Permacomputing

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Computing to support life on Earth

Computing in the age of climate crisis is often wasteful and adds nothing useful to our real life communities. Here we try to find out how to change that.

Definition and purpose of permacomputing: http://viznut.fi/files/texts-en/permacomputing.html

Permacomputing XMPP Chat

Sister community over at lemmy.sdf.org: !permacomputing@lemmy.sdf.org

There's also a wiki: https://permacomputing.net/

Website: http://wiki.xxiivv.com/site/permacomputing.html

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schmorpel@slrpnk.net

A tiny Linux computer with a keyboard, a daylight-readable screen, and a long-range transceiver (slrpnk.net)

submitted 2 months ago by sam_uk@slrpnk.net to c/permacomputing@slrpnk.net

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Just started shipping their (eyewateringly expensive) crowdsupply version https://www.crowdsupply.com/morpheans/sharpikeebo

Sources and Gerbers available so you could get a couple fabbed at JLPCB or fab of your choice fairly easily https://github.com/ccadic/sharpikeebo/tree/main/V1222

I'd be inclined to run it with an open hardware replacement for the Zero such as https://openkits.easyeda.com/project/detail/lctspi-rk3566-2g-16g

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[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's a nice one.

I have a Pocket Chip somewhere standing abandoned. It was sad to see them go out.

Currently, my preferred kit originates from drone ground stations:

a widely supported (e.g. Waveshare or SpotPear or even official Raspberry Pi) screen with a Pi4 on the back, video via flat cable or short HDMI jumper, touch can be arranged via USB or I2C
if there needs to be a keyboard, I use an onscreen keyboard (benefit: as many languages as you can speak)
for radio comms, a ridiculously good USB WiFi card (criteria of good: can enter monitor / inject mode, can raise output power beyond 100 mW)
if that falls short, an RF amplifier (which means the output power can be raised to 10 watts and is blatantly illegal)
if that falls short, a directional antenna (which means that radiated power is focused into a narrow beam)

The downsides:

price: Pi4: 38 €, screen 65 €, WiFi 50 €, amplifier (if needed) 40 €, 5 amp USB battery bank 10 €, a separate battery bank for the amp, cells for the banks 2 € each, microSD card, antenna... the total aproaches 250 euros or even 300 if you have high standards
weight and clumsiness: loose wires waiting to get pulled out, the kit weighs half a kilo, maybe more, you better buy an instrument case to house it

But you can beam video across a bay or between mountains, just don't get caught doing it. :) But not across a forest on flat ground.