Single-Board Computer (SBC)

Hardkernel has released its latest single-board computer (SBC), the ODROID-N2 Plus. Equipped with a new Amlogic S922X processor and up to 4 GB of RAM, Hardkernel claims that the ODROID-N2 Plus can offer twice the performance of a Raspberry Pi 4. The SBC is overclockable, too.

FriendlyARM has now made the NanoPi NEO3 available to purchase. Starting at US$20.00, the NanoPi NEO3 comes with up to 2 GB of DDR4 RAM and is based on the Rockchip's RK3328 quad-core ARM chipset. The tiny SBC is smaller than the Raspberry Pi Zero W but offers Raspberry Pi Model 3 levels of performance.

A project has shown how to utilise the Raspberry Pi as an NFC-powered music player. Bringing a degree of tactility to digital music, the project combines an NFC reader with NFC tags to play specific albums, playlists or radio stations on Spotify.

Cooler Master has torn through the funding target of its new Raspberry Pi case, the Pi Case 40. Apparently offering better cooling performance than "any other passively cooled Pi case on the market", the Pi Case 40 retails for just €23 (~US$27).

Fancy making use of a Raspberry Pi as a smart speaker? Well, two projects have demonstrated the steps for getting the popular single-board computer working with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The realised projects support wake words and may be a cheaper option than purchasing an Echo Dot or a Nest Home Mini if you have a Raspberry Pi lying about.

Akasa has released the Gem Pro, having announced the case in May. Available for £24.75 or US$30.95, the Gem Pro features apertures for the GPIO and microSD card slot of the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, along with full access to its other ports.

A project has transformed the Raspberry Pi, some LEGO, an Arduino and a few other components into a working microscope. Presented by IBM Research, the project can deliver results that are accurate enough for reports, papers and presentations.

A project has transformed the Raspberry Pi into a portable synthesizer. Called the nanoPi, the project utilizes a Raspberry Pi Zero W, a KORG nanoKEY and FluidSynth.

The NanoPi NEO3 is another small single-board computer (SBC) produced by FriendlyELEC. The NEO3 includes a quad-core ARM processor, up to 2 GB of RAM, Gigabit Ethernet and a microSD card reader.

The project was slightly delayed by the pandemic, but it is now up on Kickstarter offering the tablet for just under US$200, along with a microSD card and cables for the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ Lite. The tablet itself integrates an 8-inch IPS touchscreen with 1280 x 800 resolution and even features an attachable handle that acts as a stand.

A simple project has demonstrated how to utilise a Raspberry Pi as an Ethernet bridge for the Nintendo Switch. The project can yield dramatic improvements in internet performance and may reduce online multiplayer lag too.

Thanks to a straightforward project, the Raspberry Pi can be used as the basis for a pocket-sized vintage radio. Featuring playlists for every decade from the 1920s to the present day, the so-called Radio Time Machine utilises a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, an Arduino Nano, some RGB LEDs and the shell from a vintage Bluetooth radio.

Fancy upping the gaming capabilities of your Raspberry Pi? Well, a simple project can bring Google Stadia to the single-board computer. Even titles like Destiny 2 are reported to play well on the Raspberry Pi using Stadia.

The Odroid-H2 Plus is a new alternative to the Raspberry Pi. The single-board computer is well suited for different applications thank to its powerful processor. The single-board computer is already available for pre-order.

The CrowPi2 transforms the Raspberry Pi into a compact laptop with a removable wireless keyboard and trackpad. The device, which has an 11.6-inch and 1080p IPS display, is compatible with multiple operating systems and the STEAM Education platform.

Adlink has announced the ROScube Pico, its latest single-board computer. The machine comes with an Intel Atom or a Rockhip processor, up to 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and is compatible with the Raspberry Pi 40-pin GPIO.

A new alternative to the Raspberry Pi has been presented. Called the Kimχ Micro, the Raspberry Pi Zero-sized micro SBC has a quad-core processor and a mPCIe slot for adding PCIe cards.

A new expansion board promises to make it easier to utilise the Raspberry Pi for STEM learning. Called the Micro:bit STEM for Lab kit, the expansion board provides a simple way to connect multiple sensors and an OLED display to the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi 4 is the most powerful single-board computer (SBC) released by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to date, and it got even more powerful recently with the introduction of the new 8 GB variant. We’ve got our hands on the new Pi and paired it with one of the most popular cases custom built for it, the Argon ONE, to find out if it could make for a reasonable desktop computing solution.

With the NanoSound One, you can transform the Raspberry Pi into a versatile audio system with an integrated Hi-Fi DAC. The NanoSound One supports multiroom, Spotify and Tidal among other music streaming services.

NexDock has announced its next laptop dock, the NexDock Touch. As its name implies, the NexDock Touch has a touchscreen, which is contained within a 1080p and 14-inch IPS display. The NexDock Touch features a 60 Wh battery, a host of ports and four speakers. The laptop dock is available to order for US$249 will ship at the end of August.

A new project transforms the humble Raspberry Pi into a simple and affordable surveillance camera system. Using just a Raspberry Pi, Python, a motion detector and a Raspberry Pi camera, the project can email you photos if you are away from your home whenever it detects motion.

