Dear comp.miscers,

Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?

I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.

Best regards,
Daniel

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
> Dear comp.miscers,
>
> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>
> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.

A jail-broken Amazon 'fire tv' stick?

On Sat, 2 Mar 2024 22:01:00 +0100, D wrote:

> Dear comp.miscers,
>
> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>
> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>
> Best regards,
> Daniel

idk lol
https://hackerboards.com/?formfactor=Raspberry+Pi&video_hdmi_slots=1&wireless_wifi_onboard=Ok

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>
> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.

No USB will be tricky, that's one of the most common features for
modern SBCs. Is it due to some security concern that USB and
Ethernet can't be available in any form? Or do you just want a
thinner board than the RPi 3a, without the connectors sticking up?

If it's the latter then the RPi Zero 2W fits the bill, except that
it has a different footprint to the RPi 3.

If you can't have USB at all and it has to be the same footprint as
the RPi 3a, then that's a difficult ask.

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#_ < |\| |< _#

D wrote:

>I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.

RPi compute module?
https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/compute-module-4/?variant=raspberry-pi-cm4001000

-jw-

--

And now for something completely different...

On Sat, 2 Mar 2024, Rich wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>> Dear comp.miscers,
>>
>> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
>> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>>
>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>
> A jail-broken Amazon 'fire tv' stick?
>
>

Never thought of that! I will definitely look into this. Thank you very
much.

Best regards,
Daniel

On Sat, 2 Mar 2024, George Musk wrote:

> On Sat, 2 Mar 2024 22:01:00 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> Dear comp.miscers,
>>
>> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
>> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>>
>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Daniel
>
> idk lol
> https://hackerboards.com/?formfactor=Raspberry+Pi&video_hdmi_slots=1&wireless_wifi_onboard=Ok
>

Sadly too big. =( So far the Firestick idea is the winner I think.

On Sat, 3 Mar 2024, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
>> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>>
>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>
> No USB will be tricky, that's one of the most common features for
> modern SBCs. Is it due to some security concern that USB and
> Ethernet can't be available in any form? Or do you just want a
> thinner board than the RPi 3a, without the connectors sticking up?
>
> If it's the latter then the RPi Zero 2W fits the bill, except that
> it has a different footprint to the RPi 3.
>
> If you can't have USB at all and it has to be the same footprint as
> the RPi 3a, then that's a difficult ask.
>
>

Hello, the reason is the form factor. The space where I have my raspberry
3a+ is very tight, so a 3a+ fits, but nothing bigger than that. So the
reason for not having USB+ethernet is that it makes the board thinner and
it will fit.

The Zero would be perfect, but it is under powered for my purposes. The
3a+ _barely_ works, so having something similar to a 4a+ or 5a+ would be
perfect.

Best regards,
Daniel

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Joerg Walther wrote:

> D wrote:
>
>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>
> RPi compute module?
> https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/compute-module-4/?variant=raspberry-pi-cm4001000
>
> -jw-
>
>

But how does that work? Doesn't it require a carrier board that increases
the size? And I would then have to buy a carrier board with hdmi?

Best regards,
Daniel

D wrote:

> The space where I have my
> raspberry 3a+ is very tight, so a 3a+ fits, but nothing bigger than
> that. So the reason for not having USB+ethernet is that it makes the
> board thinner and it will fit.
>
> The Zero would be perfect, but it is under powered for my purposes. The
> 3a+ _barely_ works, so having something similar to a 4a+ or 5a+ would be
> perfect.

De-solder the USB/Eth ports from a Pi4 or 5 ?

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024 11:02:43 +0100, D wrote:

> On Sat, 2 Mar 2024, George Musk wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 2 Mar 2024 22:01:00 +0100, D wrote:
>>
>>> Dear comp.miscers,
>>>
>>> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
>>> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>> Daniel
>>
>> idk lol
>> https://hackerboards.com/?formfactor=Raspberry+Pi&video_hdmi_slots=1&wireless_wifi_onboard=Ok
>>
>
> Sadly too big. =( So far the Firestick idea is the winner I think.

