Arduino has been the cornerstone of embedded electronics projects for a while now. Be it DIY remote-controlled vehicles, binary clocks, power laces, or as is relevant to the month of publishing, flamethrowing Jack-O'-Lanterns! The versatility and affordability of the board has been uniquely unparalleled.

But now that Qualcomm has acquired Arduino projecting more AI-forward features with more powerful hardware, there might be some changes around the corner. Perhaps I am reading too much between the lines but not all of us have favorable views about Big Tech and corporate greed. We thought it might be a good time to look at some alternatives.

Since Arduino has a lot of different models with different features, we will not draw a comparison between Arduino and other boards, but just highlight the unique features these alternative boards have.

1. Raspberry Pi Pico

Raspberry Pi needs no introduction, it being the one company besides Arduino that has always been the favorite of tinkerers. While Raspberry Pi is known for its full fledged single-board-computers, the Pico is a development board for programming dedicated tasks like the Arduino boards.

There are two releases of the Pico at the time of writing this article, 1 and 2. The major upgrade being the processor. There are certain prefixes which denote model features, "W" denoting wireless capabilities, "H" denoting pre-soldered headers. Here, I describe the cutting-edge model, the Pico 2 W with Headers.

• Processors: Dual Cortex-M33 (ARM) upto 133 MHz and optional Hazard3 processors (RISC-V)
• Memory: 520 KB on-chip SRAM
• Input-Output: 26 GPIO pins
• Connectivity: Optionally 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 on the W model
• Power: Micro-USB
• Programming Software or Language: MicroPython or C/C++
• Price: $8
• Extra Features: Temperature sensor

The greatest advantage of Raspberry Pi is the huge userbase, second probably only to Arduino. Besides that, the GPIO pins make projects easier to construct, and the optional RISC-V processors give it an open-source experimental edge that many long for.

2. ESP32

ESP32 is a SoC that has soared in popularity in the past decade, and for all the right reasons. It comes in very cheap, screaming "hobbyist" and is committed to good documentation and an open SDK (software development kit). It came as a successor to the already very successful and still relevant ESP8266 SoC.

The categorization is a little to get a hang of because of the sheer number of boards available. The original ESP32 SoC boards come with dual-core Xtensa LX6 processors that go up to 240 MHz, and they come with Wi-Fi + Bluetooth classic/LE built-in. The ESP32-S series are a little enhanced, with more GPIO pins for connectivity. Now the ESP32-C series transitioned to RISC-V chips, and finally the ESP32-H series are designed for ultra low-power IoT applications. If the board name has WROOM, it belongs to the original basic family but the ones with WROVER indicate modules with PSRAM and more memory in general. You can find all the "DevKits" here.

Getting over the whole naming culture, I will directly describe one board here that might fulfill your Arduino-alternative needs, ESP32-DevKitC-VE:

• Processors: Dual-core 32-bit LX6 upto 240 MHz
• Memory: 8 MB
• Input-Output: 34 programmable GPIOs
• Connectivity: 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 with BLE
• Power: Micro-USB
• Programming Software or Language: Arduino IDE, PlatformIO IDE (VS Code), LUA, MicroPython, Espressif IDF (IoT Development Framework), JavaScript
• Price: $11
• Extra Features: Breadboard friendly, rich set of peripheral interfaces

I encourage you to do your own research based on your needs of the board and choose one, as the support and hardware is rock solid but the sheer number of options can be a little tricky to figure out.

3. Adafruit Feather

Adafruit Feather isn't a single board, but a category of hardware boards that come with all sorts of different features and processors each. The idea is getting a "feather", which is the board, and then getting "wings" which are hats/shields, basically extending the features and abilities of the board, and there are a huge number of them. This extensible versatility is the most attractive features of the boards but also the reason why I cannot describe one board that best suits the needs of any user. I can, however, tell you what options they provide.

