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Raspberry Pi computer in action

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Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#21

Post by slantyyz »

jasonkeene wrote: post #6
antrod wrote: post #3

Here is something I don't get: while this project is cool, if cost is the goal, once you add monitor, mouse & keyboard, isn't anyone better off with a combo of eBay laptop + Debian?

It is intended to be connected to a television set via Composite or HDMI. I'd assume most families in the UK already have a television set so really the only additional cost is the keyboard+mouse.

The first thing that I ever thought when I saw the Raspberry Pi unit was how it would make a great device for MAME on a TV.

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#22

Post by swah »

mirsadm wrote: post #11
swah wrote: post #7

Having something this size for home automation would be a dream. I suppose you can't to video processing and wifi with Arduino's, but with a full sized PC... would be great.

You can already buy ARM based dev kits from Nvidia, TI etc. They're much more powerful and suited towards that sort of goal (and more expensive). Edit: for eg http://pandaboard.org/

Those are very cool, but they are "development platforms". I don't want/can't design and produce my own hardware.

I want to buy a little box (around 50-100 USD would be still good), attach an USB camera, and with software make an interesting project.

In other words: Wifi and Linux (and its drivers) would make a great automation platform (having to connect to AC being the only problem left).

For example, I could put one of those in front of my water meter (http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01373/water-mete...), with a little bit of OpenCV software to parse the numbers I could have real-time water usage monitoring.

(This just reminded me of Bunnie's Chumby: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumby). If Chumby has died because cellphones haven't left any market to it, it could easily be repurposed to compete with Raspberry PI, it seems.

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#23

Post by excuse-me »

eblume wrote: post #17
easp wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think this is closer to OLPCs goal of providing a laptop per child. OLPC was, literally, "batteries included," they even had a charging solution for the batteries. The OLPC device as a tool for kids to learn about computers and programming was just one facet of its intended use. It was also a notebook, and a textbook and a communications device. The RasberryPi needs a screen, a keyboard and power, and even wi…

You bring up an important point, I think, unintentionally. Kids may be able to 'screw up and fix' the software components, but it would be very cool to also allow the same interaction with the hardware. I feel like maybe a version of the RaspberryPi that ships assembled on a breadboard with replacement parts - more expensive, of course, to cover the increased manufacturing costs and extra parts - would be extremely u…

Not really practical with modern surface mount SOC components but there is always the Arduino.

There is an add-on I/O board for the Raspberry that has all the usual science class sensors and a proto area and links to the GPIO header

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#24

Post by jdietrich »

illumen wrote: post #19
elviejo wrote: post #2

Nice summary on the history of Raspberry Pi And loved the fact that they use scratch to demo it :-) Maybe this is closer to the OLPC original goal??

The OLPC has a battery, case, power supply, storage, keyboard, track pad, screen. It also releases source code to the OS binaries they ship. The raspberrypi needs a £150 TV, plus lots of other accessories to do anything. It's nice to see another player in the educational computer market though. I don't think it's fair to compare to OLPC yet, because the raspberrypi has not finished their educational version.

I think that the Raspberry Pi is actually a perfect solution for developed countries. The peripherals needed to make a Pi work can usually be scrounged for free, or picked up very cheaply. 99.9% of UK households have a suitable TV. The vast majority have at least one HDTV with HDMI inputs. Mice, keyboards, wireless adapters and SD cards can be bought at computer fairs for a couple of pounds each, or scavenged as hand-me-downs.

For the first eight years of my computing career, all my hardware came out of skips (dumpsters) or was bought used at computer fairs and flea markets. IME there's a vast glut of basic peripherals in most developed countries, simply due to the turnover of computers in offices.

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#25

Post by excuse-me »

It's the enabling technology aspect. A small cheap machine with PC class power, video, networking and Linux

Imagine if instead of spending $1Bn on an app to make photos worse - Facebook had given away one of these to every household in America and bundled an app that constantly streams your Facebook experience on your TV.

That would have wiped out the TV networks overnight.

