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Yeah I've read that recalbox is easier so I'll start with it and if it has Kodi might be the best for a newbie. Thanks for the help!
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Sep 15, 2018 13:00
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I want to set up a pihole and it seems like the cheapest and most power-efficient way would be a zero. However, I don’t like the idea of relying on WiFi for a DNS server. Would a USB to Ethernet converter for the zero be the best choice if I’m trying to minimize power consumption? Or should I go with something else? I’ve got a router/AP with a USB port on it, WDR3600 (in AP mode). Maybe this is a better question for the networking thread, but is it possible to plug in through USB and get an IP address for it so I don’t have to mess with an Ethernet adapter? That’s not a real issue, just curious. I guess I could also just hook it in right next to a WAP and it should be fine, especially with back up of OpenDNS or Google DNS or something. But another $5-10 might be worth the extra reliability. And I’m guessing a WiFi radio takes more power than a USB Ethernet adapter/cable? I know it seems weird to care about 100-200ma, but my power bill is already higher than I would like.
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Sep 15, 2018 22:06
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IMO it rarely ever makes sense to use a Zero for a role that benefits from wired ethernet unless you already have it and the adapters laying around. When you add up the cost of the Pi plus the adapters you start getting close to the cost of a full-size model, especially if you end up needing a hub or video output for anything, and you get so much more CPU power on the big ones. Zeroes are great for specific roles where their size is more important than capability or the USB-OTG functionality is required, but I'd never use one for a stationary appliance.
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Sep 15, 2018 22:52
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Varkk posted:You can install Kodi in Retropie. So in theory you would only need one device for media player and games.
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Sep 15, 2018 23:54
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That's fair enough. I found an original model B on Craigslist for $5, including the case, adapter, and a 4gb SD card. It's the 512mb RAM version, so it looks like that started in 2016. I might need a new SD card, not sure how long those tend to last. I know the model Bs have a much higher power draw, would that drop near the zero if I was to shut down as much as possible? Basically everything except the ethernet and power? I assume it's possible to shut down ports on Raspbian, but I don't know if that would stop power going to them. 700ma vs 200 or so is a pretty big difference. I'm going with 200 because it seems like the zero can drop to 80 with most things shut down and I'm reading that an ethernet adapter adds about 120 to the draw. Maybe a B+ or B2, by the spec sheet those have closer to the draw of the zero with an adapter. Microcenter has some good deals, but they're in store only and fuuuck driving through Denver traffic to save a few bucks. E: Nevermind, apparently my napkin math was way off. I'm looking at like $4.5 a year with a 3 b+ running full tilt 24/7. Practical to run Pihole and also use it to stream to a TV if I use a 3b / 3b+? I guess the main issue would be using my DNS server as a public-facing computer. Would running pihole in Docker help with that at all? 22 Eargesplitten fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Sep 16, 2018 |
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Sep 15, 2018 23:56
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Yeah, power consumption is basically negligible for them all. For me on cheap Ohio power a Zero doing something mostly idle like PiHole costs literally a quarter a year to run, a 3B+ in the same role would cost a buck or two. Unless you're operating on extremely limited power like a complete off-grid setup it's really not worth the trouble to care. In my book, any time I'm thinking more than 20 minutes about something that would save less money than one beer a month it's best to just stop worrying about it and go have that beer instead. You could definitely combine roles of a TV box and PiHole type stuff, but you'd be doing some customization for sure. The most popular TV streaming solution with a Pi is using Kodi via LibreELEC, which is a fairly specialized appliance distro that isn't really built for you to run other software on. It's certainly possible to install Kodi on top of a more standard distro like Raspbian, at which point you could also install PiHole and whatever else you wanted on it and it should easily handle a few more relatively light roles along the same lines. The hard work of playing videos mostly happens on the GPU so the CPU cores are generally close to idle while doing it.