All Feathers

• Can be programmed with Arduino IDE
• Come with Micro-USB or USB-C
• Are 0.9" long and breadboard-compatible
• Can be run with either USB power or a LiPo battery

Processors

The boards are available with several different processors, such as:

• Atmel ATmega32u4 and ATmega 328P - 8 bit AVR
• Atmel ATSAMD21 - 32 bit ARM Cortex M0+
• Atmel ATSAMD51 - 32-bit ARM Cortex M4
• Broadcom/Cypress WICED - STM32 with WiFi
• Espressif ESP8266 and ESP32 - Tensilica with WiFi/BT
• Freescale MK20 - ARM Cortex M4, as the Teensy 3.2 Feather Adapter
• Nordic nRF52832 and nRF32840 - ARM Cortex & Bluetooth LE
• Packet radio modules featuring SemTech SX1231
• LoRa radio modules featuring SemTech SX127x

A good model to look into for an Arduino alternative is Adafruit ESP32 Feather V2.

Connectivity and wings

The "feathers" have different categories based on their connectivity. The categories include:

• Basic Feathers
• Wi-Fi Feathers
• Bluetooth Feathers
• Cellular Feathers
• LoRa and Radio Feathers

This doesn't mean that these connectivity features are mutually exclusive, there are several boards which have more than one of theses connectivity options.

The Wings add all the functionality to the boards, and the number of options are immense. I cannot possibly list them here.

4. Seeeduino

As Arduino alternatives go, this board seems to be one of the most worthy of holding that title. It looks like an Arduino, works with the software that Arduino is compatible with, and even supports the shields made for UNO-R3. Here is the description of the most recent model at the time of writing this, Seeeduino V4.3:

• Processors: ATmega328
• Memory: 2 KB RAM, 1 KB EEPROM and 32 KB Flash Memory
• Input-Output: 14 digial IO pins, 6 analog inputs
• Power: Micro-USB, DC Input Jack
• Programming Software or Language: Arduino IDE
• Price: $7.6

If you need a no-brainer Arduino alternative that delivers what it does with stability and efficiency, this should be your go-to choice.

5. STM32 Nucleo Boards

STM32 offers a very, very wide range of development boards, among which the Nucleo boards seem like the best alternatives for Arduino. They come in three series as well: Nucleo-32, Nucleo-64 and Nucleo-144, the numbers at the end of which denote the number of connectivity pins that the board offers. Every single series has a number of models within, again. Here, I will describe the one most appropriate as an Arduino alternative:

STM32 Nucleo-F103RB

• Microcontroller: STM32
• Input-Output: 64 IO pins; Arduino shield-compatible
• Connectivity: Arduino Uno V3 expansion connector
• Power: Micro-USB
• Programming Software or Language: IAR Embedded Workbench, MDK-ARM, STM32CubeIDE, etc.
• Price: $10.81
• Extra Features: 1 programmable LED, 1 programmable button, 1 reset button
• Optional Features: Second user LED, cryptography, USB-C, etc.

STM32 provides great hardware abstraction, ease of development, GUI based initialization, good resources and more. If that is the kind of thing you need, then this should probably be your choice.

6. micro:bit

micro:bit boards are designed mostly for younger students and kids to learn programming, but offer some really interesting features that can help anyone make a project without buying many extra parts. In fact, this is one of the ideal tools for introducing STEM education to young children.

Here are the details of the most recent version at the time of writing, micro:bit v2:

• Processors: Nordic Semiconductor nRF52833
• Memory: 128 KB RAM, 512 KB Flash Memory
• Input-Output: 25 pins (4 dedicated GPIO, PWM, I2C, SPI)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, radio
• Power: Micro-USB
• Programming Software or Language:
• Price: $17.95 (other more expensive bundles with extra hardware are also available)

The extra built-in features of the board include:

• 2 built in buttons that can be programmed in different ways
• Touch sensor on the logo, temperature sensor
• Built-in speaker and microphone
• 25 programmable LEDs
• Accelerometer and compass
• Reset and power button

If a plethora of extra hardware features capable of executing almost anything you might want, or if you want a development board with extensive documentation for younger audiences, this should be your go to choice. The company doesn't only make great boards, but also supports inclusive technological education for children of all abilities, and sustainability, which is admirable.