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#26

Post by excuse-me »

illumen wrote: post #19
elviejo wrote: post #2

Nice summary on the history of Raspberry Pi And loved the fact that they use scratch to demo it :-) Maybe this is closer to the OLPC original goal??

The OLPC has a battery, case, power supply, storage, keyboard, track pad, screen. It also releases source code to the OS binaries they ship. The raspberrypi needs a £150 TV, plus lots of other accessories to do anything. It's nice to see another player in the educational computer market though. I don't think it's fair to compare to OLPC yet, because the raspberrypi has not finished their educational version.

I think this could do more than the OLPC

One of the initial cristicism of the OLPC was that it wasn't what a starving child in a Somalia refugee camp needed. Their response was that it was aimed at letting kids in Peru grow up to do to S Korea and India what S Korea and India had done to the USA and Japan

Yes to a kid in an African village with no electricity an OLPC is more use - but to a kid in a CS class in Peru, a class with TVs and keyboard and kids with TVs at home this is what a Commodore 64 or Apple II was to us.

What is really better about this is that it will also be used by every other geek in the - world so it will have everything the rest of the world has. The OLPC kid will end up learning the Official Ugandan education ministry OLPC curriculum which won't be changed for 20years - they will be like Soviet CS grads in the 70s

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#27

Post by joshu »

swah wrote: post #22
mirsadm wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can already buy ARM based dev kits from Nvidia, TI etc. They're much more powerful and suited towards that sort of goal (and more expensive). Edit: for eg http://pandaboard.org/

Those are very cool, but they are "development platforms". I don't want/can't design and produce my own hardware. I want to buy a little box (around 50-100 USD would be still good), attach an USB camera, and with software make an interesting project. In other words: Wifi and Linux (and its drivers) would make a great automation platform (having to connect to AC being the only problem left). For example, I could put o…

They may be called development platforms but they are really pretty similar to raspberrypi, actually. Maybe some more I/O pins. They are probably as suitable for your project as a raspberrypi, anyway.

Btw check out the Pcengine's alix, which is x86 and runs on 5 watts or so. Or the Genesi Efika, which is arm based

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#28

Post by joshu »

swah wrote: post #22
mirsadm wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can already buy ARM based dev kits from Nvidia, TI etc. They're much more powerful and suited towards that sort of goal (and more expensive). Edit: for eg http://pandaboard.org/

Those are very cool, but they are "development platforms". I don't want/can't design and produce my own hardware. I want to buy a little box (around 50-100 USD would be still good), attach an USB camera, and with software make an interesting project. In other words: Wifi and Linux (and its drivers) would make a great automation platform (having to connect to AC being the only problem left). For example, I could put o…

I actually DO use an alix for home automation, btw. It runs plain unmolested ubuntu.

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#29

Post by swah »

joshu wrote: post #28
swah wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are very cool, but they are "development platforms". I don't want/can't design and produce my own hardware. I want to buy a little box (around 50-100 USD would be still good), attach an USB camera, and with software make an interesting project. In other words: Wifi and Linux (and its drivers) would make a great automation platform (having to connect to AC being the only problem left). For example, I could put o…

I actually DO use an alix for home automation, btw. It runs plain unmolested ubuntu.

Nice! I'll just leave some links in case anyone wants to see what its like:

http://www.wifiproducts.com.au/wifi-mikrotik-webstore/ALIX_C...

http://www.wifiproducts.com.au/wifi-mikrotik-webstore/ALIX_2...

Re: Raspberry Pi computer in action

#30

Post by joshu »

swah wrote: post #29
joshu wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually DO use an alix for home automation, btw. It runs plain unmolested ubuntu.

Nice! I'll just leave some links in case anyone wants to see what its like: http://www.wifiproducts.com.au/wifi-mikrotik-webstore/ALIX_C... http://www.wifiproducts.com.au/wifi-mikrotik-webstore/ALIX_2...

these folks sell them for a fair bit less: http://myworld.ebay.com/pandorashope/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

this is where i got mine, anwyay

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