Onion Omega2 - 128MB Linux IOT and WIFI for $9?

[Cliff Matthews]

Sounds too good to be real    580Mhz CPU, 128MB ram, 32MB flash, ext Micro SD, USB 2.0, WIFI b/g/n, 15 GPIO's, 2 PWM, 2 UART's, I2C, SPI and I2S for $9 USD?
Anyone have experience with this company? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/onion/omega2-5-iot-computer-with-wi-fi-powered-by-linux

[Kilrah]

Nope, but I've got one of these which is the same price and significantly more featured on the way to me right now, so it's possible

https://getchip.com/pages/chip

Their "full computer" shield thing is too cool as well https://getchip.com/pages/pocketchip

[Kean]

I've got a bunch of the original Onion Omega boards from the previous Kickstarter.
They're somewhat limited in terms of the Linux environment (OpenWRT based I think), but otherwise pretty nifty.
The Omega2 plus has microSD so that provides a lot more expansion possibilities.
I'm backing the Omega2 project for some of the plus boards, but this time I won't get any "docks" as I think they're a little overpriced.

[edavid]

Can they really run Linux from 16MB flash    Impressive.

Anyway, CHIP has a 1GHz CPU, 4GB flash, 512MB RAM, video output, and is already shipping (I have 2 and they work fine).  Seems like the obvious choice in $9 computers.

[Kilrah]

There are routers and access points that run linux out of only 2MB flash.

Obviously these are extremely minimal single-purpose distributions. With 16MB you'll have a bit more but still no GUI. I see the Omega2+ has a microSD slot, so you'll be able to use that for a more complete distro if you want. On the Omega/Omega2 you have to put a USB stick, which means you also need the carrier board...

The CHIP is certainly a world above, yes it's a bit bigger but the choices in connectivity and hardware/performance are much more useful.
Mine has arrived but at a friend's, need to pick it up...

[Xenoamor]

So.... is any of this open source?

[b_force]

I don't want to sound to grumpy, but how many different 'mini computer' Raspberry Pi like boards are there now on the market?

Don't get me wrong, innovation is great, but this is almost reinventing an already reinvented wheel a bunch of times.
Without proper documentation, support and good community these things are not really gonna make a big difference.
Or am I the only one who misses the point?

[Kilrah]

There are for sure way more of these things than "necessary", but they are all different compromises around the same thing. I find that Omega kinda stupid compared to the CHIP, but then there's certainly someone for whom the smaller size is more important than the rest.

People who make them have fun making their own variation of the thing that fits their desires, if there are people to buy them then all is "fine and dandy", that's how the world works.

If a project doesn't suit my needs I won't back it, and I'll usually say why I'm not approving in the unlikely case the creator might have missed something they'd actually have wanted to consider, but in the end they will do what they want and that's what matters.

[snoopy]

And there's a rasberry pi ZERO as well ! https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-zero/

Honestly though, what is the best board to run a music server with full 192KHz I2S audio capability ?

cheers

[Xenoamor]

And there's a rasberry pi ZERO as well ! https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-zero/

Honestly though, what is the best board to run a music server with full 192KHz I2S audio capability ?

cheers

https://www.hifiberry.com/dac/  used with   http://www.pimusicbox.com/