Conversation

I've always loved doing more with less and think that it's the right mindset when it comes to scaling decentralized networks Looking around for the smallest, cheapest hardware to run self-hosted stacks for metaverse experiences, feels a bit like treasure hunting. $200 max budget

jin

@dankvr

Nov 19, 2022

Raspberry pi is mostly out of the question, Pi 0 W used to be $10 which is what made it special but because of insane demand even the 2017 model is marked up almost 700% 😬 I still have a bunch though so I ordered a male USB dongle hat to test 'computer on a stick' form factor

jin

@dankvr

Nov 19, 2022

Is smaller better? I think it completely depends on use case and power draw. I'm fascintated by how much power is getting packed into tiny units <$200 though I wonder how many of these can run Linux flawlessly?

jin

@dankvr

Nov 19, 2022

One of the smallest devices that could run Linux is the Zsun-SD100 WiFi microSD card reader Its from 2015!! There are people still maintaining methods to have OpenWrt (a flavor of linux for routers) on it, turning this into an access point powered by USB aliexpress.us/item/225183215

jin

@dankvr

There is real treasure to be found somewhere in Shenzhen. These devices could be ambiently powered through solar, the current draw while running piratebox software is <1 watt. I wish I had some help working on a solar garden lamp proof of concept with one

youtube.com

Zsun ESP Current draw

Showing current draw of Zsun card reader running OpenWRT, Piratebox and current draw of ESP8266 with and without display.

7:21 PM · Nov 19, 2022

Replying to

a solar garden lamp wifi hotspot would be a good project for AR house if you know any hardware hackers. You can serve webxr content by connecting to it and get the lighting estimation + safety of being in a lit area + light can act as means of signaling notifications

Replying to

I’d like to see what a vape manufacture has in the factory,bet it’s cheap battery’s and plastic housing . Your looking for the solar self powered units ? Doesn’t seem like a big jump from what’s available to assemble. Shenzhen have a name for it.