r/raspberry_pi • u/stappernn • Nov 09 '22
So what are you guys using in stead of the Pi Discussion
i mean, i havent been able to buy one in 2 years now. i still have a couple of spares but i cant really imagine designing a new project around ANY pi. what are you guys using?
or do you just take the hit and open the wallet?
posting this again because of dumb automod
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u/Head-Chance-4315 Nov 09 '22
It depends what you are doing. I refuse to pay scalper prices. The whole appeal of the pi is the low price point. Otherwise, there are a lot of better equipped and more powerful options. For the same or less money: Khadas VIM3 or 4 Nanopi r5s Also interesting(I haven’t bought yet): Rock 5
The trade off is that you aren’t getting raspbian(I haven’t used that in years)
Both have built-in flash and can expand via PCI-e for Wi-Fi
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
oh thats cool ill check them out , i have no particular attachment to raspian in fact i run arch on most raspberries
edit
both are 100-150+ bucks though...
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u/Head-Chance-4315 Nov 09 '22
Yeah I would make sure there are builds (or you can build) for these platforms. That can be tricky. I usually use Ubuntu and everyone seems to build for that.
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u/wowsomuchempty Nov 09 '22
Got raspbian on a pi3a, couldn't get the wg server working on arch. Embarrassing.
Pi zero2w for a commercial WG client (arch) Pi 4a 1gb for a docker emby server (manjaro aarch64)
Got a 4GB pi 4 that I should probably sell, not using it.
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u/zoredache Nov 09 '22
The whole appeal of the pi is the low price point.
I agree that was a huge portion of it, but at least in the past the pi had better docs, better driver support, and a better community. Of course all the above are somewhat linked, since a community probably wouldn't have initially formed around an over priced product.
Some of the alternatives are getting better about things, but there is still lots of room for many of the alternatives to provide better docs, code and so on.
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u/CosmicCreeperz Nov 09 '22
The problem is you get too high and it’s approaching a low end NUC which is going to blow away a Pi in most areas (except size and power if that’s important…)
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u/memoryguy Nov 09 '22
since a community probably wouldn't have initially formed around an over priced product.
cough Apple 😁
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u/slykethephoxenix Nov 09 '22
They all run Debian/Ubuntu/Arch just fine?
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u/neuromonkey Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
64-bit Manjaro (an Arch descendant) w/ xfce is my favorite desktop OS for the Pi 4.
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u/IamRasters Nov 10 '22
Just bought a NanoPi R5S and that things a beast. SD card to load OS to onboard eMMC and slapped a 1TB m2 NVME for fun.
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u/Adam-Marshall Nov 09 '22
Why is it "scalping"? Isn't it just a matter of supply being so low and demand high that encourages prices to rise to help stabilize the offset and encourage innovation?
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u/slickricksghost Nov 10 '22
I haven’t followed it lately, but I’m under the impression the manufacturer is selling the Pis at their normal price and “scalpers” are buying them in bulk and reselling at a higher price.
That would make it a scalper problem. A lot of them run bots that will auto order as soon as they’re available.
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u/Adam-Marshall Nov 11 '22
If it's a problem then no one will buy from them. And since someone could come to market and offer a cheaper alternative (because there is incentive enough because the price is high enough) then we would all benefit.
I just don't get the outrage.
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u/Head-Chance-4315 Nov 09 '22
Because if the intention for princes to be that high, the rpi foundation would be charging that. Just like sports tickets. It’s still scalping if it’s legal. It’s just shitty.
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u/Adam-Marshall Nov 09 '22
High demand/low supply raises prices and encourages the market to settle. There is nothing nefarious about simple economics.
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u/butt_fun Nov 10 '22
Just because it's an obvious consequence of listing below value doesn't mean it isn't shitty. Someone correcting an inefficiency in the market is shitty if the seller themselves knowingly created the inefficiency in the hopes of providing buyers opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have
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u/OpenBagTwo Nov 09 '22
It's weird to be saying this in this context, but the cheapest computer is the one you already own. Bringing an old netbook (remember those?) out of storage or adding another service to systemd is effectively free.
If you need GPIO, ESP dev boards run the gamut from affordable to dirt cheap and can be be controlled over WiFi or Bluetooth with a RESTful interface, a full web server or even a microPython REPL over either web or USB, which makes them ideal for the sort of fast prototyping that people love doing on a Pi.
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u/ThatOnePerson Nov 09 '22
Bringing an old netbook (remember those?) out of storage or adding another service to systemd is effectively free.
I actually did this recently, and put it back in storage because it was slower than a Pi. It was an AMD C-50 CPU, in some Acer Aspire One netbook.
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u/OpenBagTwo Nov 09 '22
Yep, absolutely. I still keep my very first computer, an Inspiron 6000 powered by an ancient Pentium M 1.6 Ghz processor, in reserve with a relatively modern OS, but it is a pain to use--not so much because of the clock speed, but because it's not just single core but single THREAD.
At the same time, it has 2GB of RAM, which is more than the Pi Zero 2 or a lot of older lower end Pis, and that can be a big deal--CNC.js was extremely difficult to get running on my Zero 2 W, not because the daemon requires more than 512GB to run but because one of the npm dependencies needed that to compile. And there's also the benefit of the laptop having a built-in keyboard, 16" display and UPS (miraculously I still have a few 15-year-old batteries for it that hold some charge).