7. Particle Photon 2

The Particle Photon 2 is a board designed with ease of prototyping in mind. It enables IoT projects, giving broad customization options to both hardware and software. The Photon is also Feather-compatible (from Adafruit), giving the ability to attach Wings to extend the features.

• Processors: ARM Cortex M33, upto 200 MHz
• Memory: 3MB RAM, 2MB Flash Memory
• Input-Output: 16 GPIO pins
• Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi and BLE 5.3
• Power: Micro-USB
• Programming Software or Language: VSC plug-in
• Price: $17.95

The Photon also has a built-in programmable LED. Particle also provides a Wi-Fi antenna add-on component if your project requires that. If building new product ideas is your need, this might just be what you're looking for.

8. Teensy Development Boards

The Teensy board series, as the name suggests, aims for a small board with a minimal footprint with a lot of power packed at an affordable price. There have been several releases of the board, with the most recent one at the time of writing being Teensy 4.1:

• Processors: ARM Cortex-M7 at 600 MHz
• Memory: 1024K RAM, 8MB Flash Memory
• Input-Output: 55 digital IO pins, 18 analog input pins
• Power: Micro-USB,
• Programming Software or Language: Arduino IDE + Teensyduino, Visual Micro, PlatformIO, CircuitPython, command line
• Price: $31.50
• Extra Features: Onboard Micro SD card

If you need a stable base for your project that just works, this might be your choice. It is worth noting that the Teensy boards have excellent audio libraries and offer a lot of processing power.

9. PineCone

PineCone is a development board from one of the foremost open source companies, Pine64. It provides amazing features and connectivity, making it ideal for a lot of tinkering purposes.

• Processors: 32-bit RV32IMAFC RISC-V “SiFive E24 Core”
• Memory: 2 MB Flash Memory
• Input-Output: 18 GPIO pins
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi, BLE 5.0, Radio
• Power: USB-C
• Programming Software or Language: Rust
• Price: $3.99
• Extra Features: 3 on-board LEDs

The RISC-V processor capability gives it the open-source hardware edge that many other boards lack. That makes it quite good for IoT prototyping into devices and technologies that might be very new and untapped.

10. Sparkfun Development Boards

Sparkfun has a whole range of boards on their website, out of which the two most notable series are the "RedBoard" series and the "Thing" series. A big part of some of these boards is the Qwiic ecosystem, in which I2C sensors, actuators, shields, etc. can be connected to the board with the same 4-pin connector. Not only that, but you can daisy-chain the boards in one string, making it more convenient and less prone to errors. Here's a great article to learn about the Qwiic ecosystem.

Sparkfun RedBoard Qwiic

This is another board that is a perfect alternative to Arduino with extra features because it was designed to be so. It is an Arduino-compatible board, supporting the software, shields, etc.

• Microcontroller: ATmega328 with UNO's Optiboot Bootloader
• Input-Output: 20 Digital IO pins, 1 Qwiic connector
• Connectivity: 20 Digital I/O pins with 6 PWM pins
• Power: Micro-USB, Pin input
• Programming Software or Language: Arduino IDE
• Price: $21.95

Sparkfun Thing Plus Series

The Sparkfun Thing Plus series comes in with sorts of different processors and connection abilities like RP2040, RP2350, nRF9160, ARM Cortex-M4, ESP32-based, STM32-based, etc. We've chosen to describe one of the most popular models here, SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (USB-C).

