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A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

bbenchoff.github.io

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Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#221

Post by vdqtp3 »

samstave wrote: post #24

Something that I have always wanted was an SMS ONLY device. A device, kind of like the SideKick (remember Danger invented Android, got bought by Google - then the founder was paid ~$90,000,000 severance from Google for coercing a female colleague to be his 'sex slave' -- Yeah, that Danger, Andy Rubin.) but I just want a device that only sends and receives SMS and thats it. Can this machine accept a SIM in a future it…

I've always wanted a receive only messaging device. Iridium still supports satellite pagers which would be perfect for that, but the hardware isn't manufactured anymore and you can't get service without a big plan attached (like DoD)

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#222

Post by miav »

> It costs $10,000 USD to build one of these

> The ten thousandth one costs $15

As a software engineer, I'm used to being able to build essentially whatever I want, with the only cost being my time. I'm often unpleasantly reminded that software is an outlier in that regard and as soon as physical items are concerned, especially hardware, it turns out that manufacturing even a simple thing is prohibitively expensive if it's done at a small scale.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#223

Post by nielsole »

fsiefken wrote: post #219

> battery life is long enough what's 'long enough'? i'd love a on-the-go linux with e-ink and very low power chip so i can use it for a week.

The NiMH batteries are likely in series. They have a capacity of 600mAh. The Lichee Nano that this board is based on has a power consumption (with display of 250mA[0]) [0] https://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/Seeed%20Technolo... So even if you can't fully discharge the NiMH batteries you should comfortably get an hour of battery life out of this thing, much more, if you don't use the display.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#224

Post by AtlasBarfed »

dhosek wrote: post #95
sokoloff wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wonder what would be achievable, around the $15 mark WITHOUT needing a minimum order of 1000? A Raspberry Pi Zero?

I was thinking about the fact that 40 years ago there was the Sinclair ZX80, a $100 computer that you could hook to your TV and there's not really a whole lot in that space/price point¹ now other than the hobbyist Raspberry Pi/arduino/other hobbyist machines. I'd have to think that it's possible to make a consumer-grade PC that you hook up to your own monitor for around $100, although I guess the cost of a Windows li…

I thought you could buy a RPI-in-keyboard...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSvHJ97d8n8

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#225

Post by vinceguidry »

overgard wrote: post #218

This is a neat idea and clever execution, but I just can't imagine ever using this over like a donated out-of-date laptop or something. I'd love to see something at like a 50-100 price point that could theoretically be more usable (more than 47 keys, more screen resolution, built in wifi)

I've sometimes thought about going to some small village somewhere and teaching interested locals how to code and use computers. I would need small, cheap devices that I can just replace whenever they get lost/stolen. Also standardized enough that I don't have to spend a ton of time doing hardware support. If someone brought a >$20 fully-contained device to market then I could buy 20 of them and plan a 6 month trip abroad. Being not super-useful as general purpose machines is a bonus.

This idea's been kicking around in my head since the OLPC was announced, but nobody's delivered yet. Chromebooks are too expensive.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#226

Post by lstodd »

anfractuosity wrote: post #185
lstodd wrote: post #172

This is cool, but Flipper Zero is in my opinion, cooler. https://flipperzero.one/

The Flipper Zero does look fun, but $160 is pretty expensive alas, but I understand injection moulding doesn't come cheap. I really like their blog on how the moulds etc. were made too. Also iirc the firmware is now open.

Molds aren't cheap, but as someone who've been around while F0 was created it's not that imo. It's setting up the pipeline, shitty PCBs in batches of hundreds, fuckups with parts, etc.

If you do a couple of prototypes it's fine. If you want to make a thousand or two, you are in a world of pain.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#227

Post by mastazi »

miav wrote: post #222

> It costs $10,000 USD to build one of these > The ten thousandth one costs $15 As a software engineer, I'm used to being able to build essentially whatever I want, with the only cost being my time. I'm often unpleasantly reminded that software is an outlier in that regard and as soon as physical items are concerned, especially hardware, it turns out that manufacturing even a simple thing is prohibitively expensive i…

In the software world something that works roughly similarly (i.e. where a prototype is differentiated from production) is devops. If you are deploying a toy-project once, maybe you are not setting up a CI/CD pipeline, Terraform templates, Github team permissions, Github/Jira integration, etc etc. - you do all of these things only for "real" products.

But yeah, going from prototype to production with hardware is much, much harder, I agree with you.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#228

Post by NWoodsman »

Picture this:

- monocoque anodized aluminum housing with coin screw o-ring battery port that houses an 18650; -silicon gasketed polycarbonate faceplate held with stainless hex button head screws, waterproof to 100 meters - tactile clicky button keys beneath a silicone membrane for waterproof-ness. - detachable rubberized wifi antenna.

A feller can dream...

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#229

Post by gmiller123456 »

mrandish wrote: post #40

A similar but more powerful and flexible device is the Core2 from M5Stack. It's expandable through stackable snap-on blocks, USB, multiple I2C and a full set of GPIO and signal pins on a header. It has ESP32 CPU, Wifi, Bluetooth, 2" color touchscreen, microphone, power indicator, 6-Axis IMU, vibration motor, I2S codec, amplifier, speaker, RTC, power button, reset button, 10 x RGB LEDs, SD card slot and 3 programmable…

These used to be a lot cheaper, IIRC I got mine for about $25. I would recommend these to anyone wanting to go beyond "just looking" for ESP development, especially beginners. Yea, you can buy the components you need separately, but having everything integrated in one small package makes it easy to try things out quickly. No breadboards, jumper wires, etc just to have a button to press. And when you're ready to dedicate hardware to the project, you can build it with one of the cheaper modules. But all of the debugging, etc is a lot easier with the big screen, and integrated peripherals. At $45, I'm not so sure, might just be recommended for people who'll really get into ESP development.

Re: A Minimum Viable Computer, or Linux for $15

#230

Post by nfriedly »

jokoon wrote: post #169

I'm guessing there are GUI things that would fit in that thing?

Gmenu2X / GmenuNX is a simple launcher program designed for small displays that runs well on that CPU.

This is the fork that I've worked with: https://github.com/MiyooCFW/gmenunx

Edit: here is the original: http://mtorromeo.github.io/gmenu2x/

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