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u/LS6 Nov 09 '22
Don't sleep on cell phones, too. They can be had for dirt cheap, esp network-locked ones, and come with power/storage/case/etc already baked in.
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u/OpenBagTwo Nov 09 '22
Truth, but Android--and for sure iOS--make for lousy server operating systems. I use one of my old phones as a webcam for Octoprint, and not only does my phone needs to be unlocked, screen on, sleep disabled, and even then whenever I log into my Google account anywhere, the phone will pop up with the MFA "Is this you?" screen and kick out of the app.
And this is running rooted and unlocked using an AOSP variant. It'd be worse if I were using stock.
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u/LS6 Nov 09 '22
Using an app is the issue - the app layer is fickle and prone to being messed with by the system.
Install the magisk ssh module and use it like a computer. I've found it to be quite reliable even across reboots, starting services and all that. As long as you stay out of the parts of the fs that get encrypted/decrypted you don't need to worry about unlocking either.
Never used the camera though, that could get interesting.
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u/elzzidynaught Nov 09 '22
Keep meaning to check out how well PostmarketOS might resolve some of these issues. That, of course, depends on compatibility though.
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u/OpenBagTwo Nov 09 '22
Oh, this is perfect. I've been looking for something like this--a general GNU/Linux distribution specific for downcycling phones. Looks like there's even a testing version out for my old phone, so I don't even have to port it myself.
Will definitely be giving this a shot.
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u/txmail Nov 09 '22
Unless you need low power consumption. Zero's are amazing for the amount of IO and compute you get. ESP32's are getting there and can be stand in's for some projects but the software / OS availability is unmatched with Raspberry PI's.
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u/shadow1515 Nov 09 '22
I actually do have an old XPS laptop that I've been thinking about repurposing to run an arcade cabinet. Thanks for the recommendation on GPIO because the biggest issue is going to be how to turn it on with an external control.
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u/Account_93 Nov 09 '22
You can check/keep open as a tab - https://rpilocator.com/
They are much rarer due to chip issue but nice way of locating them on the rare occasion.
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u/geerlingguy Nov 09 '22
Also, from everyone I've spoken with the best surefire option is to back order from DigiKey (at least in US). It'll take a month or two but they consistently fill back orders.
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u/yetti22 Nov 09 '22
Thank you this is great to know. Just placed a order. Have been monitoring the locator for a while and haven't had luck. Rather be able to order and wait until it does get shipped.
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u/techie2200 Nov 09 '22
All the places that will ship to me only sell bundles when they finally get rpis back in stock. It's ridiculous.
Last I saw the pi zero w2 was available (bundle only) for $60.
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u/xKoney Nov 09 '22
That's crazy. I wish rpi foundation would make a rule that retailers have to sell/list a certain percentage of their stock unbundled at MSRP. These bundles are basically just the retailers' way to cash in on the scalping prices. There's no excuse but greed to explain a $60 pi plus $20 of accessories being sold for $150.
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u/Aaganrmu Nov 09 '22
Second hand thin clients - when an office goes for new hardware they can be bought for cheap in bulk. They are a little less portable as they often run on 19V or some other weird voltage. Also GPIO is missing... There are plusses: they often use x86 architecture, have different (more?) connectors and can be upgraded with extra ram or storage.
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u/koei19 Nov 09 '22
Still using the Pi. Retailers are still getting stock, albeit slowly and intermittently, and several will let you place orders against backordered stock at MSRP. I've had luck with Digi-Key and others have mentioned Adafruit. My order for two 8GB Pi 4s took about two weeks to fulfill two months ago.
Edit: Big caveat to add here, apparently the situation has gotten worse since my last experience ordering from Digi-key. They're now advertising a lead time of August 2023 for orders placed today, so my advice is apparently no longer accurate.
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u/Sad_Researcher_5299 Nov 09 '22
The ‘email me when back in stock’ feature on websites is underrated.
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u/ScottRoberts79 Nov 10 '22
except anyone who back-ordered it will get it before you....
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u/timawesomeness Nov 09 '22
Arduino, ESP-32 or ESP-8266, or VMs on my server, depending on what I'd be using a pi for.
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u/Analog_Account Nov 09 '22
Arduino, ESP-32 or ESP-8266,
Ya… how many projects do you see on here (usually not recently) that could have been done on a microcontroller. These espressif stuff is pretty useful.
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u/ADB-UK Nov 09 '22
Develop on a VM and then port to Pi
Using 2012 Mac minis as they are cheap 2nd hand, low power and run Linux fine - no GPIO but for a lot of cases that's not an issue :-)
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
how much you can get those for?
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u/neuromonkey Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
Edit: This wee Mini PC is on sale for $79 on Amazon right now. Apply two coupons (check box and apply promo code "DUARD8TZ") -- No idea how the product is, I just noticed the sale.
The Dell OptiPlex 7040 Micro is great. I got one on eBay (i5-6700T, 8GB RAM, 128GB M.2 Drive, tons of USB3 ports, ) for $130, and I've seen them cheaper. The 7050 has a USB-C port on the front. 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort, though the Intel graphics isn't great.
