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Hardware Programming What I’m Up To

My newest gear: The Raspberry Pi 500!

So this arrived:

Raspberry Pi 500 box.

It’s a Raspberry Pi 500, which takes a Raspberry Pi 5, the latest generation of the “Internet of Things” tiny computer, and puts it into a keyboard chassis. I probably have more than enough computers, but I love Raspberry Pis, and this 1980s-style “all-in-one” form factor was impossible to resist, especially with its $90 price tag.

Technical details

The full details are on the official product sheet, but I’ve listed the more important stuff below:

  • Device: Raspberry Pi 500
  • What it is: A Raspberry Pi 5 single-board computer placed inside a keyboard chassis to create a 1980s-style “all-in-one” computer
  • Specs:
    • 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU with cryptography extensions, 512KB per-core L2 caches and a 2MB shared L3 cache
    • 8GB LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM
    • 32GB Class A2 microSD included (this is the “hard drive”)
    • Dual-band (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac wifi
    • Bluetooth 5.0, BLE
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • 2 USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 2.0 port
    • Horizontal 40-pin GPIO header
    • 2 micro HDMIs port (supports up to 4Kp60)
    • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
    • OpenGL ES 3.0 graphics
  • Price: US$90
  • First released: December 2024
  • Where to buy one:

What it’s like

Here’s the Pi 500 as seen from the top…

Top view of Raspberry Pi 500, a white keyboard containing a Raspberry Pi 5 computer inside.

…and here it is, as seen from the back.

Back view of Raspberry Pi 500, showing its ports: 1 USB 2, 2 USB 3, MicroSD card slot, USB-C power, 2 micro HDMI ports, GPIO port, Ethernet port, Kensington lock port.

This form factor takes me back the 1980s all-in-one computers on which I learned, most notably units like the Apple ][, Commodore VIC-20 and 64, Texas Instruments 99/4, Radio Shack TRS-80 and TRS-80 Color Computer, Atari 400 and 800, and Sinclair ZX80, ZX81, and ZX Spectrum (all of whose names are properly pronounced starting with “Zed-Ex”).

I put it on. my main desk and hooked it up to the secondary monitor with an HDMI splitter so that my MacBook and the Pi 500 can share it. Here’s what it looks like on my desk:

Setup was straightforward: the Pi 500 comes with a 32 GB A2-class MicroSD card, which acts as its “hard drive.” I plugged it into a MicroSD-to-USB adapter, plugged into my MacBook, and used the Raspberry Pi Imager app to load the latest version of the Raspberry Pi OS, which is based on Debian, onto the card.

In case you need a reminder that we live in an age of technological wonders, here’s the MicroSD card, posed beside a U.S. quarter coin for scale:

I was a bit concerned about the “feel” of the keyboard based on its “chiclet” style, but it’s actually not bad. It feels like a mid-level “wintel” laptop keyboard, and I think the feel of the Pi 500 keyboard feels better than the one on my Windows machine, a 2020-edition Acer Nitro 5 (nice machine, but I despise its keyboard and trackpad).

What it’s for

I already have computers that can run circles around the Pi 500 — an M1 MacBook pro and a Windows gaming laptop powered by a 10th-gen i5. What possible use could the Pi 500 possibly serve for me?

Here are my excuses — er, reasons:

  1. As a server for mobile apps or client applications that I’m running on my Mac and Windows machines.
  2. As a “bare-bones” computer for sharpening some rusty C++ skills and learning Go. No fancy IDEs — it’s just Visual Studio Code and the command line.
  3. Because it’s fun.

Maybe that last reason is the most important — it’s just fun to play with the Pi 500, and that form factor makes me feel nostalgic for the days when I’d play games that I entered from BASIC source code published in Creative Computing or COMPUTE! magazine.

Watch this space

I’ll write more about my experiences with the Raspberry Pi 500 here, so watch this space if you’re curious about this fun, inexpensive platform!

Categories
Deals Hardware Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay find of the day: Acute Angle AA B4 Mini PC

I like to browse through Facebook Marketplace for fun, and stumbled across a posting for an interesting-looking computer: a mint condition Acute Angle AA B4 Mini PC, a stylish triangular computer with a case made of aluminum and actual wood that was launched in January 2018 at CES. The seller’s based in Largo near Indian Rocks and asking $240.

