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BreadBee: A tiny alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero that supports Linux and costs just US$10

BreadBee: A tiny alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero that supports Linux. (Image source: Daniel Palmer)
BreadBee: A tiny alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero that supports Linux. (Image source: Daniel Palmer)
The BreadBee is a very compact single-board computer that runs Linux. Developed by Daniel Palmer, the BreadBee features 64 MB of RAM, an MStar MSC313E Cortex-A7 SoC, two multi-pin headers and an RJ45 Ethernet port.

The BreadBee is an ultra-compact board for developers. Measuring in at just 32 x 30 mm, the BreadBee is considerably smaller than other SBCs like the Raspberry Pi Zero. The BreadBee is rather tall though as developer Daniel Palmer has included an Ethernet port. The RJ45 port can transmit data at up to 100 MBit/s. The BreadBee does not support Wi-Fi, but a future model may have an Ampak Wi-Fi module in place of the Ethernet port.

The BreadBee is based on an MStar MSC313E processor, which integrates an ARM Cortex-A7 core with NEON and FPU that runs at 1.0 GHz. There is also 64 MB of DDR2 RAM and 16 MP of SPI NOR flash memory.

Additionally, Palmer has included two multi-pin headers. Specifically, there is a 24-pin dual-row header with a 2.54 mm pitch on one side, which support SPI, I2C, UART and GPIO. On the reverse, Palmer has included a 21-pin header with a 1.27 mm pitch that supports SD/SDIO, USB 2.0 and GPIO.

Furthermore, the BreadBee has a micro USB port for power, which operates at 5 V. The board runs embedded Linux, too. Palmer is hoping to crowdfund the BreadBee on Crowd Supply, with units costing US$10. There is no fixed date on when the campaign will go live, but we shall keep you updated when it does.

(Image source: Daniel Palmer)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 04 > BreadBee: A tiny alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero that supports Linux and costs just US$10
Alex Alderson, 2020-04-16 (Update: 2021-09-28)