• Microcontroller: ESP32-WROOM Module
• Input-Output: 21 Multifunctional GPIO
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, dual integrated Bluetooth (classic and BLE)
• Power: USB-C, Qwiic connector
• Programming Software or Language: Arduino IDE
• Price: $33.73
• Extra Features: RGB status LED, built-in SD card slot, Adafruit Feather compatible (you can attach the "Wings")

Sparkfun offers a lot of options, especially based on the form-factor. They not only provide /new unique features of their own, but also utilize the open technologies provided by other companies very well, as you can see.

Conclusion

The Arduino boards clearly have a lot of alternatives, varying in size, features and practicality. If Arduino being acquired puts a bad taste in your mouth, or even if you just want to explore what the alternatives offer, I hope this article has been helpful for you. Please let us know in the comments if we missed your favorite one. Cheers!

The e-ink display technology arrived on the scene as the answer for a long list of issues and desires people had with digital book reading. The strain on the eyes, the distractions, the low battery life—all of it fixed in one swoop.

While the most popular option that remains in the category is an Amazon Kindle, not everyone of us would want a DRM-restricted Big Tech ecosystem.

As a Linux user and open source enthusiast, I wanted something more 'open' and thus I scoured the World Wide Web and came up with a few interesting options.

I have put them into two categories:

• DIY: You use a board like Raspberry Pi Pico and you build it yourself thanks to the blueprint provided by the project developer. This is for hardware tinkerers.
• A couple of non-DIY options that may be considered here.

Needless to say, you should not expect a polished, out of the box eBook experience like Amazon Kindle but that's not what we are aiming for here, are we?

Also, I have not tested these projects on my own. As much as I would like to, I don't have enough money to get all of them and experiment with them.

1. The Open Book

The Open Book project is the definitively DIY ebook reader project. It is based on the Raspberry Pi Pico, and makes a point of having to buy a minimum number of components. The pins on the Pico make it easy to control all necessary actions including button controls, power controls, etc. The firmware is called libros, which needs to be flashed onto the Pico. It also uses a library called Babel that gives it the ability to display the text of all languages in the world, which is a major advantage.

• Display: 4.2" GDEW042T2 display, designed for fast refreshing
• Formats supported: Plain UTF-8 text, TXT files (a converter is given by the creator)
• Battery: 2 AAA batteries
• Cost: Can differ depending on the cost of the hardware you decide to go with, but a decent build can be made at about $130.

The PCB for the main board as well as the e-paper driver are easily printable because the schematics are given by the creator. The instructions for setting up the device and getting books ready to be read on the device are given very clearly and concisely on the website.

2. ZEReader

ZEReader is a device inspired by The Open Book, making another iteration of the Raspberry Pi Pico based e-ink device. This project is relatively more convenient as it provides a USB-C port for charging. The convenience is not only limited to the usage, but also the assembly. The software is based on Zephyr Real-Time OS, which makes it easier for the software to be adapted to other hardware boards as well.

• Display: 7.5" Waveshare ePaper display
• Formats supported: EPUB, very basic HTML parsing
• Battery: LiPo battery
• Cost: Unknown

For navigation, there are 4 buttons designed on the casing. The board is printable with schematics available online, and the parts can be gathered as the user pleases according to the requirements. There's a micro SD card necessary for storage of files. The instructions can all be found on the GitHub page, along with the information of the parts and software commands. Get more information on our news article about the device.

3. Dual-Screen E-Reader

The big idea behind this project is getting back to the feeling of reading a two-paged book instead of a single-page pamphlet-like structure like a Kindle provides. A button press to change the page moves both the pages ahead, making it feel more natural, similar to an actual book.

Instead of a full single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, this uses a SoC, ESP32-S3. This provides a significant edge to the power consumption, drawing very low power as it is in the reading mode, but in the deep sleep mode, which occurs after 10 minutes of inactivity, it reduces power consumption even more dramatically, basically never needing to be turned off.

• Display: 2 x 4.2" panels
• Formats supported: EPUB, basic HTML
• Battery: 2 x 1300 mAh batteries
• Cost: Original creator's estimate is a little over $80.