There are some smaller ones if you omit formfactor search filter
https://hackerboards.com/?video_hdmi_slots=1&wireless_wifi_onboard=Ok

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Andy Burns wrote:

> D wrote:
>
>> The space where I have my raspberry 3a+ is very tight, so a 3a+ fits, but
>> nothing bigger than that. So the reason for not having USB+ethernet is that
>> it makes the board thinner and it will fit.
>>
>> The Zero would be perfect, but it is under powered for my purposes. The 3a+
>> _barely_ works, so having something similar to a 4a+ or 5a+ would be
>> perfect.
>
> De-solder the USB/Eth ports from a Pi4 or 5 ?

That is one option but I do not have the equipment. I thought about just
using a dremel to cut them off, do you think that would work? Or does it
have to be de-soldered?

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, George Musk wrote:

> On Sun, 3 Mar 2024 11:02:43 +0100, D wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 2 Mar 2024, George Musk wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 2 Mar 2024 22:01:00 +0100, D wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear comp.miscers,
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
>>>> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>>>>
>>>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>>>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>> Daniel
>>>
>>> idk lol
>>> https://hackerboards.com/?formfactor=Raspberry+Pi&video_hdmi_slots=1&wireless_wifi_onboard=Ok
>>>
>>
>> Sadly too big. =( So far the Firestick idea is the winner I think.
>
> There are some smaller ones if you omit formfactor search filter
> https://hackerboards.com/?video_hdmi_slots=1&wireless_wifi_onboard=Ok
>

Thank you very much! That should teach me to actually read the text (and
filters) that appear before my eyes.

The Radxa Zero (https://hackerboards.com/board/radxa-radxa-zero) looks
exactly like what I'm looking for! =)

Now the last step is to find a reputable store somewhere that sells one,
but this looks like the best option so far!

Best regards,
Daniel

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>
> On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>> De-solder the USB/Eth ports from a Pi4 or 5 ?
>
> That is one option but I do not have the equipment. I thought about
> just using a dremel to cut them off, do you think that would work?
> Or does it have to be de-soldered?

If you are not interested in ever returning it to original spec, and
provided you do not dremel into the PC board itself, cutting off the
ports mechanically (demel) is no different than via heat (desolder).

The danger is it will be all too easy for a small slip to slice into
the board, and /possibly/ cut a critical inner trace that happens to
run under/nearby the usb/ethernet ports. This of course is only
important if critical traces on inner layers run under/nearby either
port. Something we don't know without a PCB layout diagram.

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>Hello, the reason is the form factor. The space where I have my raspberry
>3a+ is very tight, so a 3a+ fits, but nothing bigger than that. So the
>reason for not having USB+ethernet is that it makes the board thinner and
>it will fit.

There's no reason you can't just desolder the USB and Ethernet jacks to
reduce the height a bit

>The Zero would be perfect, but it is under powered for my purposes. The
>3a+ _barely_ works, so having something similar to a 4a+ or 5a+ would be
>perfect.

I like the Zero a lot but agreed it is not super fast. But then, I liked
the Beaglebone a lot, and those seem to have disappeared.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Rich wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Andy Burns wrote:
>>>
>>> De-solder the USB/Eth ports from a Pi4 or 5 ?
>>
>> That is one option but I do not have the equipment. I thought about
>> just using a dremel to cut them off, do you think that would work?
>> Or does it have to be de-soldered?
>
> If you are not interested in ever returning it to original spec, and
> provided you do not dremel into the PC board itself, cutting off the
> ports mechanically (demel) is no different than via heat (desolder).
>
> The danger is it will be all too easy for a small slip to slice into
> the board, and /possibly/ cut a critical inner trace that happens to
> run under/nearby the usb/ethernet ports. This of course is only
> important if critical traces on inner layers run under/nearby either
> port. Something we don't know without a PCB layout diagram.

Hmm, interesting. So this might also be a good option. "Dremeling" off the
ports seems easier than de-soldering them.

