Tux Machines

Open Hardware: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Librem, Framework, and More

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Aug 20, 2024

Hackaday ☛ Cost-Optimized Raspberry Pi 5 Released With 2 GB RAM And D0 Stepping

When the Raspberry Pi 5 SBC was released last year, it came in 4 and 8 GB RAM variants, which currently retail from around $80 USD and €90 for the 8 GB variant to $60 and €65 for the 4 GB variant. Now Raspberry Pi has announced the launch of a third Raspberry Pi 5 variant: a 2 GB version which also features a new stepping of the BCM2712 SoC. This would sell for about $50 USD and feature the D0 stepping that purportedly strips out a lot of the ‘dark silicon’ that is not used on the SBC.

SparkFun Electronics ☛ The Newest Pi5 is Now Available!

The newest iteration of the Raspberry Pi single board computer featuring a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor running at 2.4GHz, Raspberry Pi 5 delivers a 2–3× increase in CPU performance relative to Raspberry Pi 4. Alongside a substantial uplift in graphics performance from an 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU; dual 4Kp60 display output over HDMI; and state-of-the-art camera support from a rearchitected Raspberry Pi Image Signal Processor, it provides a smooth desktop experience for consumers, and opens the door to new applications for industrial customers. This module features 2GB of LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM.

Hackaday ☛ A Trackball Retro Laptop

While track pads and mice dominate the pointing device landscape today, there was a time when track balls were a major part of the scene. In order to really sell the retro chops of his portable computer, [Ominous Industries] designed a clip-on style track ball for his retro Raspberry Pi laptop.

Raspberry Pi ☛ 2GB Raspberry Pi 5 on sale now at $50

Today, our flagship Raspberry Pi 5 family gains a new member. Priced at just $50, the new 2GB variant continues our mission to bring high-performance general-purpose computing to the widest possible audience.

The Register UK ☛ Raspberry Pi 5 slims down for cut-price 2 GB RAM version

At the unveiling of the $50 computer, Pi supremo Eben Upton told The Register: "We're bringing the power of our most modern platform, and all of the optimizations we've developed since the launch of the larger memory SKUs last autumn, to a new lower price point, and are excited to see what people do with it."

PC World ☛ The Raspberry Pi 5 is even more affordable with its new 2GB model

Four gigs of RAM might not seem like a lot for a PC or even a smartphone these days. But for a tiny all-in-one board like the Raspberry Pi, it can actually be overkill.

Arduino ☛ An Arduino-powered robotic ukulele that plays itself

An Arduino UNO Rev3 board controls those motors through a HiLetgo L293D motor shield, with a TMC2208 driver module for the stepper. The Arduino can lower the pick and strum it across all of the strings, or it can move to a specific string and pluck just that one.

But it would be limited to only a handful of songs if it could only play open strings, so Zeroshot also needed to add hardware to hold the strings down on the fretboard. He chose solenoids for that job, held in a 3D-printed mount. With power coming from the motor shield, the Arduino can extend the solenoids to play any required notes.

37signals LLC ☛ The Framework 13 has a new high-res screen!

The first laptop I ordered back when my Linux journey began was the Framework 13. I immediately liked a lot about it. The keyboard is a big step up over the MacBook Pro, primarily because of the 50% longer key travel. And I love the matte screen and 3:2 aspect ratio. Both feel way nicer for programming.

Wouter Groeneveld ☛ The Downsides of Vintage Hardware

Just to be on the safe side, I’d have to swap out the motherboard and re-test everything. Unfortunately, having spare 486 components is called a privilege nowadays as 35 year old hardware components are getting more and more expensive. I bought the cheapest baby AT one I could find—$62 without an additional $25 shipping from Ukraine—that had tested and working in the ad description.

Kernel Space

Purism ☛ Phone Kernel Development at Purism

The kernel is also instrumental in optimizing the performance and efficiency of a smartphone. It manages multitasking, ensuring that applications run smoothly without draining the battery or overloading the processor. This delicate balance is crucial for delivering a user experience that is both responsive and energy-efficient. We have history showcasing how kernel optimizations significantly enhance the performance of devices, making them more reliable and user-friendly. The primary example is our earliest versions of the Librem 5 phone did not support suspend, which means the kernel keeps the CPU on even when not needed, wasting lots of power.  Enabling suspend doubles the battery life, and we brought this support to all devices with a software update.