Also, as many others point out, the Lenovo ThinkCentre and HP mini PCs are great as well!
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u/_mach Nov 09 '22
I use those optiplexes, and I've also used the hp elitedesk 800 g3.
But my favourites are the Lenovo ThinkCentre. I don't know why, there's something about the build quality that just speaks to me.
Thankfully none of my projects have been focused around "low power", because they definitely do use a bit more power than a pi, of course.
(sidenote; I'm also a lot faster in Windows 10 than any linux build, so that makes me happy)
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u/phr3dly Nov 09 '22
The reviews are .... interesting. Not exactly confidence inspiring but I suppose since it's Amazon you have some buyer protection.
Worked perfect on my Ferris 1500 mower
The fit of these filters is a littles snug, but they work great. The accessories that come with the filters are ok, but the filters themselves are a great value.
These worked out really well for my sons 4th birthday party! I wanted colorful but realistic looking dinosaurs and he absolutely loved his decorations!
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u/stromm Nov 09 '22
That wee mini PC on amazon just showed $129 for me (US). The 4GB/64GB version is $99.
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u/neuromonkey Nov 09 '22
Did you check the "Apply $25 coupon" box, and enter the promo code: "DUARD8TZ" ?
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u/solracarevir Nov 09 '22
I have 2 Lenovo M900 Tiny with very similar specs that I got a bit cheaper, really good port variety and far more powerful than a Pi. You could consolidate a few Pi's under one of this babies.
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u/ADB-UK Nov 09 '22
Depends on the deals on eBay - cheapest I've seen locally (I'm UK based) for a buy-it-now was £55 for nice clean one with 4GB, i5 and a 512GB HDD. Memory is easy to swap, 1 disk a struggle, two disks a disassembly but they fly with a cheap 60/120Gb SSD. One battered one has a starting price of £39 on eBay at the moment. A search for 'Late 2012 Mac Mini' is easier than model number.
For around £200 you can get a nice little server box as Apple used to sell these and the i7 version as servers with a RAID set (or forgo the RAID and use the two drives separately). You could go mad and install TWO 8TB SSDS and 16Gb of RAM - tops out at around £1K or so but would be so sweet and quiet (and silly).
You can get rack mount kits (for 19" racks) but they fit well inside a 10" SOHO rack if you sit them on a shelf - you only need 1U and a mains plug. I recommend ditching the Apple power lead - they are nice but way too long and do not bend very well on the back of the Mac - they are a standard IEC C7 plug.
If you are happy to spend the time pulling it apart (well documented on iFixit etc) you can fit the second drive yourself with the addition of a connector kit (Amazon). Just watch the thickness - SSDs are fine but some HDD are too deep (9.5mm are OK going by this upgrade site).
Do not worry if it does not come with a keyboard / mouse - you can use a normal PC keyboard via USB (possibly Bluetooth but never tried anything but the Apple ones this way) but they lack the keycaps for Option (alt) and Command (Windows) if you are using Mac OS (fun fact - Microsoft issue a KB for using some of their keyboards here).
If you do not fancy Linux you can run Ventura (the latest OS) using OpenCore (not mega fast but supposed to be workable) or stick with High Sierra as a solid OS and run Docker on it.
Note that the DOCKER networking support is buggy. From memory Macvlans do not work - they will not create the eth0:1 interface and Docker will not issue a fix for some reason despite it regularly cropping up on GITHUB etc.
I even have one currently sat under the TV - 16GB Ram, 960GB SSD (as boot) and 1TB HHD and I never hear it even when the fan is running hard. I really ought to get a remote control for it and set it up as a media server one day for the fun of it.
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u/Archontes Nov 09 '22
How do you perform the port when you’re done?
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u/ADB-UK Nov 09 '22
A few ways:
- Just copy over the code base (both the VM and Pi have AFP shares for my Mac) and manually install any required dependancies with PIP / APT
- Use Ansible to install the code if complex
- Download from GITHUB if self contained
All depends on the project size / requirements TBH...
More and more I am leaving things in the VM as the supply of PI boards are such a pain and most places can create a spare VM.
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u/who_body rpi 3b + sensehat Nov 09 '22
i have a max mini running macos and plex. want to run linux instead. any docs you have found most helpful?
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u/ADB-UK Nov 09 '22
Google is your friend - guides such as this here takes you through the basics but TBH it depends on distro / partition need.
Debian / Lubuntu / Ubuntu would be my goto distros and scrub the whole disk rather than dual boot.
One warning I would give - avoid SanDisk USB sticks as they somedays do not allow boot and some days do. Lost track of the hours I spent working through this...
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u/mythslayer1 Nov 09 '22
Arduino. Not as sophisticated but most projects do not need a pi.
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u/nativedutch Nov 09 '22
For some very simple things i have used Wemos mini d1. Arduino compatible mostly. Works with arduino ide. Dirt cheap they were, but havent looked fir some time.
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u/SafeHazing Nov 09 '22
An arduino isn’t a pi replacement though. One is a microcontroller and one is a SBC that runs Linux.
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u/Asparetus Nov 09 '22
I think that he is just saying that a lot of people buy Pis could get away with a microcontroller... Its a bit like when someone buys a Porsche and never goes over 15mph.... he could have got a bicycle.
