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For people saying they want a faster revision - do remember there are other computers in this form factor. I recently got an Odroid U3 and am very happy with it. Of course, it's $65, not $35. I tried setting up owncloud, nginx, a web server, etc. on a Pi and it couldn't handle it (everything ran, but terribly), the Odroid does well.

I still like the Pi, though. There are some people for whom saving $30 really does make a big difference, and if the goal is learning how computers work, having lots of GPIO pins, etc, the Pi is still awesome.



My biggest gripe with the Pi is a lack of proper USB power, so if you add all the stuff you need, especially for a wireless setup it's not so cheap and compact anymore. I'm happy that they've (hopefully) fixed the USB power problem, that makes it much nicer as a platform.


I've been providing power over the GPIO header directly, and have had great results. Combine a DC-DC supply with a few smoothing capacitors on a small daughter-board, add a barrel jack + 0.1" headers to interface and you get a lot more headroom and flexibility with how you power it.

(Same-ish end result as the other fuse bypass methods, but with no soldering on the pi, and the caps seem to help with the inrush current required for hot-plugging USB devices. )

It's a tradeoff vs device safety, but is super cheap, and the operational reliability is worth it for me. Every time I stage a pi for a project that isn't powered this way, I'm surprised how much frustration is involved.

Looking forward to this improvement with the B+ as much as anything else.

[1] eg, the CUI V7805 (102-1715-ND at digikey)


The CUI V78xx is a really interesting part, thanks for the tip!


No problem! There are a handful of other components I've used that also work well, eg:

* Traco TSR 1-2450 (available at Adafruit) * Cheap adjustable dx.com step-down converter (can't find the exact part #, but it's very popular)


Do you know of anywhere I can buy this ready-made?


The Rpi is now a totally open source platform though, unlike the Odroid. Same for the Novena laptop.

Also, I've heard bad things about the Odroid's stability under load. Do you have any problems? I've also definitely had problems with the Rpi under load, but I expect the new switching power supply to solve that.


I've had horrible experiences with Pi over load. SD card corruption very often. Tried various power bricks and several Pi's, always same issue - corrupt SD card after a couple of months of 24/7 use.

Have an Odroid U2 running now for 6 months on an eMMC card without any issues. I know which one I prefer. :)


Out of curiosity, what are you guys using it for?


VPN Gateway!


The Rpi is now a totally open source platform

The last time I looked, it still requires a binary blob to even boot, and despite Broadcom releasing (partial) documentation for the GPU, and claims that it should be possible to replace that blob, I haven't seen any advances on that front.


Happen to know of any that accept the rPi camera, or an equivalent camera?




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