TRS-80

I just came across this article (for those interested in the freedom aspects, per the title): https://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/single-board-computers I still haven't been home yet to play with those ODROIDs nor the IP cameras I ordered back in August. See what I mean when I say I have no time? :)

My current job still keeps me quite busy still with no time for hardly anything. Having said that, I would like to contribute, somehow. Perhaps financially, even more than I am doing now (which is not much). Maybe I could contribute a little more for this admin person, I dunno. I just feel a strong urge to help out, somehow, however I can. Also, there exists an #armbian channel on Freenode, I auto-join and hang out in there all the time, but rarely if ever see anyone talking in there. I am not sure if you guys are aware of it, or? MOTD says "unofficial channel awaiting official status." Just FYI.

I started contributing a few dollars per month to help defray server costs. I might like to increase this amount to help out in purchasing hardware, etc. As I stated before, I have almost no time for anything, but happy to contribute few dollars here and there as luckily I am in a position to do so. I couldn't help but wonder however, how much the PayPal fees and exchange rate were eating into my little contribution each month? And if it's significant, maybe we can figure out a better way to transfer funds. I have a strong dislike for middle men taking a cut anyway. Parasites.

So, finally today I am getting around to pulling trigger on (2x) ODROID-XU4, I go to AmeriDroid (US supplier), put 2 of them in cart and go off looking for emmc modules, only to come across: https://ameridroid.com/collections/storage-emmc-and-microsd/products/emmc-5-1-module-blank Has anyone seen / tested these? My internet search says no, but I thought I would ask anyway. If not, I guess it's my turn now to be the guinea pig. I think I will maybe get one of these and one "regular" emmc...

Ameridroid have ODROID-XU4 back in stock, even though their page for them still says out of stock. I have been corresponding with them via email, they shipped all back orders last week and said they should have (at that time) like 70 more left after all orders were filled.

There are graphical backgrounds? This is my favorite, and the only one I ever saw, prior to opening this thread: ____ _ _ _ _ / ___| _| |__ (_) ___| |_ _ __ _ _ ___| | __ | | | | | | '_ \| |/ _ \ __| '__| | | |/ __| |/ / | |__| |_| | |_) | | __/ |_| | | |_| | (__| < \____\__,_|_.__/|_|\___|\__|_| \__,_|\___|_|\_\ Welcome to Debian Jessie with Armbian Linux 4.19.62-sunxi System load: 1.06 0.64 0.58 Up time: 19:01 hours Memory usage: 28 % of 2010MB IP: 192.168.1.5 10.0.1.5 CPU temp: 35°C Usage of /: 6% of 59G storage/: 9% of 3.6T Last login: Fri Aug 23 01:51:43 2019 from 10.0.1.12 All jokes aside, I probably like the last one (rounded with plain grey background), and also the terra cotta army one mane me smile.

@lanefu, I would add, that a lot of those features (on board video shipping, motion detection) actually seem to be supported in the Dafang hacks software. I think I read somewhere that the dev who wrote it actually worked on their firmware at some point (not sure if true)? Anyway, check out the links for more info. And I'll try and remember to report back how it all goes (although it will likely be some months from now at the rate my work schedule is going).

Thanks for the input, but proprietary software is a non-starter for me. So much so in fact, that I purchase hardware nowadays based on how free/open the driver support (and company/community around it in general) are. In fact, I never even considered purchasing any IP cameras until I came across those ones with the Dafang hacks. I did hear the Zoneminder guy on some Linux podcast a few months back, and it sounded like some more development has been going on of late. Well, I certainly hope, anyway. I have yet to touch it, but I will be knee deep in it here soon enough! :D So, I've got (2x) the fixed (Xiaofang) ones and (1x) PTZ (Dafang) on the way from AliExpress as we speak. The former were only lke $20 something each, and the latter ~$30(!). I can remember what seems like only a few short years ago PTZ cameras being like $500! Anyway, back to topic, I came across this post which nicely summarizes sort of where we are today with regard to SBCs and particularly how open they are which leads directly to how well they are supported by community / Linux which means a good, long term, and stable experience for end users. For now I am going to pull trigger on (1-2) ODROID-XU4, one for dedicated ZoneMinder instance, and the other one for a spare / development / testing platform. I've also ordered a 16 port (8 PoE) gigabit switch, 1000' box of Cat5e (only $38 shipped on eBay, surprisingly!) and some ends, crimping tool, etc... so yeah we will see how it goes!