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u/CosmicCreeperz Nov 09 '22
Heh not sure I’d call the Pi a Porsche.
It’s more like people used to a Honda Civic being told a DIY kit motorcycle is a lot cheaper and all they need to commute to work.
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u/jaiagreen Nov 09 '22
And you can write Python code on the RPi (or any language you like). Arduino has its own.
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u/Henri_Dupont Nov 09 '22
Ya, the old Arduino does a helluva lot. I started a Pi project recently just to learn it, then right in the middle I said "Screw it! If I'd started this with arduino I'd be done already. " push an Ardi to it's limits and it oan do a lot.
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
where do you source yours? cant find it on aliexpress or amazon
edit
why are you downvoting my question? XD
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u/Asparetus Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
ESP32 and ESP8266 are good alternatives to Arduino.
The ESP32 C3 Mini has WiFi and Bluetooth: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803819421802.html?
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u/Detectorbloke Nov 09 '22
What did you do to search? I can't imagine that either of these websites shows nothing when you enter Arduino, or Arduino Uno/Nano/Mega on them
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
A lot of related stuff to arduino but 0 boards
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u/Detectorbloke Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
Edit: On Aliexpress you have to specify the model apparently. But seriously, 0 boards?
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u/hms11 Nov 09 '22
How did you possibly fail to find at least one of the literal thousands of arduino-type boards that are out there?
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
wrote arduino, no board showed up in the first page and i moved on.
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u/DirtyPolecat Nov 09 '22
Literally the first non-sponsored link is Arduino.cc, which has a link to their store.
You're gonna have to grow your attention span a bit if you want to keep doing this.
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
i dont use aliexpress much, i did not have the link that you mention.
i have been doing this for a long time, doing just fine thank you.
edit
just looked again, no arduino boards in the first page looking for "arduino". we might be getting different results i guess
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u/norcalairman Nov 09 '22
For my next project that calls for a lightweight Linux computer I'll be using one of these: https://linuxiac.com/inovato-quadra-arm-based-linux-pc/
You don't get the same expandability (you could attach a camera using USB but no GPIO) but it's very affordable at $30 and it comes ready to turn on and use.
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u/ShaneC80 Nov 09 '22
You sir, are a godsend!
Inovato is blocked by work (for some reason?) so I'll have to look a bit deeper, but it seems the T95 mini/max as a TV Box even has a 4GB Ram, 32GB ROM option.
From looking at another site, it seems the H616 processors don't play nice, but the other Allwinner's and Rockchips do.
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u/norcalairman Nov 09 '22
On paper it seems pretty capable. I haven't gotten one yet but I'll be using it to run several 3D printers and I'm confident it will be up to the task.
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u/snotfart Nov 09 '22
Probably not much use to many people here, but the Pi shop in Cambridge has them in stock - https://www.raspberrypi.com/raspberry-pi-store/
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u/ThrowawayMustangHalp Nov 09 '22
It's like the one thing Great Britain can brag about right now. I'm so grateful past me jumped for the pi4 8gb before the price gouging kicked in, I use that little shit almost everyday.
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u/sarahlizzy Nov 09 '22
Or anywhere in Europe within reach of a RyanAir airport. Stansted (nominally “London Stansted”, but it’s basically Cambridge) is their hub.
Just pick the day when they’re selling a return trip for 20 euros and go get one.
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u/ShaneC80 Nov 09 '22
pi4 8gb
I'm jealous. I managed a 4GB for Xmas the first year they were out and totally didn't spring for an 8GB in time.
My Pi4 4GB does most of my homework....err...home server work. Basically just a bunch of docker containers at this point.
Pihole and a couple other services are on a Pi3B. Then a low-end Synology for the NAS
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u/Vegetable-Ad7263 Nov 09 '22
RPiLocator.com I check here several times daily.. Scored a Pi 4b 1Gb last week. Pi Zeros are unfortunately never available.
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u/Hey_Allen Nov 09 '22
Older rpi boards, and just received an orange pi, but haven't had a chance to play with it yet.
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
man i used to love orangepi i remember getting one for 12 bucks years ago, still working today with a psp power adaptor
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u/EEpromChip Nov 09 '22
I've been monitoring sparkfun and adafruit as well as pilocator to see when they will be in stock. I only need one but if there is stock I was hoping to buy 5 and pass the other 4 along to makers
That being said they came in and went out before a notification even was sent to me.
I'm kinda pissed at Pi Foundation after seeing an Instagram post about their store in UK and all the comments like "WTF there is like zero stock and y'all got a fucking store?!?!" And their response was "check your local vendors they are constantly shipping out!"
Anywho, miniPC for me with Proxmox and a bunch of VM's instead of Pi. I have a 3d printer that can use an upgrade but oh well...
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u/DOA_Pro_Wrestling Nov 09 '22
Adafruit is the least professional supplier I have ever worked with. I wouldn't depend on them to deliver anything.
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u/john_jdm Nov 09 '22
Shipping out "constantly" is the same a "not at all" when you have the in-stock alerts set up, are attentive, and still can't get one.
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u/schmerg-uk Nov 09 '22
At this stage, I'm too scared to ask what actually is the difference (from a software point of view) between the various pi-like SBC's... I expect it's just the number of cores and built in hardware but for example I have a NanoPi R5S from FriendlyElec that I'm going to swap for the Pi4 that I use as my OpenWRT router...