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Sep 16, 2018 06:22
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Okay. It looks like OSMC has Docker and also a web browser add-on for sites that don’t have an app. Not sure if that’s the best choice, but I heard Raspbian had issues with the Widevine thing that Netflix uses. I also want to try to keep it simple so my roommates can use it. I’m the only super technical one in the house. So depending on how OSMC handles browsers and stuff I might need to install something other than Gnome, something that looks more like Windows. Is there a site that can help you find the best deals on Pi setups? Like PCPartPicker but with Pis? I don’t see them on their site. Also, is an official charger worth it over a standard USB fast charger like comes with a bunch of modern phones? I’ve got so many USB wall chargers. Frys has a full 3 B+ setup for $45 with their new member discount, not sure what the shipping would be. I think I have some spare HDMI cables as well, though. And I definitely have like three spare Ethernet cables. I bought a few because I thought I was out and then found more in a box of junk I hadn’t looked in since I moved.
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Sep 16, 2018 17:30
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Okay. It looks like OSMC has Docker and also a web browser add-on for sites that don’t have an app. Not sure if that’s the best choice, but I heard Raspbian had issues with the Widevine thing that Netflix uses. I also want to try to keep it simple so my roommates can use it. I’m the only super technical one in the house. So depending on how OSMC handles browsers and stuff I might need to install something other than Gnome, something that looks more like Windows. I'm not sure of any site that lets you find deals on single board computers specifically, but you can always search on slickdeals: https://slickdeals.net/ I tend to buy canakit stuff from amazon because they include a good power supply and have kits without cases (I usually 3d print those myself). It's worthwhile to get either an official RPi power supply or just a good one that's recommended for the Pi like the canakit ones because the higher end raspberry pis require more current than a lot of phone chargers provide. A lot of phone chargers are in the 500-1000mA range while the Pi 3 wants 2500 mA or so from a good power supply. There's also some variation in power draw based on what's plugged into the USB ports. Power hungry devices can require more current than you'd expect. Things like cameras are often best hooked to a raspberry pi through a powered USB hub so it can handle the power requirements instead of the port on the Pi itself. That said, a phone charger from a good manufacturer like Anker that says it provides 2.4A will probably be just fine for a Pi 3, but a lot of the ones that are included with phones aren't going to be enough.
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Sep 16, 2018 20:39
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Thanks. It looks like despite saying it’s a 15W charger, it actually maxes out at 1.7A on 5V. It’s on 12v that it will do 1.2, so basically 15. I’ll get the canakit one for $10 off of Amazon. I don’t have a 3D printer, so I need to buy a case. I could do the Altoids can thing, but after snipping all the ports and getting standoffs to avoid shorts I might as well buy one. Would I need heatsinks and a fan if I’m using it as a Kodi box? Or will the stock board be enough? I would be running Pi Hole (possibly in docker) too, but that’s pretty lightweight. It seems like I would need the board, charger, case, and SD card. I don’t know where my laptop is, so I’ll probably just spend the extra $4 for the official with NOOBS preloaded. I already have HDMI and Ethernet cables. How small are the little keyboards people make? I’m not sure whether to get one of those or one of the Logitech / Microsoft keyboards with a built in touchpad.
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Sep 16, 2018 21:23
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Thanks. It looks like despite saying it’s a 15W charger, it actually maxes out at 1.7A on 5V. It’s on 12v that it will do 1.2, so basically 15. Personally, I like the Logitech K400 Plus for my HTPC setup, but I have a handful of little wireless keyboards like this iPazzPort one that are okay. The touchpad isn't amazing but it works fine: https://smile.amazon.com/iPazzPort-Wireless-Keyboard-Touchpad-Android/dp/B00KF9IVKC/ There was a code ZKZEU27C making it $8.99 on amazon you can try, but I don't know if it will be active anymore: https://slickdeals.net/f/12032535-backlit-mini-wireless-keyboard-with-touchpad-for-android-box-nvidia-shield-tv-smart-tv-and-pc The main difference is that the K400 can sit on a table and be typed on while some most of the mini keyboards are for holding while you use them. I'd pick based on if you think you'll use it for typing more or just occasional use. The K400+ is about 14 inches long while the iPazzPort thing is around 5 1/2". I have heatsinks on my raspberry pi 3 running kodi but I honestly haven't noticed if it gets too slow while streaming. It's not the only set top box thing I use so I haven't given it a lot of scrutiny. I usually get the kits like this so the heatsinks are included: https://smile.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Power-Supply-Listed/dp/B07BC6WH7V/ There are more full featured kits with the case, power supply, heatsinks, etc like this one, though, which may be more what you're looking for: https://smile.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Complete-Starter-Kit/dp/B01C6Q2GSY/ https://smile.amazon.com/V-Kits-Raspberry-Model-Starter-Latest/dp/B07BDRD3LP/ They're not always the cheapest solutions because it's often easier to find this piece or that piece on sale for less, but given that almost everyone overcharges for the basic raspberry pi, leaving it close to $40 to start with, I usually just figure a little extra to get some accessories I'd probably want is worthwhile.
