Single Board Computer Archives

When Chips Are Scarce: Maker Ingenuity in Uncertain Times

David bought his first Arduino in 2007 as part of a Roomba hacking project. Since then, he has been obsessed with writing code that you can touch. David fell in love with the original Pebble smartwatch, and even more so with its successor, which allowed him to combine the beloved wearable with his passion for hardware hacking via its smartstrap functionality. Unable to part with his smartwatch sweetheart, David wrote a love letter to the Pebble community, which blossomed into Rebble, the service that keeps Pebbles ticking today, despite the company's demise in 2016. When he's not hacking on wearables, David can probably be found building a companion bot, experimenting with machine learning, growing his ever-increasing collection of dev boards, or hacking on DOS-based palmtops from the 90s.

Find David on Twitter at @IShJR.

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November 15th, 2022November 17th, 2022

The past few years have been … unprecedented. Supply chain failures manifest themselves visibly around us, from parking lots in Detroit full of cars that can’t be finished for lack of a single part, to immense backlogs of container ships at the Port of Long Beach. From consumers all the way up to foundries, it feels […]

DFRobot Launches LattePanda 3 Delta Pocket-Sized Hackable Computer

By David Groom

David Groom

David bought his first Arduino in 2007 as part of a Roomba hacking project. Since then, he has been obsessed with writing code that you can touch. David fell in love with the original Pebble smartwatch, and even more so with its successor, which allowed him to combine the beloved wearable with his passion for hardware hacking via its smartstrap functionality. Unable to part with his smartwatch sweetheart, David wrote a love letter to the Pebble community, which blossomed into Rebble, the service that keeps Pebbles ticking today, despite the company's demise in 2016. When he's not hacking on wearables, David can probably be found building a companion bot, experimenting with machine learning, growing his ever-increasing collection of dev boards, or hacking on DOS-based palmtops from the 90s.

Find David on Twitter at @IShJR.

View more articles by David Groom

August 10th, 2022August 10th, 2022

When the first maker-focused single-board computers (SBCs) from BeagleBoard and Raspberry Pi started appearing, it felt like a tiny revolution. While makers had been hacking on microcontrollers for decades, the prospect of a Linux-capable device with ample GPIO and connectivity brought new possibilities, applications, and accessibility. And while current-generation boards are often based around powerful […]

Boards Recap: From No Chips to New Chips, 2021 Has Been the Craziest Year

By Mike Senese

Mike Senese

Mike Senese is the Executive Editor of Make: magazine. He is also a TV host, starring in various engineering and science shows for Discovery Channel, including Punkin Chunkin, How Stuff Works, and Catch It Keep It.

An avid maker, Mike spends his spare time tinkering with electronics, doing amateur woodworking, and attempting to cook the perfect pizza.

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@msenese

December 7th, 2021December 7th, 2021

Struggling to find your favorite microcontroller, or even buy a new car this year? Here’s why everything is suddenly out of stock.

Slightly Smaller, Just as Powerful: Raspberry Pi Launches Pi 3 Model A+

By Mike Senese

Mike Senese

Mike Senese is the Executive Editor of Make: magazine. He is also a TV host, starring in various engineering and science shows for Discovery Channel, including Punkin Chunkin, How Stuff Works, and Catch It Keep It.

An avid maker, Mike spends his spare time tinkering with electronics, doing amateur woodworking, and attempting to cook the perfect pizza.

View more articles by Mike Senese

@msenese

November 15th, 2018November 15th, 2018

It’s been a while since Raspberry Pi has updated their Model A board — four years, specifically. Their new release, announced today, takes the Pi 1 Model A+ and bumps it up to Pi 3 specs, incorporating the same 64-bit quad core processor with 1.4Ghz clock speed and 2.4/5Ghz wireless networking as their flagship Pi […]

Top Tips to Tighten Security on Your Homebrew IoT Projects

By Brian Lough

Brian Lough

Brian is a software developer by trade who got into Arduino development after discovering the esp8266 chip. He posts on his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCezJOfu7OtqGzd5xrP3q6WA) and instructables. He lives in Ireland with his fiancée, daughter, and two dogs.

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By Tony DiCola

Tony DiCola

Tony DiCola is a software engineer experienced in cloud services and embedded systems such as Arduino, RasPi, and MicroPython.

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July 26th, 2018July 26th, 2018

Lock it down! Protect yourself and your IoT projects with these easy-to-implement tips.

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi using the WD Labs PiDrive

By Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.

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