The impulse buying tech nerd within me sees a $45 computer with potential for being able to make anything and I am stuck for ideas as to what I could use this for. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Personally, I'm going to use one of them for a sort of NAS box for my backups. The only network access will be via SSH, with key access only, and a "command=" target in the authorized_keys file so that it you can only backup to it and restore files from it -- but not destroy data. Always nice to have a dedicated backup server in case your system gets hacked.
I was going to use a RasPi, but I/O was too slow as it had to shove both the Ethernet and Disk through the same USB controller.
The other thing I'm using these things for (at least the RasPis) is a temporary fix for when someone's computer is busted -- it gets them back online with access to most of their daily routine, while I'm taking time to repair the PC. The BBB might have a bit more performance, so I might add that to the mix too.
Thanks, without your comment I wouldn't have thought to put this on the top of the possible-guts list for a similar project I've been hoping to get to. I was thinking of a little NAS back-up box going out in the back-yard, buried and protected in some nice groundwater-safe enclosure. For a sort of pseudo-off-site backup.
Throw a USB wifi module on it, and permanently mount it in your car. Then, at night, when it is in range of your home network, have it rsync your backups to it from a primary backup server. I'm sure that the board itself is low power enough that it won't run down your car battery overnight, not sure about a USB hard drive though (or just configure the drive to auto spin down when not in use).
I was interested in getting an arduino for a while but wasn't sure what to do with it and was busy with other software projects. Recently, I got a pi at PyCon for free, then shortly after we bought some chicks for raising chickens for eggs. I put the two together and am building out a monitoring system for them, that includes a web cam, temperature sensor and remotely controlled brooder light. I like to call it a chicken pi :)
But, I think it just takes one small project to get you started. I've noticed that this has a snowball effect as I start reading more and talking to more people about electronics and automation. Lots of fun! It's all about hacking, learning and having a good time!
Mine is currently a part time camera host for the (hot, young) chick cam, and rapidly getting the electronics and control programming to run the door on the coop. My long term plan is to have a few webcams in the coop and do some computer vision for chicken detection.
Pulling in the Shenzhen thread -- I wish I had the lab I had in HS 20 years back to do this: a bench full of scopes and power supplies, meters, and a parts room that was open for use. No paying retail + $10 shipping and waiting a week for parts.
And the nerd/hacker/enthusiast in me would gladly put down the cash to make it happen.
However, I also run into a wall when thinking of what to do with such a device. I'm not inspired by webcam+embedded linux. I don't want home automation. I already have devices hooked up to a TV. I work on the Kindles, which use Android (Fire) and embedded Linux (eink), so I can't argue buying a BeagleBoard for educational reasons.
Every time a product like this comes up, I get excited and start searching the TI website or BeagleBoard.org or Raspberry Pi or Arduino for lists of related components I could purchase to put together. Make my own weather station? I live in Seattle, the weather never changes :). What about a toiler paper roll sensor so I know if I need to buy more next time I'm at costco? (with a gf, this is hard problem!). I don't want this electronic staying in the bathroom around the moisture. What about getting a blue light star tracker and calculating celestial position like the old stealth fighters did? Cool, but kind of niche.
The closest idea I came up with is making an RC car. It would get me into the shop to make a frame, perhaps use a 3D printer for mold coverings, and be a fun demo with friends. When I start looking for motors, I get stuck finding a place to buy a motor. Take this page, for example:
It's unclear to me if this page is a 'kit' for a large shop who want to try out this motor for a specific application. Or do I really need the huge controller board to operate this brushless motor?
Also, is it even possible to buy 4 or 8 of the motors? Or do I really need to put in an order of 1k or 10k units?!?!
Forgive the naive question, but where do other people go shopping for related components like a motor to wire together with these kits? What am I doing wrong?
If you can afford it, I would recommend buying one (or an Arduino or RasPi). Even if the most you ever do with it is run through some simple tutorials, it is still worth it. I have a few Arduino's and RasPi's, and to date, I have yet to make anything noteworthy, but going trough random tutorials has been fairly educational and entertaining.
I just ordered one from Digi-Key, and intend to try to compile Inferno on it to run in hosted mode. If that works, I'll network it with the Inferno hosted on my home computer, and see if I can get them both to work well with each other. Once I have the two computers up and running, I'll see if I can use the BB Black as my main home computer, and move off my current desktop.
