Minicomputer Raspberry Pi + NXT?!!

[linusa]

As you might've heard, there's a foundation called "Raspberry Pi", and they're developing a 25$ mini computer, to be sold "later in 2011".

Pic:



Official website and older news announcement.

To copy-paste the specs to you:

• 700MHz ARM11
• 128MB or 256MB of SDRAM
• OpenGL ES 2.0
• 1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode
• Composite and HDMI video output
• USB 2.0
• SD/MMC/SDIO memory card slot
• General-purpose I/O
• Optional integrated 2-port USB hub and 10/100 Ethernet controller
• Open software (Ubuntu, Iceweasel, KOffice, Python)

Now, this thing is gonna be running Ubuntu 9.04. The power consumption (peak!) is said to be 1 Watt. With a price of 25$, this would be cheaper than most HiTechnic, Mindsensors or Dexter sensors. As long as you could somehow get the device powered, you could easily connect it to the NXT via USB. You then had the full computing power of that system, including all the software that runs on a common Linux. Even better with the USB port, you could finally go ahead and connect real webcams, joysticks, AND WHAT NOT to your NXT . You'd only need a small USB hub as well.

Just one tiny cool idea: When connecting the Pi to the internet (via ethernet to wifi, or simply via wifi USB stick), you could even send NXC programs to the device via internet, have NBC on linux compile them, and flash them on the NXT. All from remote (yeah, I know, you could do that via Bluetooth right now).

This thing is gonna be so great!

And I think the foundation's motto is an excellent fit to LEGO / NXT:
Put the fun back into learning computing.

[tcwan]

Sounds really interesting. I guess it could be configured to drive the NXT interactively using Direct Commands (or equivalent), so that the actual processing is done in the Raspberry Pi. Like One Cherry-Pi, multiple NXTs connected via a USB Hub. Then Doc-Helmut won't have to worry about a lack of motor output ports for his creations

What's the black cube-like object on top of the PCB (in the middle of the PCB)?

[linusa]

Sounds really interesting. I guess it could be configured to drive the NXT interactively using Direct Commands (or equivalent), so that the actual processing is done in the Raspberry Pi. Like One Cherry-Pi, multiple NXTs connected via a USB Hub.

Exactly. With around 3ms latency per direct command, this might be enough for most robots. On the other hand, you could do time-critical things or low-level stuff on the NXT, for example using NXC, and communicate via mailbox queues / string messages. Or the RS-458 hispeed interface. I'd love to code everything in high-level languages like Python or C++.

What's the black cube-like object on top of the PCB (in the middle of the PCB)?

I guess it's the CPU housing, maybe some sort of passive cooling radiator? This is just a prototype, the real thing has more the format of a credit card. See http://www.raspberrypi.org/ , board layout:

[mightor]

If someone will figure out a nice little daughterboard (shield) thing for this with some NXT connectors like the one Mindsensors is making, then you don't even need the brick.

- Xander

[h-g-t]

The 'cube' in the picture is a 12 mp digital camera module according to the website.

[linusa]

The 'cube' in the picture is a 12 mp digital camera module according to the website.

Lol, so obvious. Thanks

[mattallen37]

Wow, too cool!

The possibilities now seem even more endless. Imagine that combined with the Kinect and NXT. You would have the computer to interface the Kinect with the NXT, all on the robot! Now, add that with Wifi and a webcam, and you have a seriously cool HW setup... now for some good SW to make it happen