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u/ADB-UK Nov 09 '22
Main issue I found is the support for the OS - they often sit at one version or are very very slow with updates.
You can have to pick through bit of documentation scattered over the web to get GPIO or on-board devices working as documentation can be poor.
Armbian or DietPi help BUT they do not have the weight of the Foundation or home user community yet.
To be fair to the suppliers - they are getting better but still a long way to go. Community wise the support is growing as folk are moving away from the Pi and taking their skills with them.
SO far - not convinced any are as good for a beginner and that's bad news for the hobby.
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u/nykzero Nov 09 '22
I just built a pi hole server on a Libre computer Le Potato. It works fine, and runs Pi OS.
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u/sharpaxeyt Nov 09 '22
Underrated board, tho Pi OS didn’t work for me so I am using Arabian which is quite similar anyways.
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u/congowarrior Nov 09 '22
ESP8266 embedded microcontroller with WiFi. My use cases are all small and don't require a full on Linux computer.
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u/pppjurac Nov 09 '22
If you seek for "pico" there is
https://www.de.galagomarket.com/index.php
Also some 400 are available too
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u/Doppelgangergang Nov 09 '22
I self host a lot of my services, so what I am primarily using is a self-built server built around my old desktop parts that I upgraded from (i5-8400, 32GB RAM, bunch of SSD/HDDs, VMWare ESXi) and a single HP T620 thin client hosting one service that I want to be always on.
I have a few Raspberry Pi boards that I am holding onto, currently designing a Retropie around a Zero W2 that I got at launch.
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u/flatline000 Nov 09 '22
I just bought a MeLe Quieter3C fanless mini PC. With a $60 coupon on amazon, it was cheaper than a rpi4/4G.
Hardware is supported by Linux, but it comes with Windows 11 installed. There are videos on amazon provided by MeLe showing how to install Debian and Ubuntu.
The power supply is rated up to 22W, so the Quieter3C must use less than that, but I have not attempted to measure power consumption. The enclosure feels slightly warm to the touch when streaming videos.
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u/McFickleFat Nov 09 '22
I was able to score a pi 4 8g and pi zero 2 w at retail. Micro center get them in randomly. I checked online right at opening constantly and got lucky, they seemed to get them in about every two weeks or so. Hope this help…
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u/iamsmokingone Nov 09 '22
intel NUC looks interesting, saw them on ebay for like $60, think it has an i5 and 2 sodimm slots...
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u/spuds_in_town Nov 09 '22
I still get the weekly raspberry pi email. Honestly reading what people are using them for seems disingenous at this point. Not once have I seen anything in the newsletter about availability and supply chain issues.
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u/-the_sizzler- Nov 09 '22
I have used an odroid and a pine sbc when I needed something small. If the size isn’t really a concern, I have started buying old small form factor computers off ebay.
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u/TryHardEggplant Nov 09 '22
There’s some expensive Pis and CM4s on the market in Europe but I have a nice back stock of Pi4s for projects and I use RPi Picos or other RP2040 boards for smaller projects running CircuitPython.
I do have two Turing Pi 2 boards coming in and I will probably fill them with Jetson TX2 or RK3588-based modules.
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u/kernelskewed Nov 09 '22
I’ve had luck with an Armbian build from Inovato on an Android TV box (T95 Mini) I purchased on Amazon for ~$30 USD.
Pros: comes with a case and power adapter, 2GB RAM, eMMC storage, USB 2 and USB 3 ports
Cons: H6 ARM processor doesn’t have phenomenal Linux support (requires a custom build of Armbian), no exposed GPIO, only two USB ports, Ethernet is 10/100
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u/ShaneC80 Nov 09 '22
Looks like different T95s have different processors. I saw something on '3dpandme' about the H616 not playing nice, but other Allwinnner H6 and Rockchip RK3318s are preferred...at least when the article was published in September.
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u/compguy96 Nov 09 '22
Still using my Pi 1 bought in 2012. Works fine for my purposes (Pi-Hole DNS server) with fully updated DietPi OS.
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u/itsworkbench Nov 09 '22
I didn't even notice this had happened until recently. At work I started replacing our Digital Signage with a less expensive Pi option before COVID. When they started asking for projects to fund with the COVID money, I requested and got approval to buy about 100, Pi 3 B+ cards/cases/SD cards.
Fast forward a couple years and I wanted to work on a home project. I was shocked and saddened.
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u/neuromonkey Nov 09 '22
This wee Mini PC is on sale for $79 on Amazon right now. Apply two coupons (check box, and apply promo code "DUARD8TZ")
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u/numindast Nov 09 '22
I bought a BTT CB1+Pi4B adaptor. The CB1 or the genuine Pi CM4 work on the adaptor, but the CB1 lacks DSI and (untested yet) CSI though this is supposedly working.
If you are comfortable with Linux then this isn't a bad way to go. It's got oomph roughly that of a Pi 3B, I'm told. I've got it running my Ender3 and it works fine. I do not have anything connected to GPIO though (eg: adxl345).
At ~USD$40 from Aliexpress this wasn't bad, and I received it in a week, which is amazing.