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Sep 16, 2018 21:47
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Thanks. That mini keyboard was still $9 with the code, so I got that. I got the pi and the SD card from Arrow Electronics because they have a 15% off coupon for new accounts and they had the pi itself at $35 already. They also have free overnight FedEx shipping, so I’m actually going to be waiting longer for my Amazon Prime package. Microcenter in store would have been cheaper, but driving through Denver is not worth $10. I mentioned Raspberry pi computers to my wife yesterday and my roommate asked what it was. I explained that it was a super cheap computer. She was interested, which makes me wonder two things. Can you actually use one as a cheap desktop for word processing and light internet usage? She wants to take some online video courses, so that’s the only real thing it would be for. The thing is that she is not the least bit technically inclined, so I would need to be able to install something A) extremely stable and B) that looked as much like Windows as possible, while still functioning on a Pi. I know there are desktop environments that look like windows, but I don’t know if Pi hardware can handle them. I was thinking maybe a NUC, but it looks like that doesn’t end up being particularly cheap either. Would a Pi work for that, or should I just trawl Craigslist for an old desktop?
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Sep 17, 2018 16:42
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Please never try to make a "not the least bit technically inclined" person use a raspberry pi. It's one of the most difficult-to-use computers you can buy, if your comparison point is a cheap windows or apple laptop. Instead of telling them it's a super cheap computer, say it's like a non portable cell phone with no screen that you can program yourself. Hopefully that will confuse them enough that they don't start imagining they can use one as a PC replacement.
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Sep 17, 2018 16:56
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That’s what I figured. Just wanted to make sure there wasn’t a way I could configure it that would work out. I’ll start looking on Craigslist. A computer from the university surplus store is an option too, but then I would need to buy a hard drive and Windows 10 license. I might have to buy her son one of those starter/learning kits for kids once he moves to the point where books and keyboards are things to read and use rather than stick in his mouth. They want me to make him a nerd, and I’m okay with that.
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Sep 17, 2018 17:01
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What your wife need is an iPad, going by your description.
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Sep 17, 2018 17:34
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I'd recommend a chromebook.
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Sep 17, 2018 17:44
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How would a Samsung tablet do for that, actually? Our other roommate was wanting to get rid of one with a broken charger port (a friend of his had a child that didn’t understand that iPhones and Androids use different chargers). It looks like it has a discrete board for the charger, assuming it’s not just a broken solder. Just a year or two old. He said he would take $30 for it. It was just the note 7s that were North Korea’s attempt to get America to bomb itself to death, right? Not the tablets?
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Sep 17, 2018 18:13
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I love my Pis but I think of them as little hobby computers that don't do any one thing particularly well, but it's "fun" to see what you can coax them into doing. The one thing I'd say they're splendid at for an unsophisticated user is video game emulation (once it's set up just right, that is).
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Sep 17, 2018 18:30
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22 Eargesplitten posted:How would a Samsung tablet do for that, actually? Our other roommate was wanting to get rid of one with a broken charger port (a friend of his had a child that didn’t understand that iPhones and Androids use different chargers). It looks like it has a discrete board for the charger, assuming it’s not just a broken solder. Just a year or two old. He said he would take $30 for it. What's going to be useful for him is just an older laptop that's still post 2012 or so. If you want something to use for a toy or just a media watching thing, use an old tablet.
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Sep 17, 2018 18:40
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Manky posted:I'd recommend a chromebook.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:25
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fishmech posted:What's going to be useful for him is just an older laptop that's still post 2012 or so. Laptops age terribly compared to desktops, so definitely not getting someone a 6 year old laptop. But this isn’t pi-related, so I’ll take it elsewhere. Actually the T430 is from around 2012 isn’t it? Welp, I feel old.
