Archives/Shop 3.0/Slodac
Contents
[hide]The Basics
What
BARC stands for either "Basic Application Rechargeable Computer" or "Basically Awesome Rechargeable Computer". I'll decide later.
This is a pet project of ctag's to create a laptop after he was bitten by the venomous "Novena Bug". The laptop will have the following features/requirements/goals:
- Linux. Linux linux linux. Oh, and maybe FreeBSD too. No Android, because it sucks.
- As open (as in Richard Stallman drinking a free beer) as possible without being expensive. Both in the hardware and software realms.
- Capable of writing C, C++, JAVA on some scale. Must be somewhat better than an Chromebook in this regard, I want a compiler not a fuggin notepad.
- Robust. Drop-able. (Did he really just say that? Even when most phones are made to shatter when bumped? He must be insane)
- Small and/or lightweight. Or, you know, not.
- Yeah, idk yet. Leaving room here for future aspirations, like neon underglow.
How
I plan for this to be a very singular project in which I order the parts and sit in my basement and swear until they form a working computer. Let me know if that sounds like fun.
When
This semester. Hopefully before the Novena laptops become available (it's a race).
The Details
Hardware BOM
What about other small boards like the radxa? IDK, the only reason I'm going beagleboard right now is it's open-ness and there's a company making screens for it. Got a suggestion? Pitch it to me, I'd love to find something more powerful than the BB-xM.
Well, there are actually a lot of boards available, like beagle board, hackberry, raspberry pi, cubieboard, etc.
The screen should be available around the end of February. Link to company post
- A USB battery (Dude! or a hydrogen fuel cell!)
- Wireless mouse/keyboard
- Wireless dongle
- Wall power dongle
- USB "parts" for power
Cost Breakdown
There isn't one yet, but I'm looking at this as a $500 project. $150 for the board, $150 for the screen, and a bit for the peices, sounds good.
Boards Available:
- http://beagleboard.org/Products/BeagleBoard-xM - BeagleBoard - $150
- http://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/raspbrry-modb-512m/model-b-assembled-board-only/dp/43W5302?COM=raspi-group Raspberry Pi - $35
- https://store.iotllc.com/product.php?productid=38&cat=0&featured=Y CubieTruck - $100 (has sata support)
(also has Sata support)
Link to UDOO power consumption chart
So far I really like the features available with the UDOO, but I personally would rather support the open source project and get a BeagleBoard-xM anyway. The UDOO also looks like it would draw more power.
General Hardware Idea Revise Laterz
In a perfect world, I would incorporate power regulation into the 'computer' (computer being the beagleboard mounted behind the screen and not much else). I would also create some fancy USB wires which would let me swap out between different USB power sources without shutting down. So, what this would mean is that I could own several cellphone USB chargers, and only carry as many as I feel necessary for that day. If I run low on power, I'll be able to find a wall outlet and plug in a cellphone USB charger there, or plug into one of the university's computers or whatever. This appeals to me as the most versatile system, as I can charge the laptop battery pack at the same time that the laptop is plugged into the wall, and I can swap out packs at my office if I need to. This will, of course, require some actual planning and thought, and I'll need to get good numbers on the power usage of the components I'm looking at.
External Resources
- http://www.riscos.info/index.php/BeagleBoard-based_Laptop - A sad, lonely wiki page about my project from before my project :(
