Bonum Certa Men Certa

Small Computers in Large Numbers: A Pipeline of Open Hardware

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Sep 26, 2023

Water Pipelines In The Mountains

THE Sipeed folks have taken Open Hardware a little further [1]. RISC-V cluster boards aren't unprecedented, but at a price point like $1,000 it makes one wonder how economic RISC-V might be and whether it offers "good bang for the buck" also at the back end. Arduino boards remain very cheap and the official site has just unveiled half a dozen more showcases [2-7], ranging from mousetraps to VU meters. Over at Tom's Hardware, a site which this year became over 80% spam (fake reviews, bogus benchmarks that are actually marketing, and "best" lists that are SEO spew), there's some coverage of the Raspberry Pi Pico [8] and Raspberry Pi with computer-generated images [9]. These devices are highly capable but cost a fraction of the price of a "modern" PC. Tom's Hardware keeps trying to sell machines and processors that cost thousands of dollars, but it seems like a dying industry eager to find fools who pay "premium" prices for hype like "Hey Hi" (AI). Time will tell if one day it'll become "normal" to buy a new PC for just $50. They might say "supply chain shortages" while equipping new cars with hundreds of computers, so something about this phony narrative obscures the full story. They guard and prioritise their "premiums", causing severe price hikes due to supply/demand disparities. The "free market" has failed and it keeps failing.

Related/contextual items from the news:

  1. Lichee Cluster 4A mini-ITX RISC-V cluster board launched for $929 and up

    As expected, Sipeed has now launched their Lichee Cluster 4A mini-ITX cluster board and box taking up to seven RISC-V modules with prices starting at $929 on Aliexpress. All kits on offer are fitted with seven Sipeed LM4A system-on-modules based on the T-Head TH1520 quad-core RISC-V processor in either 8GB/32GB or 16GB/128GB memory and storage configuration.

  2. Piloting spaceships with a DIY cockpit

    Take a moment to go and look up some photos of the cockpits of airplanes and spacecraft. All of them are packed full of instruments and controls. So why do we feel like we can play a flight simulator with a regular gamepad?

  3. Adding an LCD interface to an old file server

    Servers don’t usually need monitors, keyboards, or mice. Because the user only interacts with servers through separate devices under normal conditions, a server can just be a box with with a processor, RAM, storage, and network adapter. But that becomes an issue if something is wrong with the server that requires direct interaction.

  4. Building a rodent-friendly catch-and-release mousetrap with Arduino

    Rodents, including mice, are problematic. They can cause significant damage to your home by chewing up wires, walls, and insulation, while leaving behind unsanitary droppings that present a health hazard.

  5. Improving comfort and energy efficiency in buildings with automated windows and blinds

    When dealing with indoor climate controls, there are several variables to consider, such as the outside weather, people’s tolerance to hot or cold temperatures, and the desired level of energy savings. W

  6. Turning an old car into a powerful generator

    Generators are expensive pieces of equipment.

  7. DIY digital VU meter with analog vibes

    A volume unit (VU) meter is a simple gauge that indicates the amplitude of an audio signal, so higher decibels move the needle further. They’re common in the field of audio engineering and music production, with traditional VU meters being analog.

  8. Raspberry Pi Pico Automates Plant Care
    Hide Seek is using a Raspberry Pi Pico to automate a custom watering system that can detect environmental details and trigger a water pump.
  9. Raspberry Pi Uses AI to Generate Fake Images for News Headlines
    This Raspberry Pi generates images using Stable Diffusion based on text from news headlines and displays it on an e-Ink display.

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft Market Share Falling to New Lows in Aruba
Being below 20% in America is the exception, not the norm
Streaming in a Few Minutes: Julian Assange Press Conference
They test the microphone now.
Debian Project Still Has a Lot of Explaining to Do...
Assange was actually a Debian Developer
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 26, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Microsofter Throwing Stones in a Glasshouse Again
"Life is imitating art" and if you're a BS artist, your life must be BS
Far Too Young to Die
He seemed to be healthy
Virgin Islands, Marshall Islands, Guam and Other American Satellites Drift Further Away From Microsoft
So even US-controlled islands are moving away from Windows, little by little...
Let's Encrypt is Dying in Geminispace (Now Down Very Sharply to 6%), More People Self-Sign as They Certainly Should
Abandoning a fake security model?
No More Justice for Assange?
Not the site anyway
[Meme] "No News is Good News"
2 days have passed and still not a word
Northern Mariana Islands May Have Been Taken Over by Debian!!
The place is strategic for military reasons (like a giant aircraft carrier with running water)
Birthday With His Family
Julian Assange was born 3 July 1971
Julian Assange on Cryptographically-deniable Block Storage Device (aka Marutukku)
An oldie
Links 26/06/2024: US State Department Controlling YouTube, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hype on the Brink as "Losses Balloon"
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Back Above 4% (in statCounter)
happened minutes or a few hours ago
Free Assange! (by Alexandre Oliva)
Reprinted with permission from Alexandre Oliva
Julian Assange & Debian: was he a developer?
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 26/06/2024: More on Hey Hi (AI) Bubble Fading, RIAA Steps in
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/06/2024: UAF Botanical Garden and YouTube Workarounds
Links for the day
[Video] Julian Assange Arrives Safely in Australia
even the person on the air cried
[Meme] When Ian (of Debian) Was Still Alive
I wasn't always a Debian Developer...
"Julian Assange is Free"
Published ~34 minutes ago
GNU/Linux Userbase Surging in Iceland
Maybe there's something big going on, like people deleting Vista 11 in droves and installing GNU/Linux instead
Jennifer Robinson: "After 14 years of legal battles, Julian Assange can go home a free man”
She explains the implications for the general freedom of the press
Judge: Assange Leaves Court 'A Free Man'
on his way to Australia now
Julian Assange verdict: guilty, not guilty or blackmailed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
12 Months Ago the FSF Said It Would Issue a Statement on IBM Taking RHEL Proprietary
Statement never happened
Sheriff of Cork & Debian Edward Brocklesby or Brockelsby Street confusion
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Microsoft's Bing Fall From 2.6% Before LLM Hype to Just 0.79% Right Now in Russia
statCounter's data
[Meme] Speaking Truth to Power (Still Easier in the West Than in Russia/BRIC)
Different people, different outcomes
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 25, 2024
The Plot to Silence (or Deplatform) Techrights
This past month I've been spending time working on the text of an online publication
[Meme] Julian Assange's Lawyers Need to Ensure Assange Maintains Freedom to Publish
Let's ensure he can continue to publish
"Conviction for a Crime he Did Not Commit," Said Jennifer Robinson
Robinson is the kind of woman accomplisher we should look up to
Trying to Make Blogs (Independent and Mostly Decentralised Platforms) What Comes After Social Control Media
Social Control Networks 'stole the thunder' of blogs, but can we get back to blogs?
Julian Assange Has Landed
There will probably be some press interviews some time this month or next month
L is for Linux and Lao
Lao should really have something called LaOS
[Meme] Need More Sites Like Wikileaks, Not Less
On US government vs Wikileaks
We Know Who Stands to Gain From the Demise of the Press
the Assange release was a win for his family, but likely a dire loss for press freedom
[Meme] Think Twice Before Exposing or 'Embarrassing' Powerful People and Interests
The United States government has basically won the Assange case
An Extended Statement on Julian Assange
Assange's release was not important enough to "make the cut" for News, only "tweets" and other Social Control Media nonsense.
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is Openwashing, Ben Cotton (Fedora) Acknowledges It, Fails to See How Bribes Led to That
As if... it "just happened"
Links 25/06/2024: RAM Stress, COVID Graft
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/06/2024: Hey Hi Punditry and Right to Repair
Links for the day
Links 25/06/2024: Julian Assange Freed From Prison, "AI" Bubble Imploding Some More
Links for the day
Three Points About Julian Assange Plea Deal
There is still a secret problem
[Meme] EFF Became a 'Bunch of Pussies' Working for GAFAM (and Sponsored by GAFAM)
It won't protect people, except very rich people's interests
IBM Does Not Care for the Blind (Wayland Harms Accessibility)
What a punch in the gut
Who Is This Backup FOR, the NSA?
As Admfubar put it, "backups for everyone..."
Tux Machines Past 20: Still Thriving
Now 20 years and 2 weeks old
[Meme] Microsoft is Coming /Home
"LOL, REAL SORRY!!!"
Microsoft's Siege of Libya Coming to an End
One might be tempted to guess the users deleted Windows and installed something else
Gemini Links 25/06/2024: Old Computer Challenge; An Opinionated GNU/Linux Guide
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 24, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, June 24, 2024
IEEE Computer Society on Andrew Tanenbaum, Winner of ACM Award, Who Also Inspired Linux Development
10 years ago
New Talk by Dr. Richard Stallman Published Two Days Ago By CeSIUM - Centro de Estudantes de Engenharia Informática da Universidade do Minho (Portugal)
The FSF no longer mentions Richard Stallman's talks, but we will
FSF Looking to Raise Money by Adding 200 New Members by July 19
The FSF is in good shape, according to Alexandre Oliva
Not Only Does It Not Add Security... (UEFI as a 'Bug Door')
SecureCore?
Data From Monaco Should Alarm Microsoft
Just how many people are deleting Windows and installing something else this year?
Name the Threats and Threat Actors
Looking back to 2006, there was Novell and gregkh (partly salaried by Microsoft), so these are familiar territories
Linux in Central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger)
Vast area, vast number of "Linux users" (if one counts Android as such)
[Meme] Gagging One's Own Staff as a Signal of Corporate Distress
Censorship at Microsoft