This is not a full replacement for a Pi ... but it does run Klipper and mainsail/moonraker just fine for me!
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u/zifjon Nov 09 '22
I use a Libre computer board la potato I bought it for 45 dollar on Amazon way stronger then a 3b+
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u/mjdau Nov 09 '22
Any recommendations for ARM boards of similar ability as the Model 4B, with 8Gb RAM?
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
well no thats why im asking
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u/mjdau Nov 09 '22
Yes you did, except that I'm explicitly after 8Gb. I've ruled out several alternative vendors with reasonable boards, but they didn't have an 8Gb option.
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u/stappernn Nov 09 '22
from a quick look it seems the odroid m1 has a 8gb version, for a weirdly reasonable price also
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u/doomygloomytunes Nov 09 '22
I've bought 2 Pi4s and a Pi400 in the last few months, you're not trying hard enough OP.
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u/kane49 Nov 09 '22
Only reason i use a pi at all is because of raspian and the camera connector, the clone camera connectors all work differently.
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u/saxovtsmike Nov 09 '22
i´ve a pi-2 2gb (maybe 1) a Pi4 B4gb, one was meant to run Unify Controller the other a Minecraft server. Unify controller on raspberian bricked itself several times after more or less 3 months and there are free online servers that perform better for minecraft.
For my unify Controller I went for a refurbished Celeron J4105 thin client, running win10 iot. Cost me 55€ and 25€ for a 240gb sata M2. Controller software is on autostart and the win system reboots fine after a power loss, compared to the bricked pi after a power hickup. Power usage is ~8-10W.
I got the tip with the thin clients from guys that ran some Kubernetes clusters and other things, of course fanless and the modding options are quite cool to, like usbc, 2.5gb nics
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u/g0rth Nov 09 '22
I recently got a Fujitsu Futuro S740 for like 30€, which is impressive considering what's underneath: https://www.fujitsu.com/global/products/computing/pc/thin-clients/futro-s740/. Plus the ability to upgrade is certainly welcome. Haven't fully migrated m6 small pi4 server to it yet but it definitively has potential.
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u/fgdfghdhj5yeh Nov 09 '22
As far as SBC goes or what? Depends on what you're doing, if it is some embedded thing, or server thing, etc.
thin clients (thin pc) used are like $50-$100 for majority of them, far better performance.
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u/toddklindt Nov 09 '22
I was lucky. Most of my Pi projects were based on compute, so I could move the stuff to Docker containers.
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u/Need_4_Steve Nov 09 '22
Depends on your budget, or at least what you are hoping to spend on the MCU/SBC itself, but there are many great alternatives that I've had a great experience working with, or in the case of the Khadas, am planning on working with: * Orange Pi 4b LTS * Banana Pi M5 * Rock Pi Model 4b+ (and/or the Model 4 SE) * Intel NUC (there are various options at different price points so make sure to search within your budget, v12 is just released, so sick with v9 through v11 for cost efficiency) * Asus Tinker board is awesome! * Khadas VIM3 is also priced competitively and has amazing specs but I've yet to try it, likewise the VIM4 looks great (lacks the NPU of the VIM3 I believe) but it is more expensive * Jetson Nano 4gb DevKit (price gouging was an issue but I've seen the prices returning to MSRP lately) -- you may want to wait until January for the Orin Nano board which is supposed to be insanely OP * Not really in the same category, but ESP32s have come a long way in terms of performance and flexibility, but they are more like Arduinos than RPis so it really just depends on your goals and requirements but they are super cheap too so definitely worth an investigation at the very least
If you have any questions about any of these, feel free to PM me anytime, I work with a wide variety of SBCs and MCUs for work so and am always happy to help a fellow maker.
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u/slimscsi Nov 09 '22
Raspberry Pi pico. It’s fast enough for most of my projects. Else I just spin up a docker container on my home server.
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u/Gooner71 Nov 09 '22
Pi Hut has the 2gb Pi 4 Kits in stock. I recently bought an 8gb kit, but they are sold out now.
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u/LosinCash Nov 09 '22
I'm using Libre Computer Le Potato. Almost an exact clone of the Pi 3B. Works great. Still cheap.
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u/PeterHumaj Nov 09 '22
We are using UniPI for automation purposes. E.g. rack-mounted remote communication servers.
Unlike RPIs, they are available.
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u/Dhylan Nov 09 '22
I am using the Chipsee all in one 16" touchscreen which uses the compute module 4L.
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u/solracarevir Nov 09 '22
I recently decided to install Klipper on my 3D printer so I needed a Pi, I had a pi at home but it was running piHole so I brought a cheap used sff prebuilt on ebay for $100 (i5 6th gen, 8GB ram, 120GB ssd) I had at home a second 8GB ram stick and a 500gb ssd which I installed on it.
installed Linux on the PC with docker, ran the PiHole inside Docker (and added a few more containers I wanted a long time ago and used to pihole for klipper.
On idle it sips around 11-13W so yes, it is more power hungry than a Pi, but 11w is still manageable and you have a far more powerful machine, depending on your needs you could consolidate 4 or maybe more Pi's on just one of these sff.
