Asked — Edited

Raspberry Pi ! Please Read Everyone! Asap!

Looking for a small computer that is no bigger than your iPod? check out the raspberry pi. It is great for all of us to use in our robots. And would be the smallest computer you could ever use.


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#1  

Except that it does not pack much power and uses a proprietary os from what I understand. Most of us are best off using a mini itx pc which is just 6 inches by 6 inches square.

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Synthiam
#2  

Lol, you get what you pay for:)

#3  

It runs most forms of Linux, so not proprietary, but not any use for an EZ-B driven robot. I am thinking of getting one to run a simple web server that is currently running on a box that is way more powerful and power hungry for the job it is doing (it also runs some VM's, but unlike the web server, they don't need to be running all the time, so a RasPi would be a good low power alternative and I would just power up the server when I need the VM's).

Alan

United Kingdom
#4  

Pi is great, for some things. I use one running Raspbmc for media streaming and it supports HD movies & TV very well (although no TOSLINK so no 5.1 surround).

But for EZB, the Pi isn't anywhere good enough to run it, last I saw someone managed to get Windows 98 running on one but not XP, Vista, 7 or 8.

@Alan it'll be perfect for a small web server but bear in mind, disc access is slow through SD Card even with a class 10.

#5  

hey beaglebone is great it will run win8 and support ez_builder better than pi's

#6  

you can use beagleboard if you need alot of processing power pi's aren't powerfull they are lazy computers

#7  

pico atx motherboard's are good when you need extreame power and connectivity win8 is better it is lighter than win7 or win_xp you can use an ssd

United Kingdom
#8  

If you have a slow CPU and not enough RAM an SSD wont be a performance upgrade.

Is embedded Windows 7 on the BB stable? Personally I would always advise a MiniITX or better for running ARC for stability and processing power. Reading from ADCs, camera tracking, running scripts etc. all takes processor power.

#9  

the sad part is i am using a ACER ASPIRE ONE on robot and my cell phone (verizon note 2)is 4 times faster and 1/3 the size

Netherlands
#10  

I think I'll win in size and speed by linking this one:

Click me!

Though in comparison with the rasberry its super expensive, it might need some extra stuff to run but, still WIN(ish) because it can run windows 7 and its only 10 x 7.2 cm (3.9" x 2,8")

United Kingdom
#11  

Winning in my book is a good balance between cost, size, power and lack of waste. If the board is too powerful and costs twice as much as a board that's just about right but slightly bigger then the larger board is going to win in my book.

Provided it fits in the robot, is the cheapest possible for the required system resources to run whatever needs to be run and is energy efficient enough not to have to recharge the robot every 15 minutes then it's in the win column.

Especially with EZB, all the board needs to do is run Windows XP/7/8 smoothly, have full voice recognition and text to speech capabilities and run ARC smoothly.

If it could also run the latest Crawl to Booty - Bee Bops on the highest resolution ever thought of whilst streaming 1080p HD video content over a wireless network then it's like putting a Ferrari engine in a Zündapp Janus

#13  

We're ALL winners on this Forum, when we share our projects and positive feedback:)

#14  

Thumbs up for irobot58's comment.

#16  

All VIA pico-itx series are really small 3.9" by 2.9" but that one only has a 1 ghz quad core

there one here is 1.7 ghz I3 processor with up to 16 gb memory,but price is $379 and size is 3.9" by 3.9"

D33217GKE Specifications Compatible Cases See our Compatibility Database: Mainboard Matrix, D33217GKE

Mfr Part No. D33217GKE

Processor 1.80 GHz Intel Core i3-3217U Chipset Intel QS77 Express System Memory 2 DDR3 1600/1333/1066 SO-DIMM Up to 16 GB of memory Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4000 Expansion Slots PCI Express Mini Card (full height)

PCI Express Mini Card (half height)

Onboard IDE None Onboard Serial ATA Internal mSATA port Onboard USB 1 USB port via pin headers Onboard LAN Intel 82579V 10/100/1000

Onboard Audio Intel High Definition Audio via HDMI v1.4a interfaces Back Panel I/O 2 USB 2.0 ports 1 LAN ports 2 HDMI ports 1 19V DC input jack

Onboard I/O Connectors 2 USB 2.0 via 2 pin headers 1 Internal DC power connector

BIOS Intel BIOS, Support for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), Plug and Play and System Management BIOS (SMBIOS)

System Monitoring & Management Fan speed control, Voltage range monitoring, thermal range monitoring, fan activity, and one processor fan header/

Operating Temperature 0°C~55°C

Form Factor NUC (10 x 10 cm)

pico-itx motherboard with I3 processor

#17  

Do I win?

ULTRA COMPACT 1.7GHz QUAD-CORE BOARD ODROID-U2 is a micro sized open development platform which is powered by Exynos4412 Prime. 1.7Ghz ARM Cortex-A9 Quad Cores show PC-like performance. Enjoy various PC peripherals on Android & Ubuntu Linux.

KEY FEATURES

  • Low-cost development platform
  • Ultra compact size with full metal enclosure
  • Quad core ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore
  • 10/100Mbps Ethernet with RJ-45 LAN Jack
  • 2 x High speed USB2.0 Host port
  • Audio codec with headphone jack and microphone on board
  • Android 4.x & Ubuntu 12.10
  • Community-driven projects & supports
#18  

i saw that board ,but only does ANDROID and LINUX (UBUNTU) not windows needed for EZB

Its a great board for running LINUX ROS using ubuntu,when i saw it it look godd while back and thinking to use it for MY ROS robot

United Kingdom
#19  

ARM processor is no good.

I still stand by saying that anything over around 2Ghz & 2Gb RAM is a waste, you could get away with less but you would pay the price and the cost saving is minimal.

4" x 4" is not exactly huge and you wont find much in the way of a smaller board.

Anything around the same spec as the ASUS P8Z77-I board sounds like a win to me, a bot running from one of those can do the same as a bot running from an 8 core, 3Ghz, 32Gb RAM, SSD, water cooled PC.

#20  

Rich you say you are using 3ghz and 32gb ram,and you said anything over 2 ghz and 2 gb ram is a waste so why are you using the board on a robot when is a waste Also that board is very big for most robot designs .and i bet for that board plus memory ,cpu it over $300

one i like thats small size 5" by 5" is ZOTAC nano board for about $200 on amazon up to 4gb of memory and $25 for 4gb of memory for the same size ZOTAC has another nano board that up to 32gb memory for $239 and $40 for memory free shipping on both