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Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

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Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#231

Post by franciscop »

Animats wrote: post #197
kumarvvr wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Connector reliability and mechanical strength is a big problem here. If the baseplate had screw holes with threaded inserts, so you could screw everything down, it would hold together better. Also, the animation looks cool, but there is no power source, and no external connections. Google tried this in 2015. It was called Project Ara.[1] A similar click-together system, with the same problems. Plus the problem that t…

> the animation looks cool, but there is no power source

It is briefly explained at 4:04 that the initial 4 mins it's running on a 3300 battery, and then he swaps it to USB charging.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#232

Post by snek_case »

vidarh wrote: post #213
snek_case wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why can't the widgets connect to a Raspberry Pi using USB ports? Using plain old USB ports as a connector is a downgrade in terms of aesthetics, but it's a massive upgrade in terms of reusability and versatility. All of a sudden, you can connect your sensors to laptops, PCs and Raspberry Pis alike. You can already get a webcam on eBay for $6. You could design any sensor and actuator to have a USB interface. Don't get…

The aesthetics is an important factor. I'd pay far more for something like Pockit than for a bunch of components hanging off a Pi with no coherent design.

You can use a 3D printer to print a case that fits all the components and makes it look however you want. You're also not restricted to having your USB devices be right next to the Pi's board. It's just more flexible.

Another thing to consider is that the connection to the blocks on the Pockit might be fragile. If you push that button/joystick too hard or bump something, it could easily disconnect.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#233

Post by vidarh »

snek_case wrote: post #232
vidarh wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The aesthetics is an important factor. I'd pay far more for something like Pockit than for a bunch of components hanging off a Pi with no coherent design.

You can use a 3D printer to print a case that fits all the components and makes it look however you want. You're also not restricted to having your USB devices be right next to the Pi's board. It's just more flexible. Another thing to consider is that the connection to the blocks on the Pockit might be fragile. If you push that button/joystick too hard or bump something, it could easily disconnect.

I could. That requires me to have a 3D printer and be willing to invest the time in figuring out how to make a case. I don't, and I'm not.

Of course it's going to be more flexible, just like it's more flexible to design your own device from scratch. But I'd trade that flexibility away for more time to do things I actually want to be doing any time, and I'd be willing to pay quite a bit of money to get that kind of flexibility without having to spend as much time on it.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#234

Post by lanewinfield »

Solder_Man wrote: post #184
lanewinfield wrote: post #8

As 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…

Appreciate the disclosure of other people on it. But, to be honest, even if the 5 additional people you listed were on the project full time, I'd still be impressed. Well done.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#235

Post by snek_case »

vidarh wrote: post #233
snek_case wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can use a 3D printer to print a case that fits all the components and makes it look however you want. You're also not restricted to having your USB devices be right next to the Pi's board. It's just more flexible. Another thing to consider is that the connection to the blocks on the Pockit might be fragile. If you push that button/joystick too hard or bump something, it could easily disconnect.

I could. That requires me to have a 3D printer and be willing to invest the time in figuring out how to make a case. I don't, and I'm not. Of course it's going to be more flexible, just like it's more flexible to design your own device from scratch. But I'd trade that flexibility away for more time to do things I actually want to be doing any time , and I'd be willing to pay quite a bit of money to get that kind of f…

I just don't think the tradeoff is worth it. The Pockit will have a relatively small community, and you may be forced to use their software packages to develop for it. It may not be very robust or very versatile. Those are all real downsides, in addition to the higher cost.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#236

Post by vidarh »

snek_case wrote: post #235
vidarh wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could. That requires me to have a 3D printer and be willing to invest the time in figuring out how to make a case. I don't, and I'm not. Of course it's going to be more flexible, just like it's more flexible to design your own device from scratch. But I'd trade that flexibility away for more time to do things I actually want to be doing any time , and I'd be willing to pay quite a bit of money to get that kind of f…

I just don't think the tradeoff is worth it. The Pockit will have a relatively small community, and you may be forced to use their software packages to develop for it. It may not be very robust or very versatile. Those are all real downsides, in addition to the higher cost.

All of those downsides apply even more if I do something custom for myself. It's worth it to me.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#237

Post by fxtentacle »

SaulJLH wrote: post #220
Solder_Man wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I need this, "I gots to has this!", but... There's only a newsletter, where do we preorder or do a deposit?

Yeah, I also thought that. Put a "pay $50 to pre-order a prototype" box somewhere. At the very least, it'll give you enough budget to negotiate on eye level with production partners.

Re: Pockit: A tiny, powerful, modular computer [video]

#238

Post by h0l0cube »

snek_case wrote: post #135
h0l0cube wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Basically on a mass production scale it is always going to be cheaper just to put every feature in one device and build a billion of them. When it comes to physical widgets, there's a limit to how many you could practically have on one device. I think the real value here is that it could be open to market to allow a real diversity of physical augments allowing people to improvise devices that are unlikely to be man…

Why can't the widgets connect to a Raspberry Pi using USB ports? Using plain old USB ports as a connector is a downgrade in terms of aesthetics, but it's a massive upgrade in terms of reusability and versatility. All of a sudden, you can connect your sensors to laptops, PCs and Raspberry Pis alike. You can already get a webcam on eBay for $6. You could design any sensor and actuator to have a USB interface. Don't get…

Low friction. Lowering the entry point at which someone can fashion a device to their needs means you have a much bigger market. Approachability is exactly why iPhone succeeded where stylus driven PDAs failed. Something like Pockit makes custom hardware more approachable to a wider audience. Maybe with Pockit, R-Pi might even have its iPhone-like killer app to take it from a niche/techinical crowd into regular consumers hands?
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