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Scott Dorsey wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>> Hello, the reason is the form factor. The space where I have my raspberry
>> 3a+ is very tight, so a 3a+ fits, but nothing bigger than that. So the
>> reason for not having USB+ethernet is that it makes the board thinner and
>> it will fit.
>
> There's no reason you can't just desolder the USB and Ethernet jacks to
> reduce the height a bit
>
>> The Zero would be perfect, but it is under powered for my purposes. The
>> 3a+ _barely_ works, so having something similar to a 4a+ or 5a+ would be
>> perfect.
>
> I like the Zero a lot but agreed it is not super fast. But then, I liked
> the Beaglebone a lot, and those seem to have disappeared.
> --scott
>

Then check out this one from my previous reply:

https://hackerboards.com/board/radxa-radxa-zero

Nice form factor! Remains to be seen if I can buy it and get it delivered
without running into a scam. ;)

D wrote:

> "Dremeling" off the ports seems easier than de-soldering them.

Using a "disposable" pair of diagonal cutters would be safer.

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>
>
> On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Rich wrote:
>
>> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Andy Burns wrote:
>>>>
>>>> De-solder the USB/Eth ports from a Pi4 or 5 ?
>>>
>>> That is one option but I do not have the equipment. I thought
>>> about just using a dremel to cut them off, do you think that would
>>> work? Or does it have to be de-soldered?
>>
>> If you are not interested in ever returning it to original spec, and
>> provided you do not dremel into the PC board itself, cutting off the
>> ports mechanically (demel) is no different than via heat (desolder).
>>
>> The danger is it will be all too easy for a small slip to slice into
>> the board, and /possibly/ cut a critical inner trace that happens to
>> run under/nearby the usb/ethernet ports. This of course is only
>> important if critical traces on inner layers run under/nearby either
>> port. Something we don't know without a PCB layout diagram.
>
> Hmm, interesting. So this might also be a good option. "Dremeling"
> off the ports seems easier than de-soldering them.

Ah, no, desoldering is by far the easier way. But "desolder" does
require you have at a minimum an iron and desolder braid.

Dremeling them away will be by far much more difficult overall. It
will achieve the same end result, if done carefully enough, but it will
requre by far more care to not damage something else in the process.

On Sun, 3 Mar 2024, Andy Burns wrote:

> D wrote:
>
>> "Dremeling" off the ports seems easier than de-soldering them.
>
> Using a "disposable" pair of diagonal cutters would be safer.
>

You think so? I would think that tension and risk of "slipping"
might make it more destructive? But it for sure is cheaper! =)

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>
> The Radxa Zero (https://hackerboards.com/board/radxa-radxa-zero) looks
> exactly like what I'm looking for! =)

Yes that's the most powerful Pi Zero clone around at the moment.

> Now the last step is to find a reputable store somewhere that sells one,

They're stocked by RS Components who are very reputable, although
they're aimed at selling to businesses:
UK - https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/rock-sbc-boards/2564696
USA - https://us.rs-online.com/product/okdo/rs107-d1e0h0w15/74907427/

Other distributors are listed at the end of this article:
https://linuxgizmos.com/affordable-radxa-zero-3w-featuring-up-to-8gb-ram-and-onboard-emmc-storage/

--
__ __
#_ < |\| |< _#

Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>
>> Hmm, interesting. So this might also be a good option. "Dremeling"
>> off the ports seems easier than de-soldering them.
>
> Ah, no, desoldering is by far the easier way. But "desolder" does
> require you have at a minimum an iron and desolder braid.

Large connectors on a double-sided/multi-layer board are pretty
tricky to deal with that way. The braid gets the solder from the
side you're working from, but on the big solder joints at the
mounting points of the connector there's usually some that you just
can't reach. It might work in combination with a solder sucker (I
use a jumbo-sized one), but you'd still have to be lucky.

What you really need is a hot-air desoldering station, which can
melt all the solder joints on the connector at once.

