Hardware Hacks: Pi in the sky and Linux on the MK802

Footage from the Raspberry Pi at the edge of space
Source: Dave Akerman

Hardware Hacks is the section on The H that collects stories about the wide range of uses of open source in the rapidly expanding area of open hardware. Find out about interesting projects, re-purposing of devices and the creation of a new generation of deeply open systems. In this edition, Raspberry Pi in the sky, Linux distros for the MK802, Chromium on Pi and cheaper ARM quad core boards.

• Linux distributions for the MK802 – For users of the MK802 pendrive-sized computer, Liliputing has compiled a useful list of Linux distributions that run on the device (which comes with Android 4.0 out of the box). Aside from Fedora and Puppy Linux, several different Ubuntu-based distributions are listed.

• Chromium for the Raspberry Pi – Developer Liam McLoughlin, perhaps better known by his nickname Hexxeh, has released purpose-built packages of Chromium for the Raspbian Linux distribution for the Raspberry Pi. The developer advises users to load the browser with the command chrome –disable-ipv6 to speed up page loading times, and says that he will provide automated nightly builds of the packages if they should "prove popular and useful".
  

• Pi in the sky – Dave Akerman has launched a Raspberry Pi almost 40km into the planet's atmosphere by tying it to a hydrogen balloon. The device was equipped with a camera, GPS and a radio transmitter to send pictures and telemetry back to earth, allowing it to be tracked and later retrieved. Akerman designed the balloon's payload from scratch to keep all the components and the Raspberry Pi itself safe and protect it from the near space environment and the harsh landing once the balloon had burst.

• ARM Quad-core's get cheaper – If a project calls for a bit more processing power than the Raspberry Pi's 700MHz CPU, the ODROID-X development board delivers four cores clocked at 1.4GHz on its Exynos 4412 SoC. According to the manufacturer, the device will cost $129 and will start shipping "at the end of July". On top of the quad-core CPU, the board has six USB ports, 1GB of RAM, Micro-USB and Micro-HDMI ports, an SD card reader, and Ethernet connector and optional Wi-Fi and camera add-ons.

(fab)