Along with the recent launch of the new 8 GB variant of the Raspberry Pi 4, the Raspberry Pi foundation also decided to give its customized Linux variant a new name. Raspbian is now known as Raspberry Pi OS going forward and brings with it a new 64-bit beta variant designed to take full advantage of the RAM upgrade.

The well-known manufacturer Akasa has released several new cases for the Raspberry Pi. These should offer particularly good cooling and ensure stable performance without resorting to using active cooling solutions.

Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the immediate availability of a new 8 GB variant of its popular Raspberry Pi 4 SBC. The new board will be its most expensive yet at US$75, but it will help to extend the usefulness and usability of the board in a wide range of applications.

The Udoo X86 II is a new alternative to the popular Raspberry Pi. The single-board computer (SBC) has been designed using an Arduino Leonardo-compatible platform and has a quad-core X86 processor.

A new project can transform the humble Raspberry Pi into a media center in a rather simple manner. The Pi can access both locally stored data and data stored in the cloud.

A new project turns the Raspberry Pi into a control centre for smart home gadgets. The project supports both IKEA smart lighting and Home Assistant.

The NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX is a particularly powerful single-board computer; well beyond the capabilities of Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. The board boasts special AI acceleration and is available to order for US$399.

Asus has launched a new alternative to the Raspberry Pi. Called the Tinker Edge R, the single-board computer is well suited for AI applications thanks to its powerful components.

Hardkernel has released an updated version of the Odroid Go Advance, its portable games console. Called the Black Edition, the unit adds USB C charging, L2/R2 charging and Wi-Fi connectivity while retaining a 10-pin GPIO header.

A new alternative to the Raspberry Pi is now available. The Banana Pi BPI-F2P also allows the connection of external devices, but it has a different focus than the popular Raspberry Pi.

The wait is over. Thanks to RetroPie, the latest Raspberry Pi can now be easily utilised as a retro console. The new version not only provides compatibility with the Raspberry Pi 4, but also offers numerous improvements for other models.

Based on the Sony IMX477, the Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera Module is a big upgrade over the existing Raspberry Pi Camera Module. Featuring interchangeable lenses, a back-focus adjustment ring and a tripod mount, the 12.3 MP camera retails for US$50.00.

Combining a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ and off-the-shelf parts, the project requires no 3D printing or soldering. Suitable even for beginners, the resulting unit can deliver weather forecasts on its easy to read ePaper display.

As reported last week, sales of the Raspberry Pi are current going gangbusters due to COVID-19. One cool and simple project that you can set up with your new found time and your new Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 or other compatible SBC is join the fight against COVID-19 by joining the Fold for Covid project using balenaEtcher, a balena OS image and a microSD card.

Hardkernel has introduced a new single-board computer and a compelling alternative to the Raspberry Pi. The ODROID-C4 should convince with its affordable price and high computing power.

Based around a Raspberry Pi Zero W, a community project has transformed the popular single-board computer into a compact weather station. Comparatively easy and inexpensive to create, the system can be wall-mounted and features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display.

A new operating system for the Raspberry Pi is available. This should trigger nostalgic feelings among numerous users and is visually reminiscent of Windows XP and also supports old software with various emulators.

A new project has transformed the Raspberry Pi into a thermal imaging camera. Using the housing of a discarded microwave detector, the Apollo Pi Thermal Camera is based around a Raspberry Pi Zero W, a 1.3-inch display and a Thermal Camera Breakout.

Based on the desk terminal from Fallout 4, the project features a 3.5-inch display and a 3D printed case. The result looks great, in our opinion.

The Turing Pi Cluster Board turns up to seven Raspberry Pi Compute Modules into a powerful cluster device. The board can not only be used for network storage, but also as a platform for video games.

There have been a lot of unexpected side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and we can add another to the list. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has revealed that March saw its second highest number of sales since it launched in 2012.

A community project posted has turned a humble Raspberry Pi into a working Pipboy. Loosely based on the Pipboy 2000 MK VI, the project features a 3.5-inch display, a powerbank and a rotary encoder.

Posted to GitHub, the Mascobot utilises a Raspberry Pi as part of an open-source ventilator. The project uses an Arduino and off the shelf parts, too. Testing is already underway, with human trials planned for the beginning of May.

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.

Based on the NXP i.MX8M processor, the EMB-2237-AI features an Audio DSP, up to 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 8 GB of storage, along with support for PoE or Google Coral M.2 AI modules. Slightly larger than a Raspberry Pi, the EMB-2237-AI should be well-suited for Edge AI applications.

The simple project should take all over ten minutes to set-up and turns a Raspberry Pi into your very own ad blocker. There is more to it than just blocking ads though, as it also gives you an oversight of your whole network among other features.

A new project has turned the Raspberry Pi into a cheap electric lock. The project uses facial recognition to make it particularly easy to open the door and should also be comparatively easy for beginners to utilize. Also, relatively little material is required.

The PICO-WHU4 is a compact single-board computer with a very powerful processor. Apart from its high performance, the model also includes ports for connecting external sensors and actuators.