[time-nuts] RPi/ beagle bone-like computer without video

[jimlux]

On 12/2/16 5:31 AM, folkert wrote:
>>> If you really need Linux and it needs to be small and low cost and low
>>> power, then look at the "Pi Zero".  It is a very small Pi that sells for
>>> only $5.   It has video but just don't plug in the cable.
>>>
>>
>> The Pizero and Pi A are about the same power: 400 mW with Wifi off, idle;
>
> I'm measuring 0.350A with max cpu usage on all cores and the following
> settings:
>
@ 5V, right, so 1.75W going full out.  That's a useful number to know.


> power off the display
> /opt/vc/bin/tvservice -o
>
> switch off the ethernet blinkenlights
> llctl f0 l0 d0
>
>
> Apart from that I read somewhere that the beaglebones have terrible EM
> characteristics. But I can't find my source so take it with a grain of
> salt :-)
>
  Could be. In this application, it will be in a box, periodically 
grinding numbers (ADC samples) supplied to it then storing them, so 
EMI/EMC isn't a huge issue.

I must say, there are more of these things available in almost too wide 
a variety.. You could spend days going through all the datasheets and 
websites - I suspect that they ALL have about the same power consumption 
for a given amount of processing horsepower - same feature size on the 
die, after all - so it's more about peripherals and ease of use

I started looking at RPi and BBB because there are a LOT of them out 
there, they're cheap, so there's lots of practical experience (not 
always useful -  one needs to spend days going through blogs, forums, 
websites)

And, it's more likely that idiosyncracies in the distros have been 
identified and it's more likely that the software will run on them after 
its built.