Here are its specs:

  • Intel Celeron N3450/4C/4T with 2MB cache running at 1.1GHz
  • 8 GB DDR3 RAM (maximum)
  • 192GB onboard storage (128GB SSD / 64GB eMMC)
  • Intel HD Graphics 500
  • Wireless:
    • Intel Wireless AC 3165 802.11c wifi
    • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Ports:
    • 3 USB 3.0
    • 1 HDMI
    • RJ-45 gigabit Ethernet
    • Audio out

(If you want to buy it right now, here’s the link to the Facebook Marketplace page for the computer. You’ll have to pick it up. If you buy it, let me know!)

These machines have an interesting history. The “Acute Angle” in the computer’s brand name refers to Acute Angle Cloud, one of those companies that sprang up in the late 2010s that vaguely describe themselves as being an IaaS company that developed GameFi and NFT applications.

So why did they make a PC? The idea was to sell attractive PCs that style-conscious (and presumably moneyed) customers would buy, which would run crytpo mining software to mine cryptocurrency during idle cycles, including Acute Angle Cloud’s own Acute Angle Coin (AAC).

Acute Angle Cloud doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Its website at acuteangle.com is no longer active, and Acute Angle Coin now trades under the name “Double-A Chain,” and at the time of writing, its value is less that two-tenths of one U.S. cent.

When this computer debuted at CES 2018, Bitcoin was trading at a then all-time high of just over $17K and the computer sold for over $600. But when the prices of cryptocurrencies crashed in 2019, Acute Angle started selling them at a deep discount for $150 or even less.

Once again, here’s the Facebook Marketplace page for this computer.

Categories
Hardware

Windows 365 Link: Not just a thin client, but a MEAGER client

As I write this, the top story on Techmeme is the Windows 365 link, Microsoft’s new desktop device, which The Verge describes as a “mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud.”  It’s expected to be available in April 2025 at $349 for the device, and not including the monthly cloud computing subscription fee.

It “boasts” these specs:

  • An unspecified Intel processor, probably one of the low-powered ones
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 64 GB local storage
  • “Designed to run Windows 11 only by streaming it online via Windows 365”
  • Support for up to 2 4K displays with 1 DisplayPort and 1 HDMI port
  • 3 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3
  • Small footprint: 120 mm (4.72 inches) by 120 mm by 30 mm (1.2 inches)

In my opinion, calling this a “thin client” is being a little too generous. It’s more of a meager client, especially with that little RAM, which the browser will expand to consume entirely.

I assume that the target market for this sad, non-upgradeable unit is the enterprise, and particularly businesses where the tech purchasing decision-makers are either gullible or need to ensure that the initial cost of hardware is incredibly low and the ongoing costs are someone else’s problem.

It’s terribly underpowered. Even as a machine for filling out “TPS Reports,” it’s pretty limited, and I expect it will start grinding to a halt if you’re trying to do even a little work while simultaneously on a Teams video call. The only advantage it appears to offer is that it should be easy to administer.

The Windows 365 Link is the 2020 version of the “netbook,” and long-time readers will know why my opinion of them was.

If you need a laugh, you might want to read the comments for The Verge’s article on the unit.

Categories
Hardware Humor Tampa Bay What I’m Up To

I only remember the joke version of “PCMCIA” was short for

I attended the swap meet held by the Neon Temple, Tampa Bay’s security guild, where attendees were selling, swapping, or simply giving away old tech gear and books they no longer needed.

That’s where I found and took a photo of the relic above: a PCMCIA card (a name that got shortened to “PC Card”), which used to be a way of adding peripherals to laptops. The card above was for a 56K modem, which means that it was likely used to download Backstreet Boys songs using Napster.

“What did they call those things before they shortened the name to ‘PC Card’?” someone behind me asked.

PCMCIA,” someone else replied. “Can’t remember what that was short for.”

I have a great memory for trivia, and even I couldn’t remember. I confessed: “I only remember the joke that it was short for ‘People Can’t Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms’.”

Categories
Hardware

Additional notes for “Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills”

Here are some follow-up notes for Computer Coach’s LinkedIn audio event, Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills, which took place on Friday, March 8, 2024.

LED throwies

This is one of the simplest projects you can make, and you can learn how to make them at Instructables.com.

Sites for learning electronics

Starting Electronics is an excellent site for getting into electronics. It has tutorials, projects, and articles on electronics, embedded systems, microcontrollers, Arduino, Raspberry PI, tools, and related topics.

Reddit has a couple of good subreddits for people who want to get into electronics:

Books for learning electronics

Make: Electronics, 3rd Edition is a great guide for getting started. Here’s the link to buy the PDF edition, and here’s the link to buy the print version.