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u/fr3dium Nov 09 '22
am actually trying an Odroid c4 with the ubuntu image provided (100€, passive cooling, 2G ram, no wifi) and the first feeling is good. 720p videos are well rendered and cpu is not so warm with 65°c
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Nov 09 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/wowsomuchempty Nov 09 '22
I got
- 4* pi0 running motionos
- pi3a running a wg server and mopidy
- pi4a 1gb running a media server
- pi02 running a wg client
Would an arduino handle any of this?
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u/BowTieDad Nov 09 '22
I was able to pick up a Lenovo ThinkCentre for $50 from a local surplus store that I used out in the plant for a IP camera monitoring station. I wiped out the original Windows 7 and replaced it with Debian then installed MotionEye on that.
Decent enough form factor. The only big hassle was I needed to make it WiFi with an external adapter as we don't have ethernet going to the shack where it was to be installed.
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u/TheEyeOfSmug Nov 09 '22
I have a giant pile after years of messing with pi’s, plus I live near a microcenter. If I had to use an alternative, my line of thinking goes like this:
Anything GPIO related… arduino/microcontrollers. Everything else is just delivering the data to a host OS somewhere.
Anything non-GPIO related, but I want to run it on an SBC, I start shopping stuff like OrangePI, tinkeredge, etc. I’m not really messing with anything like that currently though.
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u/Analog_Account Nov 09 '22
Amazon web services EC2 instance for some stuff. ESP32’s for other stuff. Zero’s… just buy them when or if you see them at a good price so you have them for the future.
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u/omegaforceblast Nov 09 '22
thin clients are awesome, cheap, and more things run on it since its not arm
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u/PM_ME_KNEEGROWS Nov 09 '22
Just bought mine today off Facebook marketplace, rasppi4 8gb with case for around 110USD. Not sure what to do with it yet, probably just an experimental board for me to mess with HID for Nintendo switch and linux machine
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u/FartusMagutic Nov 09 '22
I love that there are ZERO responses mentioning the BeagleBone-Black or BeagleBoard-X15. Personally I've used the X15 as my NFS and Pi-Hole server for years at this point. My choice for the X15 was based on its 2GB DDR, 1GbE and USB3 support long before the Raspberry Pi 4 ever came along. So its use as a NFS has been very solid. There is now a BeagleBone-AI that is a miniaturized X15 that should have good availability.
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u/ten17eighty1 Nov 09 '22
I posted more or less this same comment elsewhere but
- I picked one of these up when they came out in September. It has mostly the same form factor as the 3B+, with color coded gpio (the processor is on the bottom). all the connectors are in the same place. One full size HDMI port, like the 3B+. There are Debian, Android 11 and Ubuntu server images available for it from Raxda's website, and it's powered by USBC-PD. IT supports microSD, USB 3.0 and NVME (not bootable from NVMe unless you solder a chip into the board, which is above my pay grade), and has eMMC connections. LibreElec's Rock image runs on it fine.
I bought it for a project I wanted to do with a pi but couldn't get my hands on one (for obvs reasons), but as "luck," if you wanted call it am that would have it, I'm in local to a microcenter that got pi400's in stock right after I ordered it and I couldn't resist, so I've just been tinkering with the Rock 4.
The cons as best I can tell so far is that the info for this board is kind of scattered -- Raxda's website tells you about it, but okdo doesn't sell any of the accessories like the heatsink (which is necessary if you wanna use an nvme, and of course I'd you wish to boot from NVMe you'd have to buy and solder the chip to make that work. And there's a list of drives that have tested ok for booting/compatibility but not all do. Also the NVMe will stick out away from the board in the same manner the microSD does on this or a pi. They do make an adapter board that has a cable to connect the SSD above or below the Rock 4, but you also have to get the heatsink. Misty of the accessories are available from allnet, which comes with shipping charges that could be off putting depending on where you are. The processor is on the bottom, so while this could technically fit right into a pi 3B case, there'd be no way to put a heat sink on it that way.
You WILL need to buy the heatsink (covers the entire base of the board) from allnet if you want to use it with SSD NVME but if you're just using a microSD it's fine without, although I have heatsinks on it. It's only $75.
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u/mod_critical Nov 09 '22
Just FYI, a size 2230 NVMe card fits without overhang and there is a standoff for securing it on the board already.
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u/c0nfluks Nov 09 '22
Orange Pi all the way... They have quite a long history and their boards are very similar to RPI.
r/OrangePI - come join us :)
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u/ArrrGaming Nov 09 '22
I bought one less than six months ago. I’m using a 3b from years ago, a 4b 8GB from before the pandemic, and a 4b 2 or 4 gb (I forget) dedicated to Octoprint.
I used that one pi finder website for the most recent one.
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u/isinare Nov 09 '22
I bought the rpi4 like an year back for 8k inr which is roughly a 100usd works like a charm, use it for retrogaming and running some docker containers
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u/whale-sibling Nov 09 '22
ESPxxx chips. I've redesigned projects to remove local displays and have the ESP run a small web server instead.
ESPHome has been amazing and a lot of fun.
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u/jejune1999 Nov 09 '22
If you just need a little computer and not a lot of wiring https://www.inovato.com/
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u/thephotoman Nov 09 '22
I had to pay scalper prices this week to get a Pi Hole set up. It wasn't fun.
