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$9 Open Source Computer Blows Past Crowdfunding Goal
An anonymous reader writes: A team of engineers and artists has launched a Kickstarter campaign for C.H.I.P., a small computer that costs $9. The campaign met and far exceeded its $50,000 goal on the first day. The device runs an R8 ARM CPU clocked at 1 GHz, 512 MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage. It has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and runs a version of Debian. The price was enabled by two things: super-cheap Chinese tablets pushing down processor costs, and support from manufacturer Allwinner to make it even cheaper. The team is also building breakout boards for VGA and HDMI connections, as well as one with a tiny LCD screen, keyboard, and battery. Importantly, "all hardware design files schematic, PCB layout and bill of materials are free for you the community to download, modify and use."
Wifi b/g/n AP|client, bluetooth 4, and a battery charge controller(easy UPS) are onboard, as are 8 digital GPIO, 1 PWM, and a parallel LCD output(it has an HDMI converter, but I wouldn't expect 1080p)
No power or case for the $9 version. No ethernet on any of them, looks like.
https://linux-sunxi.org/GPL_Violations
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Allwinner-GPL-Violate-Proof
why are we enabling them and encouraging them?
Your comparison is flawed. The Raspberry Pi doesn't have Wifi, Bluetooth, or any onboard storage. By the time you add those three things to the Pi, C.H.I.P. will still be less than half the price (even with the HDMI board).
Better known as 318230.
Here's a link about Allwinner's GPL violations.
Tom Geller
$9 with $5 shipping on Kickstarter, at least in the US.
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