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Sep 17, 2018 20:33
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Laptops can be fine. It’s just the being schlepped around all day that ages them prematurely, along with things like tiny DC fan motors.
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Sep 17, 2018 22:51
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Worth noting that Moore's law is kind of falling apart and computers don't really age the way they used to. I'm still using a nearly 5-year-old laptop that was only $1100 when I bought it, and it's still perfectly good for any basic task (web browsing, whatever) and does a decent job with heavier things like SolidWorks and Photoshop. It would serve perfectly well as a primary grandmaputer.
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Sep 18, 2018 05:24
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Yeah if you throw an SSD in an old thinkpad from 2012 (x230, t430, etc) it's still pretty zippy, I have an x230 and it's kickng along just fine. They run about $150 on ebay and already include a battery, keyboard, power supply, case etc. The only reason to go newer in this day and age is if you want a mobile GPU and/or all day battery life.
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Sep 18, 2018 05:33
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Microcenter in Denver poo poo, I didn't know they had a microcenter down there.
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Sep 18, 2018 05:54
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Sagebrush posted:Instead of telling them it's a super cheap computer, say it's like a non portable cell phone with no screen that you can program yourself.
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Sep 18, 2018 07:13
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Laptops age terribly compared to desktops, so definitely not getting someone a 6 year old laptop. But this isn’t pi-related, so I’ll take it elsewhere. Laptops from 2012 is that first year where I believe they can be used indefinitely for the average user without too much of a hassle. At least, that's what I tell myself as I type this on my T530.
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Sep 18, 2018 09:05
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Fragrag posted:Laptops from 2012 is that first year where I believe they can be used indefinitely for the average user without too much of a hassle. At least, that's what I tell myself as I type this on my T530. Yeah, fair enough. I bought my T430 refurbished in 2015, so I always forget it was probably made in 2012. It's getting a bit sluggish, but I think it might just need a new SSD, or maybe I've got some stuff auto-starting that I forgot about and I just need to clear that out. I think the SSD is kind of crappy, I forget the brand. It also definitely would need a new battery for any kind of real extended use. poo poo last like 1.5 hours at most. Merging the topic of laptop and Pi, does anyone actually use those Pi laptop kits that I see around? They are expensive enough that the only real use case I could see is when you want to be able to be on battery basically forever. Like if you were a writer going out in the woods to day drink, smoke pot, and write all day. With one of those solar charger power banks you could probably keep it going indefinitely if it still gets powered like the normal Pi. Otherwise you might as well get one of those refurbished laptops we've been talking about. It would work for a programmer except gently caress the idea of ever cutting yourself off from Stack Overflow and web documentation while programming. That's just self-sabotage at this point.
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Sep 18, 2018 18:22
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I like the idea of having one laptop, forever, and being able to swap out an internal Raspberry Pi as new versions come available, or different SBCs, or for different purposes. I don't have one, though, but I've been tempted.
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Sep 18, 2018 19:12
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Sagebrush posted:Worth noting that Moore's law is kind of falling apart and computers don't really age the way they used to. I'm still using a nearly 5-year-old laptop that was only $1100 when I bought it, and it's still perfectly good for any basic task (web browsing, whatever) and does a decent job with heavier things like SolidWorks and Photoshop. It would serve perfectly well as a primary grandmaputer. Windows 10 doesn't get along too nicely with older Intel GPUs, pre-3rd gen Core i IIRC, but I'd still use a Core 2 Duo on Windows 7 or Linux as a random browsing box without a second thought. ante posted:I like the idea of having one laptop, forever, and being able to swap out an internal Raspberry Pi as new versions come available, or different SBCs, or for different purposes. I know it'll never happen because the marketing department wants thinness at all costs (including throttling in under a second of full load), consumers want cheap, and stockholders want disposable, but I've always wished for a standard laptop motherboard formfactor.
