Open Hardware/Modding: Raspberry Pi, PureOS, and More
-
Tom's Hardware ☛ Raspberry Pi 500 keyboard PC has been modded with an NVMe M.2 slot leveraging the device's conspicuously empty PCB header
An unnamed Raspberry Pi 500 modder speaking to developer and TechTuber Jeff Geerling was quoted in a December 13 blog post clarifying the nature of the empty, deactivated M.2 header present on the original Pi 500 board and explaining the steps needed to restore full functionality. Be mindful that if you're looking to take on this project for yourself, you will need to have appropriate soldering equipment and a microscope to do the job properly — but readers already comfortable with high-end tweaking and repair tasks may be willing to make that trade-off. Jeff Geerling is on the record hoping for a more powerful "Pro" or "Pro Max" Raspberry PI 500 kit outright, that will "give us everything", including the M.2 slot and PoE+ support apparently cut from the Pi 500 PCBs prior to release.
-
The Register UK ☛ Sweet Raspberry taste of success masks a missed opportunity
These may be the misperceptions of an ungrateful, entitled nerdery too used to a good thing, but there's a deeper truth at work. In part, this is an unavoidable consequence of the Raspberry Pi idea growing from a single, focused product of "a BBC Micro for today" to a revival of proficiency in low-level software and hardware skills amongst a very diverse enterprise that serves many different audiences. In part, this is because, despite the ethos of early microcomputing still fuelling the Raspberry Pi-maker's thinking, it isn't possible to recapitulate the raw excitement that happened back then.
Pi-meister Eben Upton has never hidden being a huge fan of the Amiga 500, which parachuted sound synthesis, multimedia graphics and multitasking into markets that were used to machines which spent most of their time pretending to be glass teletypes with crude bitmap graphics stapled on. The chance to make a Pi 500 in tribute was, he hinted, irresistible. It could never be that tribute, though; the Pi 400 was the bold move into a market that nobody knew could be reanimated by Pi magic. The Pi 500's existence is a strategic success where strategy is the hardest trick to pull off. It is deserving of more attention offworld of Planet Pi than it will get. But what it is not, is exciting. Somehow, we expected excitement.
-
Purism ☛ PureOS Crimson Development Report: November 2024
-
Linux Gizmos ☛ Open-Source Hornet Nest Alarm Panel for Home Assistant and ESPHome
CrowdSupply recently featured the Hornet Nest Alarm Panel, a PoE-enabled security panel that integrates traditional wired alarm systems with modern smart home platforms like Home Assistant. Its open-source design provides flexibility and customization for enhancing home security systems.
-
Linux Gizmos ☛ (Updated) Olimex Showcases Development Board Design Based on ESP32-P4 RISC-V SoC
Espressif Systems announced the ESP32-P4 over a year ago. While the chip is not yet available for retail, a prototype development board featuring the chip was recently showcased by Olimex. This board includes multiple interfaces, such as an Ethernet connector and a camera connector, demonstrating its versatile capabilities.