The parts are all laid out in a very concise list on the originating Reddit post with all the relevant information linked there effectively. The project is posted on Yanko Design as well in a well written post.

4. piEreader

The piEreader aims for a fully open approach, that includes the hardware, software, and even a server to host a library. The heart of the device is a Raspberry Pi Compute Module, giving it more capabilities than an average microcontroller.

The display on the build has a touch-screen as well as a backlight. The software revolves around MuPDF, which is a very well known popular e-book reader on the Linux platform.

• Display: 4.2" e-paper display
• Formats supported: EPUB, MOBI, CBZ, PDF, etc.
• Battery: Lithium battery
• Cost: Unknown

The Hackaday page contains all the necessary information, and the GitLab page hosts all the necessary code. It is worth noting that the creator has been able to successfully try out the software on other boards like PINE64-LTS, SOQUARTZ, etc. as well. Read more about this device in our news article.

5. TurtleBook

Taking an extremely practical approach, the creator of TurtleBook made some really innovative choices.

First, and as they mention, most e-book readers have a lot of unnecessary features when mostly all that is needed is turning a page. As such, the reader doesn't have any physical buttons. It works on gestures, which can be used to switch pages, open menus and adjust brightness, among other things.

Also since e-ink technology doesn't require a lot of power, the power setup is solar with hybrid capacitors, making it truly autonomous and one-of-a-kind. The device is based on an Arduino MEGA2560 board.

• Display: Waveshare 5.3" e-ink display, and a small OLED panel for easily accessing the menu options
• Formats supported: CB files (custom formatting website is given by the creator)
• Battery: Hybrid capacitors
• Cost: $80-$120

All the necessary parts and the links to them are provided by the creator in a list on the GitHub page, as well as the schematics for the PCBs and 3D-printable casing. There are two options, one with SRAM, a charger and WiFI capabilities and the other one with no charger or WiFi. The Instructables page for the device has very detailed instructions for the entire process, making it one of the most friendly options on this list.

6. EPub-InkPlate

Inkplate 6 from Soldred Electronics is basically an ESP-32 based e-Paper display. Inkplate uses recycled screens from old, discarded e-Book readers. Excellent intiative.

The project is open source both software and hardware wise. While you can build a lot of cool devices on top of it, the EPub-InkPlate project allows you to convert it into an eBook reader.

Although, the GitHub repo doesn't seen any new updates since 2022, it could be worth giving a shot if you already have an InkPlate display.

7. PineNote (not DIY)

While not DIY like the other projects on the list, PineNote is from the company Pine64, which has been one of the most actively pro-open source companies in recent times.

Since it is pre-built by a proper manufacturer, it can provide a lot of stable features that the DIY projects might lack. To start with, it is immensely powerful and has a Linux-based OS. It has a 128 GB eMMC storage, 4 GB RAM, and an ARM processor.

• Display: 10.3" multi-touch e-ink panel with frontlighting and an optional Wacom EMR pen
• Formats supported: PDF, MOBI, CBZ, TXT, etc. virtually any format
• Battery: 4000 mAh lithium battery
• Cost: $400 (I know but it's not just an e-Book reader)

It also is charged by USB-C and can be expanded into different sorts of projects, not just an e-book reader since it is based on an unrestricted Linux OS.

Special Mention: paper 7

Don't confuse this paper 7 with the Paper 7 e-ink tablet from Harbor Innovations. That Paper 7 is also an excellent device but not open source.

Yes. The paper 7 I am talking about is an open source device, or at least it is in the process. It is developed by a company called paperless paper based in Leipzig, Germany. It has been designed mainly as a photo frame, but I think it can be repurposed into an e-book reader.

Presently, the official integration shows that you can save and read webpages on it. Adding the ability to read PDF and ePUB files would be wonderful.

Conclusion

There are a lot of options to choose from, each with something more distinct than the last. The extent of the open-source philosophy, the amount of effort it might require, the extra features the devices have are some of the factors that might influence your decision when choosing the right device for yourself.