Cool man, thanks. I'll check it out now.

Seems I just saw a thread somewhere about this... Ah yes here it is. I haven't read it at all, but you could probably get a good sense of the current progress by reading the last couple pages of that thread.

I think I've become pretty OK at bash scripting lately (maybe you will think differently once I submit a PR, LOL ). Is there anywhere I can look to help in that area specifically?

I guess I've been ordering too much stuff on Aliexpress, my expectations are now to pay peanuts and wait weeks (and I'm fine with that, actually). I think I'll probably go with AmeriDroid, they are cheapest and I'm not in a hurry. They also seem to carry the EMMC modules, so it's still one stop shopping.

I just came across a perfect example. So I discover that the posted bbcode adds a line feed (and an extra bullet at the top) unless you have it all on the same line. Like so: [list] [*]item [*]item [/list] Results in: item item However, if you put it all on one line: [list][*]item[*]item[/list] Results in: item item Now, to make that change in Emacs took only a few seconds to make a macro and run down the list making the needed changes, removing the extra spaces. And that (among many other reasons) is why I prefer to edit in a real text editor instead of this java-scripty-web-2.0-thingy. Although the forum does seem to have some quite nice features.

I finally got a chance to look at all the H5 boards, and every one on that list is only USB2. Taking a look at the main H5 page at linux-sunxi, it does not seem to outright state anywhere that the SoC only supports USB2, although that does appear to be the case based on all the boards I looked at. I suppose that puts me right back to where I am with the Cubietruck (I/O wise) except with a 64-bit CPU. Which I am not sure is compelling enough to make that leap, just yet... But wait, there's more! Another development has happened recently. The missus has become interested in putting up a couple cameras at home. Of course wanting to do everything using only F/LOSS/H* (as much as possible), I did a little research and learned that there is some open source alternative firmware available for inexpensive Xiaomi IP cameras which was pretty exciting and new information (to me at least). And of course I have known about ZoneMinder already for a long time. I have looked into cameras on and off over the years, and I know that ZoneMinder requires some CPU grunt to sort through the camera feeds looking for changes. Of course now that I have become spoiled with the low power usage and low cost of all these great SBCs that are coming available, I wondered if there were any that could handle such a task. Lo and behold, after a little research I came across this blog post about putting ZoneMinder on an ODROID-XU4. After reading up on the ODROID-XU4, and pricing them, I realized that it is a hell of a lot more CPU grunt than the Cubietruck, and also 2x USB3 for slightly less cost. Here is a comparison of the specs relevant to my use case: Board SoC CPU(s) RAM on board storage SATA USB Ethernet Price ODROID-XU4 Exynos 5422 Octa big.LITTLE ARM Cortex-A15 @ 2.0 GHz quad-core and Cortex-A7 quad-core 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM at 933 8 GB EMMC $12.90 NO (available as add on) 1 × USB 2.0 A Host, 2 x USB 3.0 Host 10/100/1000 $70.96 Cubietruck (aka Cubieboard3) Allwinner A20 ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1 GHz dual-core 2 GiB DDR3 @ 480 MHz 8 GB NAND flash 1x 2x USB A host (2.0?) 10/100/1000 RTL8211E $75 (eBay) So at this point I'm pretty excited about the ODROID-XU4 for the following reasons: it should be able to run ZoneMinder with a few cameras (which is enough for me) USB3 instead of USB2 a lot more CPU grunt actually cheaper than Cubietruck! It's still 32-bit, of course, but for my current direction getting into ZoneMinder, I am thinking this will be my next purchase. Where data integrity is not as important on stored (somewhat temporary) videos. Therefore no need for ZFS, and hence no need for 64-bit. And then this will give me something to work on while I wait for the more powerful 64-bit stuff (like Rockchip 3399) to mature. And then put all my "important" stuff on a ZFS system on that. Oh yeah, and I still need to look into H6. Cursory look shows USB3 support (but only 1 port?!) and what the linux-sunxi H6 wiki page says about the PCIe implementation being broken does not sound good either. Thanks for the suggestion though @TonyMac32, at first glance I actually missed what you were saying, only one character difference from H5. I know you are more involved in the development, and may have more current information than what is presented there on that wiki? * Free/Libre and Open Source Software (and Hardware)