Where to get electronics and electronics kits

Beginner-friendly electronics kits

“Internet of Things” computers and devices

Online electronic components shopping for the more hardcore

Building your own PC

Categories
Hardware Meetups Tampa Bay What I’m Up To

Join my online chat about hardware skills THIS FRIDAY!

On Friday at 10 a.m. EST, join me and Computer Coach for an online session titled Beyond the Circuit: The Everlasting Role of Hardware Skills! 

Software may be eating the world, but software needs hardware to run! In this talk, I’ll talk about the value of knowing how hardware works, as well as how to get started on building your hardware skills, from basic soldering, to how chips work, to playing around with “Internet of Things” devices like Arduinos and Raspberry Pis. Find out more and register here.

Categories
Games Hardware Programming

My new PyGamer device

The items from the PyGamer Starter Kit, fresh from the box, laid out: carrying case, speaker, PyGamer, acrylic enclosure kit, rechargeable battery, and button caps.
The PyGamer Starter Kit: Carrying case, speaker, PyGamer unit, acrylic enclosure kit, rechargeable battery, and button caps.
Founded in 2005, Adafruit Industries is a company that produces open-source hardware and electronics kits for hobbyists.

I’m now the proud owner of an Adafruit PyGamer game console! It’s an open-source handheld game player that you can program using MakeCode Arcade, CircuitPython, or Arduino.

I’d been meaning to get one for some time. There was a deal on them last weekend, so I placed an order for the PyGamer Starter Kit, which included all the goodies pictured above.

The PyGamer is a cute little unit that doesn’t take up very much space, as the photo below (shown beside a U.S. dollar bill and quarter for scale) shows:

Here’s a close-up photo of the front of the circuit board. That’s an analog joystick on the left, the screen in the middle, the “A” and “B” buttons on the right, and the “Select” and “Start” buttons along the bottom, with a row of five LED lights between them:

Want to know more about processors? Check out my recent presentation from November’s Tampa Devs meetup, How Computers Work “Under the Hood.”

Here’s the back of the circuit board. The most prominent features are the processor (the square thing in the center of the board), the two sockets to either side of the processor, which allow you to connect the unit to FeatherWing daughterboards for all sorts of hardware projects, and the three STEMMA connectors at the bottom, which make it easy to connect the unit to all sorts of sensors and devices:

The Starter Kit comes with pre-cut acrylic pieces that form a protective shell for the unit, plastic caps for the buttons, a speaker for game sounds, a rechargeable battery, and a carrying case. Here’s what the PyGamer looks like with the enclosure assembled:

What are its specs?

At the heart of the PyGamer is the ATSAMD51, a microcontroller built on the ARM Cortex M4 processor, which is used as the basis for a lot of chips for small devices or embedded controllers. Released in 2018, the ATSAMD51 is a 32-bit chip running at 120 MHz with 512K Flash memory and 192K of RAM. It’s not going to compete with a Raspberry Pi, but it’s more than enough for handheld retro-gaming.

The PyGamer board housing the processor provides these goodies:

  • An additional 8 MB of Flash memory for files, which is meant for game assets: images, sounds, fonts, and other data.
  • A MicroSD card slot for even more Flash memory.
  • A backlit 160 by 128-pixel color TFT display.
  • An analog thumb joystick, a scaled-down version of the ones you’ll find on PlayStation and Xbox controllers.
  • 4 buttons — the classic “A,” “B,” “Start,” and “Select.”
  • 5 Neopixel LEDs, whose colors can be individually controlled. These can be used for additional feedback, such as showing the user how many “lives” they have.
  • A 3-axis accelerometer for sensing motion.
  • A light sensor.
  • A headphone jack as well as a speaker driver. The PyGamer Starter Kit includes a speaker that plugs into the driver for headphone-free sound.

How do you program it?

The easiest way to program it is via MakeCode Arcade, a friendly programming tool that allows you to create games using drag-and-drop blocks like Scratch. It also supports game programming in JavaScript or Python with its game libraries.

Want to get a little more hardcore with the programming? It’s also programmable in CircuitPython, a version of Python made specifically for microcontroller boards.

Want to get even more hardcore? You can also program it in Arduino’s programming language, which is a mutant of C++.

Why did I get this thing?

For fun, of course — but also for sharpening my programming and hardware skills while having fun! In today’s world of laptops, virtual machines, and a zillion abstractions that distance programmers from their systems’ “bare metal,” having a low-level understanding of computers is an increasingly rare skill. As always, I’m trying to set myself apart.

I’ll also use it in an upcoming video series on programming — watch this space in 2024 for more!