Posted By: JSHarrisI've been looking at simple, low power Linux options today. Anyone else seen the Raspberry Pi? (http://www.raspberrypi.org/) £16 for a board that will run Linux, has an SD card, enough I/O ports to do pretty much anything and runs at low power (around 1 W or so).

At the price, I intend getting a couple to play with as soon as production units are available.

Announced today. You can preorder from RS components (well register interest). The biggest flaw I see is that the only real data interface is the USB (or ethernet). I have been meaning to buy a Nanode but not quite got around to it although I see they have updated it so might just go and get a pre assembled one.

yep - remarkable what a bit of hype can do. But they are cheap, and with all those 15-yr-olds having one hopefully the non-freeness will get fixed soon enough.

These (CuBox) are super-cool too: http://www.solid-run.com/news €99 tiny little box (and it really is tiny - computers small enough to lose are now upon us) which will run your media player. It has SATA too so you can plug a real hard drive in, unlike a PI (as well as 1G RAM, ethernet, USB host, USB slave, IR, SPDIF and MicroSD card). Still non-free GPU drivers though, but everything else about it is very nice. Sexiest home server or media box money can currently buy. <3W. Debian, Ubuntu or Android as you see fit.

Can it run Windows?
1Watt power consumption, that is what we are after.

Posted By: SteamyTeaCan it run Windows?
1Watt power consumption, that is what we are after.

Bifferboard? Not Windows, but people do run various flavours of Linux on it and use it for OWFS (i.e. 1-wire).

Good point about the pre-order. I've had my grubby mitts on an early one - so I forgot they aren't actually on general sale yet. Ninja blocks (aka beaglebone) look interesting. Beaglebones can do 1-wire with a suitably-hacked kernel: http://dominion.thruhere.net/koen/cms/using-1-wire-on-a-beaglebone so this ninja thing out to be able to. 1-wire is vital on such home-monitoring/control kit IMHO, otherwise sensors are too expensive.

Windows is so yesterday ST. Have you not noticed that none of this cool new stuff runs windows? There are good reasons for that. If you want new toys you're going to have to get with the program.

Windows for ARM will be available on v8 hardware, sometime in 2014. But that'll be aiming at netbooks/laptops and servers, it'll be a while before cool gadgets like this have v8 ARM CPUs, and given the nonsense Microsoft are trying to impose about secure boot on ARM platforms anything hackable simply won't run Windows at all because if they do the rules make it impossible to run anything else.

I've started a new mission:

http://www.earth.org.uk/note-on-iButton-temperature-monitoring-of-aerogel-drylined-bedroom.html#m3

This is now comparing temperatures between the boy's room, the bedroom beside it, the living room below it, and outside.

Rgds

Damon

Out of direct rain and sunshine, but otherwise 'outside'!

Rgds

Damon

First set of readings taken for mission 3. I notice that the living room temperature changes faster than I expected.

Rgds

Damon

Living room is number 3, ie "3l".

See more here: http://www.earth.org.uk/note-on-iButton-temperature-monitoring-of-aerogel-drylined-bedroom.html#m3

We do start to get a bit of warming by the sun in the afternoon from this time of the year, which is why we have blackout blind linings on our curtains, to help control it (as well as provide extra insulation in winter).

Rgds

Damon

Lovely
There is nothing like numbers to show what is happening. But shoudl the new insulation not be limiting the temperature rise as anything sustained over 26°C is heading into a risk area.
Or have you had the windows open?

BTW, have just started graphing/charting output of my kids' school's new PV system. Early days yet but covering well over 25% of consumption over last few days for example, and does tentatively support assertion that thin-film does relatively better in cloudy conditions!

http://www.earth.org.uk/solar-powered-schools.html

Rgds

Damon