I received an email back from Hardkernel, they said that's the best they can do on shipping. They did however direct me to their Distributors page, where I see (2) listed for U.S.: AmeriDroid Olympian LED Olympian lists them for $99 apiece (lol), I didn't even bother to look into shipping. AmeriDroid has them for $51.95 USD + 16(!) different shipping options, the cheapest one being First Class for $6.06, total $58.01, but they are out of stock until end of July / early August. Well, honestly I'd prefer to source my own (quality) PSU, rather than get some cheap Chinese who-knows-what at a greatly inflated (/added in) price. I've always been a fan of good, quality PSUs in all my electronics, especially sensitive ones like computers, etc. And that was even before reading all the big, bolded admonishments here about the importance of adequate power! For instance, for my Cubietruck I found a Mean Well class VI (I think? some high 90 something % efficiency) at someplace like Mouser. It was only like $20 something shipped. Well worth it, IMO.

Well, in Emacs we would call it killing and yanking, but, yeah. :)

Quick look on eBay shows $60-70-something range with "free (built-in) shipping" (to US). I saw one used one going for $50, incl. shipping. I did not search around for resellers in US, maybe I will do that later. Thanks for input.

OK, so bold, italic, underline, and links appear to work, but not size changes. I didn't really try other tags. Oh oops, I just now saw the preview button in the options at the top of the editor. Sorry! [style size="30px"]size in pixels[/style] [style size="200"]size in number[/style] Entry A Entry B Entry 1 Entry 2 [table] [tr] [td]table cell 1[/td] [td]table cell 2[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]table cell 3[/td] [td]table cell 4[/td] [/tr] [/table]

A brief internet search revealed that Invision board software is supposed to accept bbcode. I wish there was a way to preview this, but it does not appear to be so. Since I prefer to edit my post in Emacs using bbcode mode before posting (I just lost a big post I was working on due to an errant keypress) I hope that it is alright I am testing this functionality. Feel free to delete this once it has been posted... unless somehow you feel it is useful? Well, here goes... Size 150 Size 200 bold italic underline link to google A paragraph. Another paragraph.

Wow, you still hanging on to those fossils?! XD A year or two ago, I finally convinced the missus to get rid of several old consoles she had kept for years and I replaced them all (and more) with an emulator on our front end RPi in the living room (which also runs Kodi, etc.). But then again we are very limited on space in our current setup. I know there are a few things I would be hoarding more of, if I had the room... XD I programmed my first TRS-80 in BASIC in elementary school, which was one of my first experiences with computers, hence the moniker. I drifted away from my natural interest in tech for many years (building up a business, etc.) and so when I started getting back to my roots a few years ago, it seemed to be a good choice for an online handle.

As previously posted, I have been looking to buy another board. My research continues. But today I came across this, and wanted to ask if this was something I should jump on, or do they always sell for this price? ODROID-XU4 at Hardkernel shop shows a price of $59.00, which is crossed out and now $49.00 is shown instead. I added an 8GB EMMC module, and then went to my cart to check shipping, which was $28.00 to Eastern US! I have emailed them asking if there is any cheaper shipping option, as that is almost 50% of the price! I will report back their reply if/when I receive it.

