Does each block require separate power source or the power comes from the core block(base)?
Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
221–230 of 238 posts
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
So you are arguing this is better because you don’t have to throw it all together but then arguing throwing everything is not that bad? At least USB has and will be supported for years. The next revision will likely be incompatible with this limited cross connector (which I admit is cool nonetheless).
No, I'm saying the modularity has limits that are defined by the use-cases this is designed for. Which seems to be smart-home applications and/or quick prototyping. A 25 dollar compute module seems like a perfectly sensible compromise to me in that context. If you need the modularity and power of a desktop computer so you can install a boat-load of RAM or upgrade the video card, get a desktop computer.
My point was questioning the definition of a modular computer. Can it be a modular computer if the computer is not modular?
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#223As far as I can tell, this is a single individual that has done all of this work. I am floored at the design and intricacy of this project. Really, truly blown away. I'm sure there are plenty of edge cases to correct for but I haven't gotten so excited by a demo in a long time. I've obviously signed up to learn more.
Hey HN, Solder_Man here. I am the guy behind Pockit. Thrilled to see this modularization effort has the support (and useful criticism) of so many deep thinkers in this thread. First, a clarification: Since people have brought up the topic of "hard to believe one guy handled all aspects", I want to state that while this is my concept and my project (and I've devoted nearly every waking hour since 2020 to it), I'm no j…
If you need help with getting it manufactured in volume (Molds, DFM, QA, Management), I can help / put you in touch with people that make Teenage Engineering products in Malaysia.
Contact in the HN profile.
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#224As far as I can tell, this is a single individual that has done all of this work. I am floored at the design and intricacy of this project. Really, truly blown away. I'm sure there are plenty of edge cases to correct for but I haven't gotten so excited by a demo in a long time. I've obviously signed up to learn more.
I am floored by the design. However, the most complex and costly part is the PCB and circuit design. The PCBs used in the blocks are absolutely awesome. Thanks to 3D printers that are cheap, the casing and other plastic materials are easy to make. All that being said, this has very low chance of becoming a real world product. Real world is messy, dirty, wet and an absolutely shitty place for snap on electronics. What…
Depending on how inexpensive these things will be, I can see myself basically putting together a few of these throughout my house, with some framing, and probably never touching them again for a year or more. However having a few kits for my kids and I to play with is more likely. In the latter case, we’ll do exactly what we did whenever playing with game cartridges: blow them off, wipe them, and try again. I think it’s part of the fun, really.
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#225I am blown away.
I can't even imagine how complex the code must be behind the scenes for all of that to work together.
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#226Open sourcing it hasn't been decided yet:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Pockit/comments/plhugs/is_this_proj...
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#227I can't find any uses of it for me personally but I find this thing incredibly cool and nicely engineered and with attractive design. Could be a gold mine for kids education. Assuming of course there are no similar things from big guys (I've no idea what is really out there in this area).
As a work of a single person this project is totally amazing. The author is a gem.
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#228What happens when we take this concept into the third dimension—could we assemble these modular blocks into a mass of computronium?
Perhaps slightly more realistically speaking, could they be made stackable? Perhaps this could be a way to set up certain operations, for instance you could have some hardware for doing efficient convolutions on a camera feed as a "middle" block.
Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#229Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem with this idea is that it assumes we have to make trade offs: case in point, remember pre-smartphone? I had a PDA which didn't have a camera, didn't have wifi - just a hardwired connection. Now I have sitting next to me a smartphone which has 5 cameras, GPS, wifi, bluetooth, NFC, 128GB of storage and 4G. Basically on a mass production scale it is always going to be cheaper just to put every feature in one…
What I like about platforms like this is the possibilities they open up for major players to experiment with weird form factors again. Basically the cost of software development, mostly. I loved some of the insane designs prior to manufacturers deciding that the iPhone form factor was the way forward. That said, Moto/Google did try something like this once, "Project Ara" which never really went much of anywhere. It l…
Looked it up. It was the Moto Z line.