$25 USB PC on a Stick

I want to buy a dozen of these. They'd be perfect for my home automation project. They'll fit behind the PIR from my alarm system.
 
Oh god I want one of these... USB hub + USB2.0 drive and a keyboard, HDMI to DVI adaptor...

Can you say an epic TINY, low power car PC?
 
Arcygenical said:
Can you say an epic TINY, low power car PC?
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This is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I'd just configure the drivers to connect via my Thunderbolt for storage and Internet. Build it into a box with a couple of RCA preouts, and presto chango ipso facto dumbo colombo: media center on wheels.
 
Ok so... basically these students in the "poor" category are then likely to have at home, a nice LCD TV with USB connectors compatible with such a device?

The idea is nice at first glance but I think actual penetration is a whole other story.
 
Term-X said:
Ok so... basically these students in the "poor" category are then likely to have at home, a nice LCD TV with USB connectors compatible with such a device?

The idea is nice at first glance but I think actual penetration is a whole other story.
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RTFA much?

The plan is to teach programming and other skills on these things. The low cost is just so that it can be easily distributed with courses built up around it. I dont really think it has anything to do with poor or not.
 
I think it'd be a little better if it connected via VGA instead of HDMI. Sure, adapters are possible but you're really not gaining anything with going with HDMI in this type of application.
 
Why didn't he show a demo of it instead of just talking about it? Talk is cheap.
 
Neurofreeze said:
I think it'd be a little better if it connected via VGA instead of HDMI. Sure, adapters are possible but you're really not gaining anything with going with HDMI in this type of application.
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You're gaining the speedy demise of VGA. Something I've always wanted.
 
So is it an older ARM or what? I could use one of these in my RC projects if it has USB host support. Sucks that there is no GPIO but that is something that can be rectified via USB hub + electronix.
 
serbiaNem said:
You're gaining the speedy demise of VGA. Something I've always wanted.
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Speak for yourself. I still have 2 PCs connected to a good old trusty CRT monitor. Apart from the lack of widescreen it is superior to any LCD too.
 
Gnasher said:
Speak for yourself. I still have 2 PCs connected to a good old trusty CRT monitor. Apart from the lack of widescreen it is superior to any LCD too.
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ProEdupdate.gif



ssh. Do you know it?
 
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Hell, there could be a real market for these. - will be interesting to see what people do with them.
 
Yossarian22 said:
So is it an older ARM or what? I could use one of these in my RC projects if it has USB host support. Sucks that there is no GPIO but that is something that can be rectified via USB hub + electronix.
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It's an ARM11 core, you can forget about decent web browsing on one; it's too slow.
 
This sounds nifty. But, what real value does it have? It's no substitute for a real PC. Home automation sounds like an interesting possibility. Is there cheap home automation hardware that can be interfaced with this?
 
Two problems here.

1. He believes schools would invest money in students (even at £15).

2. He believes it could teach kids usefull problem solving and creative exercises.

Both of these 2 things are huge no no's. Government doesn't want to invest in us, nor do they want us smart enough to realize that.

That being said, I took computer programming and 3D animation in High School and they were the two most memorable and enjoyable classes I took. I learned alot about logic and structure in those classes.
 
Also hard to tell, but it looks like a USB male end....but could be deceptive cause there is no casing, so could just be the outer shell of a female end.
 
westrock2000 said:
Also hard to tell, but it looks like a USB male end....but could be deceptive cause there is no casing, so could just be the outer shell of a female end.
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There is a HDMI plug in one end and USB in the other.
 
I wonder if he would consider selling it as a kit so kids can put if together. This way they can learn how to do a job they stand a chance at getting employed at. Maybe iPhone kits to... then British kids can compete against Foxconn for Apple contracts.

In all seriousness, I love this guy's idea. Although, I am not certain it so much of an issue of getting the tools in kids hands, but having a curriculum that will actual educate them.
 
Cool device.

There are other manufacturers offering development kits with nearly the same specs, and all may be based on the same chip. The processor seems to be an ARM1176 and the GPU is Mali-200 based.

Here's an ARM processor using a Mali 200 GPU @ 275MHz running PGR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chrrOHsi6iI
 
maybe not this particular device, but imagine if there were competition to this, and thus starts the new wave of micro pcs the size of a thumb drive, man you could put them in anything to drive things, imaging putting them in appliances with a small lcd screen attached, all of our appliances really could be "smart" devices, only thing missing is wifi
 
Gnasher said:
Speak for yourself. I still have 2 PCs connected to a good old trusty CRT monitor. Apart from the lack of widescreen it is superior to any LCD too.
Click to expand...

HDMI to VGA is a $50 adapter at monoprice.
 
Gumstix sells computers in a similar form factor based around the Cortex A8. They're around the same price range as netbooks.
 
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