Linux Devices and Open Hardware
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Mekotronics R58X-4G - A Rockchip RK3588 mini PC with 4G LTE and PoE support - CNX Software
Supported operating systems include Android 12, Debian 11, and Ubuntu 20.04, and the company mentions support for Buildroot built system.
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Install open source solar power at home | Opensource.com
You might have already given some thought to powering your home with solar. Solar photovoltaic panels, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, have fallen so far down in cost that it makes economic sense everywhere. That is why large companies have put in a lot of solar, and even the electric utilities have started installing massive solar farms—it simply costs less than antiquated fossil fuels. Like most homeowners, you would like to save money and eviscerate your electric bill, but you are probably cringing a bit at the upfront cost. To get a rough idea of the cost, a 5kW system that would power an average home installed at $3/W would cost about $15,000, while a larger home might need 10kW to offset all of their electricity purchases and cost $30,000. If you want batteries, double the cost (you don’t need batteries as most solar arrays connect to the grid, but if the grid goes down, so does your solar array until it is turned back on.) Paying for all your electricity for the next several decades is an investment, even if you save a lot of money.
There is some good financial news. First, both the US and Canada have enacted a 30% tax credit for solar. This credit drops the price down to about $2/W. Second, Opensource.com previously discussed how you could get a free book, To Catch the Sun, that walks you through how to design your own system (you will still need a certified electrician and inspections to attach it to the grid). If you are a little handy, you can cut the remaining cost by about 50%. These costs are primarily for materials, including solar panels, wiring, electronics, and racking. Amazingly, solar panel costs have dropped so low for small solar systems (like the ones for your house) the racking (mechanical structures that hold the solar panels up) can cost more than the panels!
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Electronic music icon Korg makes music with Raspberry Pi
When you think of synth music, racks of keyboards, or massive DJ rigs, Korg probably comes to mind. And if those thoughts are accompanied by memories of handfuls of glowsticks and whistles as necklaces, we can be friends.
The iconic instrument makers have being going since the 1960s and were responsible for Japan’s first synthesizer. As electronic music got bigger in later decades, so did Korg, and they’re still at the forefront of music-making with the help of Raspberry Pi.
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Electronic music icon creates compelling sounds with a powerful Raspberry Pi Compute Module
Iconic instrument maker Korg began life in Japan in the 1960s, bringing to market first drum machines, then Japan’s first synthesizer and the world’s first needle-type tuner. It came to international prominence with the rise of electronic music in the 1970s and 1980s. Demands for ever more capable synthesizers — as well as more affordable models — saw Korg expand its product lines into both home hobbyist and professional performer arenas. Keen to capitalise on the exciting possibilities of electronic music production, which was developing at a rapid pace alongside the exponential growth of home and office computing, Korg took an early interest in DSP-based synthesizers. A DSP, or digital signal processor, is a specialised chip for rapidly manipulating the digitised version of real-world analogue signals — audio input, for example.
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Meet Raspberry Pi’s Maker in Residence – Toby Roberts
I started playing with Raspberry Pi hardware at home around the same time I started using Linux at work. I have used Raspberry Pi a lot in various police tactics over the years. They were dependable, low-cost, portable, and supported by such an awesome community. I tried almost every ‘fruit-based’ single-board computer out there, but I always came back to Raspberry Pi.
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Pi Pico QR Display Hands Out WiFi Info With Style
At this point, you’re likely aware that you can store your wireless network’s credentials in a QR code, so that anyone who wants to connect with their smartphone need only scan the 2D barcode. Whether you print it out on paper, extrude it out of plastic, or paint the thing on the wall, it still works the same. It’s a neat trick for when you’ve got friends and family over, and saves you having to explain your ponderously long WPA key.
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Bee Motion S3 - An ESP32-S3 board with a PIR motion sensor (Crowdfunding) - CNX Software
It is at least the third PIR motion wireless board from Smart Bee Designs, as the company previously introduced the ESP32-S2 powered Bee Motion board and the ultra-small Bee Motion Mini with an ESP32-C3 SoC. The new Bee Motion S3 adds a few more I/Os, a light sensor, and the ESP32-S3’s AI vector extensions could potentially be used for faster and/or lower-power TinyML processing.
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Arduino PLC IDE released for the Portenta Machine Control unit, and soon Opta micro PLC - CNX Software
The newly released Arduino PLC IDE supports the five languages defined by the IEC 61131-3 standard: Ladder Diagram, Functional Block Diagram, Structured Text, Sequential Function Chart, and Instruction List.
With Arduino focusing more and more on the industrial side with its Arduino Pro family, the company unveiled the Arduino Opta Micro PLC for industrial application last month and said it could be programmed with traditional PLC languages such as Ladder and FCB as well as the Arduino 2.0.0 IDE. The company now seems to have created an all-in-one integrated development environment for such hardware with the Arduino PLC IDE supporting PLC languages with Arduino Sketches.