> Dremeling them away will be by far much more difficult overall. It
> will achieve the same end result, if done carefully enough, but it will
> requre by far more care to not damage something else in the process.

Yes, I agree with this too. Actually I can't imagine how you could
use a Dremmel to remove an Ethernet connector without damaging the
circuit board.

--
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#_ < |\| |< _#

On Sun, 4 Mar 2024, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>
>> The Radxa Zero (https://hackerboards.com/board/radxa-radxa-zero) looks
>> exactly like what I'm looking for! =)
>
> Yes that's the most powerful Pi Zero clone around at the moment.
>
>> Now the last step is to find a reputable store somewhere that sells one,
>
> They're stocked by RS Components who are very reputable, although
> they're aimed at selling to businesses:
> UK - https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/rock-sbc-boards/2564696
> USA - https://us.rs-online.com/product/okdo/rs107-d1e0h0w15/74907427/
>
> Other distributors are listed at the end of this article:
> https://linuxgizmos.com/affordable-radxa-zero-3w-featuring-up-to-8gb-ram-and-onboard-emmc-storage/

Done! Radxa was the winner in the end! Found a store I bought from before
and they had 12 in stock, so I bought a Radxa with 4 Gb RAM and 16 GB
storage for about 90 EUR! =)

Will be very exciting to see if I'll be able to install raspbian (or
equivalent) + kodi in as quick and smooth a way as it was to get it going
on Radpberry pi.

I'm a little bit worried that there will be some HW incompatibilities or
that raspbian/equivalent won't run for some reason, but we'll see in 1-2
weeks depending on delivery time.

Thank you very much for the recommendation! Been waiting for this a long
time!

Best regards,
Daniel

D <nospam@example.net> wrote at 10:01 this Sunday (GMT):
>
>
> On Sat, 2 Mar 2024, Rich wrote:
>
>> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>> Dear comp.miscers,
>>>
>>> Does anyone of you know of a modern single board computer with wireless,
>>> hdmi out and with the same form factor as the raspberry pi 3a?
>>>
>>> I'm looking for a board that is as small as possible and does not have USB
>>> or ethernet ports. Only hdmi and wireless for networking.
>>
>> A jail-broken Amazon 'fire tv' stick?
>>
>>
>
> Never thought of that! I will definitely look into this. Thank you very
> much.
>
> Best regards,
> Daniel

Watch out for Amazon's lawyers tho
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

D <nospam@example.net> wrote at 10:36 this Monday (GMT):
>
>
> On Sun, 4 Mar 2024, Computer Nerd Kev wrote:
>
>> D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> The Radxa Zero (https://hackerboards.com/board/radxa-radxa-zero) looks
>>> exactly like what I'm looking for! =)
>>
>> Yes that's the most powerful Pi Zero clone around at the moment.
>>
>>> Now the last step is to find a reputable store somewhere that sells one,
>>
>> They're stocked by RS Components who are very reputable, although
>> they're aimed at selling to businesses:
>> UK - https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/rock-sbc-boards/2564696
>> USA - https://us.rs-online.com/product/okdo/rs107-d1e0h0w15/74907427/
>>
>> Other distributors are listed at the end of this article:
>> https://linuxgizmos.com/affordable-radxa-zero-3w-featuring-up-to-8gb-ram-and-onboard-emmc-storage/
>
> Done! Radxa was the winner in the end! Found a store I bought from before
> and they had 12 in stock, so I bought a Radxa with 4 Gb RAM and 16 GB
> storage for about 90 EUR! =)
>
> Will be very exciting to see if I'll be able to install raspbian (or
> equivalent) + kodi in as quick and smooth a way as it was to get it going
> on Radpberry pi.
>
> I'm a little bit worried that there will be some HW incompatibilities or
> that raspbian/equivalent won't run for some reason, but we'll see in 1-2
> weeks depending on delivery time.
>
> Thank you very much for the recommendation! Been waiting for this a long
> time!
>
> Best regards,
> Daniel

Good luck! Let us know if it works well.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom