$25 USB PC

What works, and doesn't, for you. Be specific, and please include Puppy version.
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mechmike
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$25 USB PC

#1 Post by mechmike »

http://www.geek.com/articles/games/game ... 5-2011055/

(Game Developer David) Braben has developed a tiny USB stick PC that has a HDMI port in one end and a USB port on the other. You plug it into a HDMI socket and then connect a keyboard via the USB port giving you a fully functioning machine running a version of Linux. The cost? $25.

The hardware being offered is no slouch either. It uses a 700MHz ARM11 processor coupled with 128MB of RAM and runs OpenGL ES 2.0 allowing for decent graphics performance with 1080p output confirmed. Storage is catered for by an SD card slot

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Lobster
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#2 Post by Lobster »

Just seen this.
Would this be the device to get Puppy running on ARM?
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Lobster
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#3 Post by Lobster »

Image
http://www.raspberrypi.org/

Well they have put a camera on the device . . .
I wrote to them and asked about an internet connection via a USB hub
or integrated facility
I am publicity officer for Puppy Linux
and am interested in porting Puppy to a cheap ARM device that includes
internet connection.

Is Internet connection possible with a USB hub from your device
or do you intend including such a feature?
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maxerro
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OMG

#4 Post by maxerro »

This is ingenious...

I can already see this integrated with pico-projectors...

nooby
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#5 Post by nooby »

Thanks mechmike for telling us about it.

Lobster ask the Dev if he allow the users to have root access :)

It is not easy to get Puppy on such a thing. But maybe one can use what is already there and tweak it to be more puppy like but to write subroutines for ARM is for those that do it 24/7 and then you have to find somebody motivated from within themselves or to pay somebody.

25 USD but that maybe is before our Custom Service want the Toll things and VAT and whatever. But sure I send the money if you send me the small thing. would be cool to have as a toy someday in the future when we know more what kind of linux it is. I guess it is Debian. Them are good at such.
I use Google Search on Puppy Forum
not an ideal solution though

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puppyiso
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#6 Post by puppyiso »

I heard that it runs Ubuntu. If it can run Ubuntu, puppy won't be a problem.

And I think the 25 us dollar means actually the selling price after all the margins.

It has only one usb port but there are usb hubs. But why the camera? then something has to hold the piece to face a person.

A 9v battery!! Wonderful.

Wireless keyboard and mouse combo comes into my mind.

Great stuff.

gcmartin

Vision

#7 Post by gcmartin »

This is a special purpose device that is intended for its one mission that its engineers designed it for! This is what is called a component. And intends to be sold in bulk to some corporation/agency/organization.

It was NEVER intended as a general purpose device. Why not ask their product managers to tell you which application it was intended for and use it within its spec objective first. Then, look for extensions.

This does NOT appear to be designed for how we use Puppy. So, if some intend to put Puppy here, it would be nice to consider a specific application (meaning need) that this would match. For example Lobster's Video objectives where he may create and save to USB, only. Or as a switching component to make intelligent decision about locking and unlocking doors for security or as a security device in a home which receives signaling from a USB camera and display it on a screen. Very specialized kinds of stuff well within the scope of its design point(s).

Please look over and understand the ARM mission, too. The ARM manufacturers are very specific in the niche they are filling and its price-point for bulk sales. They are NOT as of yet looking to produce an Intel/AMD/Via class CPU as of yet. But they do see a market in the hand-helds and miniature class boards.

Hope this helps.
Last edited by gcmartin on Tue 10 May 2011, 04:29, edited 1 time in total.

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Lobster
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#8 Post by Lobster »

This is their reply (a slice of Pi?)
It's certainly possible to get network access - the grey DLink box on
the table in one of the photos on our site is a USB Ethernet adapter.
The devices should be available to the general public later in the
year; I'll add you to our mailing list, and will keep you posted as we
get closer to launch
We are still some way from a viable mass market ARM device and therefore some way from Puppy ARM . . .
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Master_wrong
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#9 Post by Master_wrong »

is this the start of smart tv, and the death of desktop PC?
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LoboGrande
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Anyone using Puppy with Beagle or Panda Boards?

#10 Post by LoboGrande »

I just discovered Beagle and Panda Boards. Thinking about a building a low-power consumption PC to reduce my electric bill without sacrificing a full time internet connection.

gcmartin

Re: Anyone using Puppy with Beagle or Panda Boards?

#11 Post by gcmartin »

LoboGrande wrote: ... Thinking about a building a low-power consumption PC to reduce my electric bill without sacrificing a full time internet connection.
This is just a $20 idea which may help your desires while achieving your objective(s).

Hardware Requirement:
You'll need
  • 1 PC that is running full time on your LAN as a Netboot + NAS server. (Required!)
  • 1/more PC motherboards (MB) wtth LAN adapter built into the MB
  • AND for each MB, you'll nned
    • monitor
    • mouse
    • keyboard
    • ethernet cable connecting your MB to your switch
Software Requirement
  • You'll need your choice of Puppy distro for your running full-time PC
  • the ISOs for your choice of which PUPs you choose to run on your MB
  • Next on that full-time PC install NETBOOT functions
Assuming you have a full time PC running, Follow the instructions here which will setup your full time PC.

Here's a cost I have found at a local computer store for used parts.
Old PC with 1GB RAM and on-board LAN ==> $20 (US) (without HDD or CD/DVD with keyboard and mouse) store guaranteed that the LAN adapter on MB worked and it would PXE boot. It did.

Here's what I did:
  • Followed the instructions, above, and booted my $20 network attached MB
  • Set power to its lowest level
  • Set screen-saver properties appropriately
Done!

No moving parts excepting fan on powersupply. Quiet....very quiet!
$20! Of course, I had to supply my own monitor, but $20.

Hope this helps.
P.S. I just thought about it, but I'll bet that for $5 I could trade them my current powersupply for a 50-75Watt PS.. Hummm???

LoboGrande
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Still not low enough draw

#12 Post by LoboGrande »

Up front cost aren't the issue, I'm looking for a small form computer that has super low draw that I can run for a very long time off of a small solar panel and battery system that has all the full features ie dual core's/with the fastest memory I can get. My old P3 machines will operate at 25-50% power of my single core P4 machines will but the P4's will run circles around them in terms of surfing the net with the same amount of memory Both are running 1.5 gb of memory. PC133 SDRAM just can't keep up with PC2700 DDR even with overclocking. The Panda Board comes with on-board LAN and 1gb of DDR2 memory ie even faster than PC2700. The Panda Board site say it will operate on any Debian based Linux. I know Lucid Puppy is Debian based are Wary or Puppy 4.2, 4.3 as well?

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Lobster
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#13 Post by Lobster »

I know Lucid Puppy is Debian based are ... as well?

Lucid is 'Puppy + Ubuntu binaries', so has some Debian compatibility. Wary is compiled with Woof, in Puppy for Puppy. So it is Puppy based. (Not going to be too strict in these definitions) 4.2 and 4.3 are Puppy compiled and based.
A dpup is currently being revived (Puppy + Debian binaries)
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/Dpup

:)
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