Whatever your choice may be, you might find yourself with a new device as well as a new interest, perhaps, after dabbling into the DIY side of open technology. We wish you the very best for it. Let us know what you think about it in the comments. Cheers!

SunFounder's Pironman cases for Raspberry Pi are a huge hit. This bestselling device converts the naked Raspberry Pi board into a miniature tower PC. The RGB lighting, OLED display and glass casing make it look cool. Full HDMI ports, NVMe ports and active-passive cooling options enhance the functionality of the Pi 5.

This great gadget is too expensive for some people to buy at $76 for the Pironman and $95 for the dual-NVMe NVMe Pironman Max.

SunFounder knows it and that's why they have introduced Pironman 5 Mini at $45 but have removed the OLED display, full HDMI ports and reduced the number of fans. Dealbreaker? Maybe. Maybe not. But I have come across a new case that has most of the features at a much lower price.

Elecrow's Pitower

Like SunFounder, Elecrow's has been offering gadgets and accessories for Raspberry Pi and other embedded devices for years. Their CrowView Note and all-in-one starter kits have been popular among SBC enthusiasts.

They have just revealed a new product, a mini PC case for your Raspberry Pi 5 and Jetson Orin Nano. Yes, that doubles the excitement.

And all this comes at a lower price tag of nearly $40 (more on this later). That sounds tempting, right? Let's see how good this case is.

Features meet affordibility

Let's take a look at the appearance of Elecrow's mini PC case. It is slightly bigger than the Pironman cases and has a more boxy looks somehow.

The OLED display and power button are at the top. The micro SD card outlet is at the bottom and to accommodate it, the case has taller feet.

There is nothing in the front of the device except a transparent acrylic sheet. The main look of the case comes from the side that gives you a broader look at the circuits. It looks magnificent with the RGB lights. The GPIO pins are accessible from here and they are duly marked.

There are three RGB fans here. Two in the back throw air out and one at the top sucks air in. This is done to keep the airflow in circulation inside the case. The official Raspberry Pi Active Cooler is also added to provide some passive cooling.

All the other ports are accessible from the back. In addition to all the usual Raspberry Pi ports, there are two full-HDMI ports replacing the mini HDMI ports.

The NVMe board is inside the case and it is better to insert the SSD while assembling the case. Yes, this is also an assembly kit.

Assembling the case

Since Elecrow's tower case is clearly inspired from SunFounder's Pironman case, they also have kept the DIY angle here. This simply means that you have to assemble the kit yourself.

It is while assembling that you can decide whether you want to use it for Raspberry Pi 5 or Jetson Orin Nano. Assembling instructions differ slightly for the devices.

There is an official assembly video and you should surely watch it to get a feel of how much effort is required for building this case.

In my case, I was not aware of the assembly video as I was sent this device at the time the product was announced. I used the included paper manual and it took me nearly two hours to complete the assembly. If I had had the help of the video and if I had not encountered a couple of issues, this could have been done within an hour.

Did I say issues? Yes, a few. First, the paper manual didn't specifically mention connecting one of the FPC cables. The video mentions it, thankfully.

One major issue was in putting in the power button. It seems to me that while they sized the hole according to the power button, they applied the black coating later on. And this reduced the size of the hole from which the power button passes through.

I don't see the official assembly video mentioning this issue and it could create confusion. The workaround is to simply use an object to remove the coating. I used scissors to scrape it.

Another issue was putting in the tiny screws in even tinier spaces at times. The situation worsened for me as the paper manual suggested joining the main board and all the adapter boards in the initial phases. This made putting the screws in even harder. As the video shows, this could be done in steps.

My magnetic screwdriver helped a great deal in placing the tiny screws in narrow places, and I think Elecrow should have provided a magnetic screwdriver instead of a regular one.

User experience

To make full use of all the cool features, i.e., OLED display, RGB fans, etc., you need to install a few Python scripts first.

