For years the Raspberry Pi has been the paradigm of a versatile and cheap miniPC, but there are always those who try to outperform their references, and in this case a developer named Brian Benchoff has created his “minimum viable computer”, a computer governed by Linux and whose components cost just 15 dollars.
Actually, there is something tricky about the thing: you get those prices when you buy components to build about 10,000 units of the curious miniPC. Of course: the instructions are very complete, and the result will even leave you playing the mythical DOOM.
basic but amazing
This small computer consists of a 48-key silicone membrane keyboard divided into two parts. by the small screen of 2.3 inches and resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The SoC features an Allwinner F1C100s CPU based on a single ARM9 core at 533 MHz, so we can’t expect exactly spectacular performance.
That CPU is accompanied by a modest 32 MB of DDR memory, and in the miniPC we also have an SD card reader, a USB-A (USB 2.0) port and a USB-C port dedicated exclusively to charging the device, which powered by two AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries.
In the GitHub page of the project we find the list of components and all the instructions to build a device that according to Benchoff has a really low cost: it is possible to buy all those components for $14.16, although only if we buy 1,000 units of each of them.
There’s no touch screen support here, no mouse support, and no wireless connectivity, but it’s certainly possible. access a Linux command console and even run games like DOOM. The performance and features are certainly limited, but it is certainly amazing what one can do with so little money.
Via | Liliputing
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