pi-top [4] Unboxing - Karen meets the pi-top 4!

As a postgraduate researcher, I was looking for a reliable computing device and came across this Pi-Top 4 in a YouTube video and was excited to get my hands on it since i have not got a chance to use a Pi-Top before. I am planning to use the Pi-top to monitor the autonomous system health (system and sensor state) and prompt the user if there are any errors. Since the autonomous system that we are working on relies on ROS, using Pi-top 4 would be easy as we can integrate the ROS environment.

Cheers

Baarath

The course will start with programming the micro:bit in Make Code, advance to making games in Make Code Arcade. Games made in Make Code Arcade can be exported to ELF binary format and played on ARM64-capable SBCs, including the RPi. It would ease the transition of kids from microcontrollers to SBCs and Python programming/BASH scripting and general Linux mantainance.

cypresstwist I'm interested in hearing about your micro:bit course but I'm not too sure how a raspberry pi relates to microbit?

Hi mythicalsn0w I'd say an internet connected MCU such as ESP8266, ESP32, etc, are more suitable for this task-

It would be much smaller, use much less energy, produce less heat(I'm telling you, that 4 produces a lot of heat! )

There are quite some good tutorials on how to make a web server and upload data to it with 8266 or something- it's also more cost oriented. This Pi-Top 4 costs 400 dollars!

Being a student myself I'd say it would be better to use a ESP8266. The processor on the Pi 4 SBC is clocked at 4 cores @ 1.5GHz. You could probably run a Machine Learning model on that.

On the other hand, a ESP8266 has a single core @80Mhz- that's quite fast by microcontroller standards!

It's also low cost - you can find one for 2 dollars, maybe 3.

Hehe, and also if I'd mention your Arduino is likely a 16MHz AVR, which is... quite puny compared to that ESP and it cannot compare to a SBC!

I'd love to use this box to build a KIOSK with ubuntu server and chromium installed in it. Once it boot up will direct run chromium and the chromium will direct open the application webpage. 2nd project will be smart home server with ubuntu server, php and the IO to control relay to switch ON/OFF home appliances, do a current measurement on main fuses box and etc.

I'd love one of these guys to build a white hat wifi hacking bot with my daughter to teach her about how weak a lot of wifi encryption is.

Of course since this is supposed to be for students and young makers and as I'm currently a student I'd be interested in seeing how easy it is to get started and make a practical project.

At least, in comparison with directly connecting jumper wires to a raspberry pi.

I would build this box for a part of my smart house. This box is perfect for a central heating and it looks very good in our room. The small display is perfect for showing the temperature and other parameters for the house.

Cheers

Gábor

I would develop an SDR (software defined radio) capable of receiving old analog formats as well as newer digital formats such as DRM and newer digital AM HD formats in current and future frequencies from LW to UHF. By implementing as much as possible in software the goal would be to render the receiver essentially future proof.

Wow! I've tinkered with a Pi-Top once, it's a pretty good platform for new users, but this takes it much further!

Foundation Plate, Sound and Light Sensors, 2 Buttons, 2 Buzzers, 2 Potentiometers, 6 LEDs, Ultrasonic Sensor, 8 LEGO Connectors

The sensors seem like Grove, however.

To be honest, I have quite some dislike for these, "sensor ecosystems".

A grove sensor's connections aren't that easy to connect to a breadboard and a regular arduino, a PMOD is harder, and STEMMA...

it does make things easier but it's not good for trying to get people to learn-

When I first started with Arduinos when I was 11 or so(hehe, thankfully they were there) I started off with regular sensor modules, breadboards. It's super effective because you can figure out how the work- after reading a few tutorials and articles, I figured out there were Digital, Analog. Then, 1 Wire, 2 Wire, I2C, the works.

If you tell soemone to plug this cable here and that cable there they won't know that sensor uses a Dallas 1 Wire communication method. They only know where to plug it and how to run the example code.

Further, these ecosystems are quite expensive- a sensor could cost 10 dollars because it has a JST port and you could probably buy one that plugs into a breadboard for a dollar.

Additionally they cause great inflexibilty.

Most of these "STEMMA enabled boards" only has 1 or two ports- not so great when you need a lot of sensors.

They also don't have a complete ecosystem- If you want to have sensors consider adding all the sensors- you'll also need OLED, LCDs, this, that. But those are too advanced for 4 pin JST cables. And when someone wants to display something they go with a Shield.

But then, this is all theoretical, I haven't worked with any of these before.

It will be interesting to try to and make a project with this-

Perhaps a person detector?

I might connect a camera so it can also take a snapshot if the sound sensor or ultrasonic sensor picks something up.