And here's the thing that I have noticed with most Elecrow products: they are uncertain about the appropriate location for their documentation.

The paper manual that comes with the package has a QR code that takes you to this Google Drive that contains various scripts and a readme file. But there is also an online Wiki page and I think this page should be considered and distributed as the official documentation.

After running 12 or so commands, including a few that allow 777 permissions, the OLED screen started showing system stats such as CPU temperature and usage, RAM usage, disk stats, date and time. It would have been nice if it displayed the IP address too.

Like Pironman, Elecrow also has RGB lighting of fans out of sync by a few milliseconds. Not an issue unless you have acute OSD. The main issue is that it has three fans and the fans start running as soon as the device is turned on. For such a tiny device, three continuously running fans generate considerable noise.

The problem is that there is no user-facing way of controlling the fans without modifying the scripts themselves.

Another issue is that if you turn off Pi from the operating system, i.e., use the shutdown command or the graphical option of Raspberry Pi OS, the RGB lights and fans stay on. Even the OLED screen keeps on displaying whatever message it had when the system was shut down.

If you shut down the device by long pressing the power button, everything is turned off normally. This should not be the intended behavior. I have notified Elecrow about it and hopefully their developers will work on fixing their script.

Barring these hiccups, there are plenty of positives. There is an RTC battery to give you correct time between long shutdowns, although it works only with Raspberry Pi OS at the moment. The device stays super cool thanks to three fans maintaining a good airflow and the active cooler adding to the overall cooling. The clear display with RGB lights surely gives it an oomph factor.

Conclusion

There is room for improvement here, and I hope Elecrow updates their scripts to address these issues in the future:

• Proper handling of lights/fans shutdown instead of relying on the power button.
• Provide options to configure the RGB lights and control the fans.
• Include IP address in OLED display (optional).

Other than that, I have no complaints. The case is visually appealing, the device remains cool, and the price is reasonable in comparison to the popular Pironman cases.

Coming to the pricing. The device costs $32 for the Jetson Nano version and $40 for the Raspberry Pi version. I am guessing this is because the Pi version includes the additional active cooler.

Do note that the pricing displayed on the website DOES NOT include shipping charges and customs duty. Those things will be additional.

Alternatively, at least for our readers in the United States of America, the device is available on Amazon (partner link) but at a price tag of $59 at the time of writing this review. You don't have to worry about extra shipping or custom duty fee if you order from Amazon.

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 starter kit from Elecrow is an educational device that integrates multiple sensors and components onto a single board for learning electronics and programming. Built around the dual-core Raspberry Pi Pico2 RP2350 chip, the kit includes 17 sensors, 20 RGB LEDs, and a 2.4-inch TFT color touchscreen in a portable case format.

The kit is designed to eliminate the need for breadboarding, wiring, and soldering, allowing users to focus on programming concepts and sensor functionality. It comes with 21 structured tutorials that progress from basic to advanced levels, using Arduino IDE as the programming environment.

In this article, I'll share my experience with this starter kit.

Technical specification

The kit comes in the form of a briefcase-styled plastic case. It weighs less than 350 gram and has a size of 19.5x17x4.6 cm.

At the core of this kit lies Raspberry Pi Pico2 RP2350. There is a 2.4 inches TFT touch screen surrounded by seventeen sensors. These sensors are connected to Pico 2 already son you don't need to do any manual connections to access them. It is powered by a type C port and the same is used for transferring the project files to the board.

My experience with Elecrow Pico 2 Starter Kit

The kit comes preloaded with a few games and a program that lets you enable the LED lights and change their patterns. The games are Dinosaur Jump (the one you see in Chrome) and Snake.

The games are not as interesting as I would want them to be. Dianousr moves way too slow in the first stage. Even my four-years old didn't have enough patience to play this 'slow game'. While the Snake game is better, there is a slight delay in button press and the response on screen.

But this is not what the kit is for. It is for exploring programming all those sensors on the board.