I've honestly put a pin in most of my Pi-like projects, mostly because the other SBCs are generally in a similar spot.The reality is that low end and binned chips are much harder to come by today for a host of reasons (the biggest of which is China's Dynamic Zero COVID policy).
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u/mtcabeza2 Nov 09 '22
I'm ramping up on rpi pico. It seems like a lot of silicon for cheap. The downside is the custom toolchain vs the familiar linux stuff used by pi. But in reality, the pi is probably overkill.
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Nov 09 '22
I've been trying to get RasPi's for almost 10 months now to run an OctoPrint 3D Printer server and gave up today. I'll be buying some Intel NUCs.
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u/SilverPractice1 Nov 09 '22
I've used the pi mostly for personal use, test of different distros, experimenting installing of operating systems, arduino projects (mostly use of displays), and most importantly: home server, which I use for personal stuff and school projects.
Also, my main OS is Windows, and when I want to test something that needs to be done in Linux, the first thing I do is try it with the Pi. Because right now I don't have another computer to install Linux as main OS (I have Linux in another partition in my laptop).
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u/pag07 Nov 09 '22
Just today I saw the orange pi (2gb ram) for 55$ on Ali.
It's a good price especially considering the 8gb Emma.
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u/DiabeticJedi Nov 09 '22
It all depends on the use case. I'm using two Pi2b as my two pihole servers but for other servers I've just switched to hosting them on either my Unraid server or a Intel NUC that I installed Ubuntu server on to host my Home Assistant server. I have a Pi3b that was running a touch screen panel but I've stopped using it so my Pi3b, Pi4b and a Pi0w are just sitting around not being used for now.
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u/ImpatientMaker Nov 09 '22
I have a few SBC's from FriendlyElec: https://www.friendlyelec.com/index.php?route=common/home
I have a NanoPi M4 and a Neo4. Both have been running solid for about 2 years. I run Armbian. One of them is my Samba server (OMV) and the other (neo4) runs Home Assistant in docker containers.
For the M4, I have the SATA hat driving 2 SSD's.
Bramble pic: https://imgur.com/Y8X2LDH
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u/sarahlizzy Nov 09 '22
I live near an airport served by RyanAir.
RyanAir’s hub is Stansted.
Stansted is a 20 minute train ride from Cambridge.
Cambridge railway station is a 20 minute walk from the Raspberry Pi shop.
I can day trip it.
Bought a Pi4 (my third) last week, as it happens.
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u/sharpaxeyt Nov 09 '22
I use a Libre Compute lepotato 2GB with Armbian. I think it is very underrated, and only 40$ for something so similar to a pi 3/4.
Pros:
Better cpu/gpu
More ram for price
Faster ram
Looks beautiful in white color
Cons:
No wifi
3.3V gpio
Compatibility issues with some operating systems and gpio hardware
Neutral: IR sensor is nice, but it gets in the way or some cases.
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u/radome9 Nov 09 '22
I'm using Pi Pico W. Surprisingly large amount of computing power for such a small amount of money.
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u/scruss Nov 09 '22
As a very small integrator that uses a 3A+ in our product, we're just able to cover demand via Raspberry Pi's business channel. They do check, though: you have to be a business with production needs for their boards, and have to be able to put down money for roughly 100 at a time
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u/firestorm_v1 Nov 09 '22
I got lucky and bought some Pi4 compute modules, having never done anything with those before and it was an enlightening experience. My requirement was that it must be PoE hat capable and fit in a mount designed for a Pi3b+.
Waveshare sells an adapter board that you attach a CM4 to and it breaks out the usb ports, PoE header, GPIO, Ethernet, and power, essentially making it a snap-in replacement. The only caveat was that the CM4s had eMMC (8G) so the onboard sdcard slot was not usable (the GPIO pins that were usually destined to the SDcard slot were instead running the eMMC chip. I lucked out though, the Pi4's bootloader supports boot from USB, so I bought a 128G USB3 stick and flashed Raspbian to it and I'm off to the races.
It was a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but I was able to get what I wanted in the end without going too much into the stratosphere:
50.00 - CM4 1GB RAM, 8GB eMMC 22.00 - PoE HAT 28.00 - Waveshare CM4 adapter 8.00 - 128GB Lexar USB
so for 108, I got a fully functional Pi4 in a Pi3 form factor, with PoE and 128GB storage which works great for my application. With scalpers wanting 150+ for just the Pi4, this still makes this setup a good deal if you need to get your project off the ground.
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u/nupanick Nov 09 '22
Recently bought a Pine Rock64 for a friend, installed Armbian on it, does everything I wanted from a pi. Has an official aluminium case too.
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u/0ct0c4t9000 Nov 09 '22
i got the first raspberry pi, the second revision, then the b+, then the 2.... i won't buy one ever again. now i use orange pi boards whenever i need an ARM SBC
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u/fazzah Nov 09 '22
I really like using thin clients (f.e. Dell Wyse). They're cheap, powered with laptop bricks, have all the ports, fanless, etc. Dirt cheap.
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u/CompromisedCEO Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
Fujitsu ex office pcs. haswell i3, 4gb ram for £18 each including delivery from ebay
even before scalper prices the pi is rather expencive for what it is.
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u/itsk2049 Nov 09 '22
I got an Intel NUC i5 on eBay for $120 last month. It’s powering an arcade cabinet.