auction site for all schools or counties, but a bit of googling will probably get you what you want.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#309
Although i grew up in era of home computers like ZX Spectrum, i think that this form factor has no real advantage today, compared to some miniature brick form factor (with external keyboard), like NUC (or brick with Rasberry Pi). I see several reasons:

- External keyboards are super cheap, there is wide variety of designs to choose based on personal preferences, while when integrated in computer you are stuck with one design.

- Keyboards are vulnerable to destruction by toppled cup of tea, so it make sense to not put full computer inside.

- It is easier to manipulate with keyboard when there is only one cable coming from it instead of 5+ cables.

- When moving between places, it is easier to take smaller brick than keyboard-sized computer, while keyboards are interchangable and widespread enough to get one at destination.

Re: Raspberry Pi 400 Desktop PC

#310

How do I play sounds with this? I see no jack for speakers or headphones. I assume one could have sound over HDMI but monitors with built-in speakers are not very common.

I noticed that. Audio has to come from the HDMI connection or from Bluetooth, either of which will produce better sound than the standard Pi audio jack. I imagine they see this being used with a TV, much like the old classic 8-bit consoles.
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