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Sep 18, 2018 21:04
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wolrah posted:My general rule for personal computers at this point is that if it's 64 bit with at least two cores, a SSD, and 4GB of RAM it's fine for average light computering as long as all the hardware is still supported. 8GB and a quad core makes for a much better experieince I've got a Core2Solo ultraportable that still works pretty great with Linux Mint now that it's got an SSD in it. It's great if I don't want to spin up a VM just to test something on Linux.
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Sep 18, 2018 21:18
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22 Eargesplitten posted:It would work for a programmer except gently caress the idea of ever cutting yourself off from Stack Overflow and web documentation while programming. That's just self-sabotage at this point. there's a guy in yospos who can write C++ without any web documentation or reference materials because he works for some high-security defense contractor (or something) where no internet connections are allowed poo poo blows my mind
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Sep 18, 2018 23:53
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Yeah gently caress that
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Sep 18, 2018 23:56
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Sagebrush posted:there's a guy in yospos who can write C++ without any web documentation or reference materials because he works for some high-security defense contractor (or something) where no internet connections are allowed Are they too lazy to set it up or something? I used to work at the NSA and I had a KVM to switch between TS and unclassified.
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Sep 19, 2018 00:07
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Rexxed posted:It's worthwhile to get either an official RPi power supply or just a good one that's recommended for the Pi... That warning is way too sensitive, I have a bunch of microUSB chargers I got from work (this emerson model but with micro USB connector) which have been rock solid for every raspberry PI I have used them with - I was even able use one to power a rpi1b with 2 USB-powered 2.5" hard drives attached (the rpi had the power bypass mod). Despite the chargers only outputting 2amp 5volt, I found they also worked fine with a rpi3 - until I tried replacing the microUSB male connector on one with a fullsize USB female socket (so I could insert any cable I like), the extra length added by the USB->microUSB cable was enough to make that warning start popping up (and I disabling it once I broke out the meter and found it never dropped below 4.98volt).
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Sep 19, 2018 02:11
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Sagebrush posted:there's a guy in yospos who can write C++ without any web documentation or reference materials because he works for some high-security defense contractor (or something) where no internet connections are allowed None of those newfangled 'book' things, either, I hope.
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Sep 19, 2018 03:17
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What dashboard software is good these days? I like the look of that smartmirror project but I don't plan on using a mirror. Just a spare monitor I have that I'd like to put in my kitchen to send recipes, basic browsing, and a few API connections. Seems like a lot of SaaS solutions but I'd prefer to self host
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Sep 19, 2018 03:35
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I've developed a crippling addiction to making numbers go up... for Science! AKA grid computing projects, especially World Community Grid. As I was getting together the parts for my third in-house compute node, I thought "I should really centrally manage these suckers instead of setting them all up by hand." And that led me to immediately think "I need a small machine to be tasked with the managing. A NUC or a Brix or a ZBox." Then I spent a whole day looking at the models of all those things before realizing: Duh! A Raspberry Pi! So now I have a Pi actually doing a job for the first time ever. It's just sitting here on a shelf next to my desk, managing much larger machines via Ansible. The code for it is here on github, on the vanishingly small chance that anyone else would want to do the exact same thing.
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Sep 19, 2018 08:28
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My pi stuff showed up yesterday. I got the 16gb official SD card preloaded with NOOBS because I have no idea where my T430 with SD card slot is. Is there an up to date guide for installing OSMC with a browser launcher? OSMC seems to upgrade fast enough that a lot of the documentation is way out of date. As I understand it OSMC works a lot better for Kodi than Raspian because of built in codec support. Maybe that’s changed, Raspbian seems to get updated frequently too.
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Sep 19, 2018 16:50
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How is PS1 emulation on a Pi 3 b+? I mainly want SNES, Mega Drive (genesis), Gameboy Advance and such but I'm a sucker for old rear end ISS Pro Evolution games for PS1 and if they run okish will be a plus.
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Sep 19, 2018 17:21
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Guillermus posted:How is PS1 emulation on a Pi 3 b+? I mainly want SNES, Mega Drive (genesis), Gameboy Advance and such but I'm a sucker for old rear end ISS Pro Evolution games for PS1 and if they run okish will be a plus. It is so-so. Each game is different. Some games run fine, others not so much.
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Sep 19, 2018 18:11
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