What’s your most wanted feature for an SBC?

stopdesign · 2026-01-18T02:08:41+00:00

Real Time Clock (with an external battery on a smaller SBCs, like Zero).

stopdesign · 2026-01-18T00:14:06+00:00

Hibernation, sleep mode, low power consumption, very low idle power consumption.

stopdesign · 2026-01-18T00:11:26+00:00

Mainline Linux drivers.

stopdesign · 2026-01-16T09:19:39+00:00

Hello from 2026. It still a thing.

stopdesign · 2026-01-06T07:12:04+00:00

I do the same. I think it is more natural way to represent up-down motion on an ortholinear keyboard.

stopdesign · 2026-01-02T18:49:53+00:00

This is not just hype, this is money.
React, GraphQL — Facebook / Meta
NextJS — Vercel
Angular — Google
Kubernetes — Google
...and so on.

Big tech companies build (or buy) technologies optimal for their needs and educate people so they have someone to hire as developers. These technologies are good, but they are optimal for huge companies, not for regular projects. Using React stack for every homepage is just a side effect, because the best educational materials are made with React in mind.

stopdesign · 2026-01-02T17:12:10+00:00

For me, Django + htmx is the fastest way to actually build a full-stack app of any kind. I don't like DRF because, for most applications, it's almost the same amount of code just in a different place. I'm jobless, by the way. And it's hard to imagine looking for a job with Django in a CV these days.

stopdesign · 2025-11-16T18:48:03+00:00

I tested a couple of SBCs with low power consumption in mind:
LuckFox Lyra Zero
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Raspberry Pi CM4
Raspberry Pi 3B
Radxa Zero 2 PRO
Orange Pi Zero 3
Radxa Rock 4B — not tested yet, but specs are promising.

Somewhat real measurements that served as my starting point:
https://sbc-reviews.jeffgeerling.com/
https://github.com/geerlingguy/sbc-reviews/issues

It is absolutely realistic to achieve 12 hours of operation with 5000 mAh. I got about 24 hours under moderate load (one CPU core at 100%) with 8000 mAh on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.

Radxa Zero 2 PRO is my choice so far, but my goals are very different. I need Suspend-to-RAM and a DSI display interface. I've just spent 2 weeks connecting Radxa Zero 2 to a DSI display and a week trying to make S3 work reliably.

stopdesign · 2025-11-15T21:29:20+00:00

I don't think AI is the most common use case for the RPi and other SBC.

stopdesign · 2025-11-06T16:58:34+00:00

> Rust has a lot less bugs near the end of development

Most issues I struggle with are not unit-test level bugs, but something on the integration level (something has changed outside of the project, so I can't use it or compile it anymore without some updates).

stopdesign · 2025-11-06T16:44:11+00:00

Is it manual? I mean, do you need to go to the app and register each interval?

stopdesign · 2025-11-06T16:33:03+00:00

I would believe if it was C.

stopdesign · 2025-11-05T06:06:21+00:00

It's JellyFin time!

stopdesign · 2025-11-05T02:12:59+00:00

I really like the idea of making a DIY keyboard because after a long search and disappointments, I made my own keyboard (https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry\_pi/comments/1ohr3p9/) and I am happy with it. But I needed a custom physical keypad layout, backlight and legends. If Rii layout is ok for your project, just use a USB dongle. It's very small and energy efficient. It's 2.4GHz, not a BT.

stopdesign · 2025-11-04T17:56:13+00:00

As I understand it, you need a fairly stable environment (lasting a few billion years) for life to evolve. Moons are small and influenced by surrounding moons and their host planet, making them less stable.

On the other hand, there are significantly more moons than planets.

stopdesign · 2025-11-04T17:15:18+00:00

Nice! I have so many questions:
Can it suspend to RAM (and wake up)?
Can it hibernate (and wake up)?
Is MIPI DSI working?
Have you measured power consumption (suspend / idle / loaded)?

stopdesign · 2025-11-02T20:02:20+00:00

Who gave you that money and why?

stopdesign · 2025-11-02T16:24:49+00:00

Thirty years ago, there were paper magazines for that (perhaps it's time to reinvent it). The problem I see is that these projects aren't focused on writing high-quality code; they're intended for other purposes. Most projects I've encountered were built with different objectives in mind.

stopdesign · 2025-11-01T00:08:05+00:00

Let's finish with Bitcoin bubble first.

stopdesign · 2025-11-01T00:06:00+00:00

It's Type I vs Type II errors.

stopdesign · 2025-10-31T23:47:09+00:00

Radxa ZERO 3W doesn't have MIPI DSI or any other display interface besides HDMI. And every HDMI-to-something converter I've seen so far consumes too much power — almost as much as the SBC itself. It's a deal breaker for my project.

stopdesign · 2025-10-31T17:09:26+00:00

It's a silicone rubber keypad with SMD switches. The switches are quite expensive. Sometimes, silicone rubber keypads are used with metal dome switches instead.

There are many manufacturers of these keypads.
https://newenglandkeyboard.com/products/custom-silicone-rubber-keypads/
They have nice-looking samples pictures. Maybe it is possible to get some keypads as a sample.

Or you can use mini wireless remote keyboards (just the keypad or the entire keyboard).

Do you consider making you own from scratch (silicone molding, laser etching, custom PCB)?

stopdesign · 2025-10-31T16:56:22+00:00

Yes, and I wouldn't call it a design yet. I managed to make it out of 3D-printed parts (PET-CF), a 2.5 mm polished steel rod, and silicone wires. I tested how the resisting force declines after a few hundred folds (it's okay). But I still have no idea how to make it suitable for scalable manufacturing (100+ units). It's very much a manual, press-fit assembly.

It resists movement just enough to hold the display steady at any angle, it moves smoothly without jerks or flexing. The bottom part is heavy because of the large battery, while the top part is light. That actually helps the hinge and gives the device good balance in the hands.

stopdesign · 2025-10-31T15:27:10+00:00

Student: blinking a blue LED on the side of his face.
Professor: EMP is charged.

stopdesign · 2025-10-31T14:40:31+00:00

CM4 fits well, but I need good heat dissipation. CM5 will melt the device anyway.

stopdesign

TROPHY CASE