I have been planning to make the ultimate armchair Pi for quite a while. The idea was to create a system that will connect to the TV in the family room to allow leisure and entertainment types of computing activities to be performed from the comfort of a reclining armchair. About a year ago I acquired a refurbished LG 4K TV (55"), so then it was a matter of scrounging a computer to drive it.
The criteria for the armchair Pi are:
- It needs to look like it belongs in the family room (an unpackaged Raspberry Pi would not be suitable)
- It needs to have 4K video capability
- It needs to be operated from an armchair with no wires running across the floor
- It needs to stay cool
- It needs to be quiet
- It needs to have wired Ethernet access
The Azure Sphere project happened to have participation prizes that included a gift credit card from element14 and a Raspberry Pi 4 from Hackster, so it was a great opportunity to acquire all the subsystems for the armchair Pi project.
System Components
The system is of course based on a Raspberry Pi 4B, which just happened to arrive today from Hackster - thanks Microsoft.
It needs a fully enclosed case that can keep it cool without a fan.
The coolest fanless fully enclosed case I found is this one (it has an internal pedestal that connects the case to the hot chip):
This case claims to not interfere with Wi-Fi although it has a full metal jacket. I want to use wired Ethernet anyway, so Wi-Fi isn't needed.
The TV already has an android set-top box which is connected to Ethernet, so I need to add an Ethernet switch:
To power the Pi I am using a 4 Amp Oneplus Dash:
But I want to be able to turn it on and off from my armchair, so I bought a remote control outlet:
Of course I also need a keyboard and mouse, so I bought a small wireless keyboard and mouse combo - but not too small:
These are the main components in the system.
Next Steps
I still want to make a lap tray with a drawer to hold the wireless peripherals and allow operation of the keyboard and mouse on my lap.
In my earlier review of the Pi4 I had trouble getting 4K video to play on the Pi4, but glennvanderveer has indicated that 4K video works with LibreELEC so I will be trying that out.
Everything has arrived except the keyboard, but in honor of Pi Day I thought I would share where it stands today.
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