Open Hardware/Modding: ESP32, Raspberry Pi, and More

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Feb 28, 2025

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Raspberry Pi 5 powers retro-futurism 1980s cyberdeck with custom milled keypad and wood finish

  There's nothing like a custom handheld cyberdeck and this Raspberry Pi handheld is a shining example of how far you can take customization as a maker. Nicholas LaBonte recently shared a detailed post showing off his awesome Raspberry Pi 5-powered handheld SDR Cyberdeck and it's absolutely gorgeous.

• Jeff Geerling ☛ Project MINI RACK - what have we started??

  Today I set up a new DeskPi RackMate 12U model, the T2, and compared it to the other existing models (T0 / 4U and T1 / 8U)... and I have to ask: at what point are these racks not 'mini' anymore?

• Boiling Steam ☛ Framework: Desktops are Next

  So Framework Computers had a new reveal event on Feb 25th 2025, and there were a few new developments that are worth mentioning. In case this is the first time you hear about Framework, it’s a young American company that entered the hardware business to make laptops a few years ago, with the brand being all about selling cool, user-serviceable laptops with modular design. They have been fairly successful so far at making a dent on the market (probably still somewhat small compared to companies like Lenovo, Dell and HP). And their support of Linux has been good and fairly serious in the past few years, after focusing first on Windows when they started up. I have already reviewed the Framework Intel 12th Gen laptop 2 years back and the Framework AMD 13 laptop last year, and they keep improving in almost every aspect. So this is with some certain interest that I was looking forward to what they were going to announce next.

• JCS ☛ iMac G4(K)

  A year ago I tried using an M1 iMac for work duty but its 21" screen took up too much room on my desk. After seeing Sean's video on Action Retro about putting an M4 Mac Mini inside an iMac G4, I thought I'd give it a try.

• Olimex ☛ POEv3 is new Open Source Hardware board which adds Power Over Ethernet to ESP32-P4-DevKit

  ESP32-P4-Devkit is one of the first development boards with the new ESP32-P4 Dual Core RISC-V processor from Espressif.

• CNX Software ☛ TouchEye dual round touch display module features Raspberry Pi RP2040 or ESP32-S3 MCU (Crowdfunding)

  Last December, Debashis wrote about the Waveshare Double Eye LCD module comprised of two round displays that can be useful for robotics or art projects since they can be made to look like googly eyes. The module is designed to be connected to a host MCU via an SPI interface. The TouchEye looks similar but offers larger 1.28-inch round displays (instead of 0.71-inch),  and also adds a touch function.

• CNX Software ☛ Silicon Labs MG26 development kits and SoCs are now available for Matter and multiprotocol Smart Home applications

  Silicon Labs MG26 is a new family of Arm Cortex-M33 wireless SoCs designed for Matter or multiprotocol Smart Home applications that provide an update to the MG24 with more memory and storage, additional GPIO, a 4×40 LCD controller, and an integrated AI/ML accelerator.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Raspberry Pi powers custom cyberdeck inspired music player

  Tonight-we-ride has put together a cool Raspberry Pi music player with a touchscreen and customizable interface with Winamp.

• Hackaday ☛ Thermorphs: Self-Folding 3D Prints

  Prints separating from the build plate or warping when you don’t want them to is a headache for the additive manufacturer. [CNC Kitchen] walks us through a technique to use that warping to our advantage.

• Raspberry Pi ☛ Experience AI: The story so far

  Experience AI resources are helping educators teach AI to 11-14 year olds. Explore the impact of our free resources and find out how to get involved.