Raspberry Pi

[SpAc3man]

Any Escapists getting a Raspberry Pi [http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqs]? What are your plans for it?

I just ordered two. One for messing about with and one for doing something useful. Likely XBMC or Fedora.

For those not in the know and too lazy to click the link, a Raspberry Pi is a credit card sized PC that comes in two models. The Model A for US$25 and the Model B for US$35. It's worth looking up.

 

[Esotera]

:O where did you order them from? RS have still got to contact me...

First thing I'm doing is putting Debian on it, and porting my programming project to it. After that, I'll probably use it for SSH when I'm away from home, and maybe as a wireless repeater. More ambitious plans include using it to control an RC car, boat, and plane, all with an onboard AI that is capable of automated movement & reconnaisance. Oh, and I also want to put one into space like that guy did with an iphone, but that's a very long way off.

 

[TechNoFear]

I usually use Octagon XE boards but have ordered a couple of Raspberry Pi (B) boards to play with (as they cost next too nothing...)

It says it can handle the heat (I need >50C) but I wonder if it can handle the vibration.

http://www.octagonsystems.com/products/xe-900-1ghz.aspx

 

[SpAc3man]

:O where did you order them from? RS have still got to contact me...

I haven't been contacted by any of the international websites but I ordered mine from the New Zealand Farnell (Element14) site. Some localised branches of Farnell seem to be taking orders while some are not. RS NZ are still only taking expressions of interest.

EDIT: It may be because some international Farnell branches won't get any for quite a long time. This would mean they dont have to allocate the limited initial run. I've been advised of a 66 day delivery time.

 

[Bowler Hat]

UK Farnell (element 14) notified me a few days ago they were accepting pre-orders. So that might be a good place to start.
As for what I'll do, probably mess around with a couple of Linux distributions to see which one feels right. For some reason whenever I mention Linux to friends they react like I'm joining a cult -_-.

 

[SpAc3man]

Awesome! Seems like a grand total of 4 Escapists are getting a Raspberry Pi!

 

[SpAc3man]

Well Element 14 called me a while ago and told me if I changed my order to one Pi I would be able to get it sooner. So I did this and today I got a txt from my dad to say that it has arrived. Unfortunately Thursdays are very long for me and I don't finish lectures until 6pm. I generally wont be able to get to my parents house until 7pm. As of now that means 2 hours and 20 mins to go.

 

[imagremlin]

I'll be getting it eventually. Too busy at the moment to play with it

 

[Esotera]

Has anyone actually got one yet? I preordered with RS on the day but have nothing...*sigh*

 

[Pebblig]

I'm planning to build it into a keyboard. So then, it's literally a keyboard with USBs that you plug a mouse, ethernet, power and video into =p

However I ordered from Farnell (Element 14) a while back, they predicted April 19th, but they sent me an email a few days ago ):

"Dear -----,

Breakthroughs. Exhilarating, but rarely without hiccups.

A few days ago, the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced a small manufacturing delay. A component in the Pi is being reinstalled. In the grand scheme it's small potatoes - but we know it's frustrating for Farnell element14 fans and customers.

Farnell element14 will deliver your Pi to you around end of May.

We're a proud partner of the Pi, and the sense of adventure it's bringing to the tech community. We've all come to feel part of the Foundation's big project to bring computing to all. Online, the response has been superb.

Thanks for your patience and understanding so far. Enjoy your Pi.

Farnell element14"

So i gotta wait 'til end of May, but i suppose I can wait ):

 

[DasDestroyer]

I am probably going to get a Model B sometime in the near future. Lots of fun to be had with something like that - find a small monitor, keyboard and mouse and you have a homebrew netbook

 

[Rowan93]

[bad joke]Is that one of Pinkie Pie's relatives?[/bad joke]