Currently, this thread comes up as one of the top results when you do an internet search for "Le Potato Kodi." Plus I really like/trust the content and contributors here (as opposed to other places), so I will hope to add to this discussion. I am a free/libre software/hardware guy, and I really want companies like Libre Computer Project to succeed. Having said that... There is a lot to like about the Le Potato, especially for Kodi: AmLogic S-905 based (hardware decoding), RPi form factor (can re-use cute little Retro NES case I already have), very reasonably priced (considering those capabilities), etc... I was getting really excited about this device as a "front-end" board for Kodi (to attach to TV), until I read that it only supports 100M ethernet... So what's the point of being able to display 4k if you can't stream it over your network? I guess if you store your content only locally on the device? So dissapoint.

Thanks for the suggestion, @martinayotte, I am reading up on those architectures now. A quick read of https://linux-sunxi.org/A64 seems to indicate only 1x USB port, and no SATA, which does not seem suitable for a multi-disk ZFS server, even though it is 64-bit. https://linux-sunxi.org/H5 however, with 3x USB seem possibly more suitable. I need to read more. I suppose when I said that, I was referring to the RK3399 boards which seem to be much more powerful, more RAM, and more options as far as places to attach multiple disks (some even with PCIe slots!) which would make them pretty much ideal as far as headless ZFS servers are concerned. Unfortunately, Linux support on those still seems very WIP, for the time being... I keep going back and forth on USB vs SATA interface to attach the hard drives, I seem to recall @tkaiser saying somewhere that speed is pretty much the same nowadays (assuming USB3?) and then from a tinfoil hat perspective I have also read that USB better isolates the hard drive firmware from direct memory access? TRS-80

Greetings everyone, A couple years ago, I did my research and followed the recommendation here and on linux-sunxi to purchase a Cubietruck and have had excellent results. I use my small low power GNU/Linux sever for all manner of things including self hosted "cloud" (contact, calendar, file synchronization), XMPP messaging server, media server, etc... It has been such a success in fact that we are putting more and more of our valuable personal files on there like pictures, etc. and that has me thinking more and more about reliability, backup, etc... I became very interested in ZFS but my understanding is that it requires 64-bit, but the state of 64-bit ARM devices seems... well, not quite ready for prime time just yet? I have spoken to some friends and family about my self-hosted solution, and a few of them are interested now in doing something similar. So now I am thinking along the lines of purchasing a second (and/or third...) Cubietruck and putting together a sort of distributed cluster of little servers at different locations where we each back up one another's data. So I guess my question is, should I pull the trigger now and purchase additional Cubietruck(s), or just sit tight and wait a little longer until 64-bit ARM matures? Or perhaps there is some other option I am not aware of (hardware recommendation)? My primary concerns are privacy, including keeping my own data on devices I physically control or have access to. Also the whole state of affairs with blob bootloaders is very troubling to me, but it has been difficult for me to find specific info on this, at least with regard to specific ARM based hardware. Maybe I am not looking in the right place(s)? Any pointers about where to find such information would also be greatly appreciated. To give you an idea of where I am coming from, I spent years and hundreds of dollars acquiring a number of KGPE-D16 motherboards and related hardware (ECC RAM, etc.) to run Libreboot and ZFS, only to measure the power consumption and realize that at hundreds of watts it was totally unfit for the purpose of a 24/7/365 server. I just don't want to make any more really bad mistakes like that. I know there are some very knowledgeable people here, and I am hoping some of you can contribute to a discussion that would get me (and others who think similarly) looking in the right direction. TRS-80 P.S. - I just want to thank everyone here who is doing such a fine job. The developers as well as those who help in answering questions in the forums, etc. I am very short on time these days and cannot help out in that way myself currently, however I did make a small monthly financial commitment in the form of a membership. It is not a lot but is the least I can do. I feel that those of you who spend your valuable time on development, support, etc. should not have to come out of pocket for server costs and other small expenditures. I know that I personally greatly appreciate your work, I'm sure others do as well, even if they don't say so as often as they should. Cheers!

I realize you posted this about a month ago, but have you considered Cubietruck?