Easier if you are familiar with the Arduino ecosystem

Here's the thing. If you are familiar with Arduino board and their ecosystem, things will be a lot easier for you. I have been using Raspberry Pi for years but never used an Arduino or other microcontroller like the Pico board here.

I learned a few things for sure. You have to 'burn' the project code on the board and you have to do it each time you have a new project. Which means if you ran a program that sounds the buzzer and next you want to try a program that interacts with the ultrasound sensor, you have to put this new code on Pico 2.

Elecrow does provide more than one documentation, but they are inconsistent with each other. The getting started guide should be improved, especially for beginners. It took me some time to figure things out based on the two documents and some web searches.

The web-based documentation does not mention that version 4.2.0 of the Raspberry Pi Pico/RP2040/RP2350 has to be explicitly added to the board manager in Arduino IDE. It is mentioned in the user manual PDF, though.

Elecrow provides source code for around 15 projects. Wiki on the web mentions a different source code link and the PDF user manual mentions the source code on GitHub.

It doesn't end here. Most of the sample project codes on GitHub have different name for their folders and the .ino files. In the Arduino ecosystem, both .ino code file and folder that contains it must have the same name; otherwise, the sketchbook won't be visible in Arduino IDE.

In my opinion, things would have been smoother if I were familiar with Arduino and the documentation was a bit more straightforward.

Sample projects are simple and fun

I did manage to overcome the initial hurdle and was able to run several of the provided projects.

Now, the provided user manual does an excellent job at explaining the sample projects. It explains the objective of the experiment, actions that should be performed, working principles, and key elements of the program.

Projects are mostly simple and explore various sensors present on the kit. Simple projects like LED controlling with a button, oscillating the servo motor, showing room temperature and humidity, measuring obstacle distance with an ultrasound sensor, etc.

The projects that involved an infrared receiver didn't compile. I'll debug the issue later and if I am unable to fix it, I'll perhaps open a bug report on Elecrow's GitHub repo.

To experiment, I even changed the code slightly. I can see that there is potential to modify the existing code into something else. For example, if the room temperature reaches a certain level, the servo motor starts rotating. There is potential here to explore and have fun.

Above all, exploring this device made me familiar with Arduino. New skill unlocked 💪

Conclusion

This is a suitable option for schools, as they can have a bunch of these kits in their STEM lab. Children can start working on modifying the codes for their lab projects instead of struggling with wiring and soldering. The briefcase-style case also makes it easier to store without worrying about disturbing the wire connections. Perhaps there could be a discount on bulk orders; I am just guessing.

Parents who have a little bit of Arduino experience or the willingness to learn can also get this as a present for their children. With a little guidance, they can build new things upon the existing sample projects, and that will help them explore the exciting world of electronics and programming.

To the makers, if they could improve their getting-started guide and provide code consistent with Arduino IDE requirements, it would surely flatten the learning curve.

This kit is available for $37.99, which is a fair price for what it offers. Do refer to the official manual beforfe starting, if you purchase the kit.

The last time I reviewed the Pironman 5, I thought that it was the most amazing Raspberry Pi case that can be purchased. That's because people have 3D printed Pi cases and they match the wavelength of awesomeness.

Almost a year later, SunFounder came up with a new version, Pironman 5 Max. And they increased the awesomeness of an already outstanding product.

Due to light reflection, the picture above doesn't show its beauty properly. Look at the image below and admire the beauty.

This gorgeous looking Raspberry Pi case is the best $90 investment for your Raspberry Pi 5 setup. If money is not an issue, I think anyone who wants to use Raspberry Pi 5 on their desktop should consider it because it offers more than just its stunning looks.

Let me dwell on its features as well as share my experience and opinion on them.

Pironman 5 Max specification

But before that, let me share what you get with this case.

• Dual NVMe M.2 slots: Can be used for RAID 0/1 setup or single SSD plus AI accelerator. They are powered by PCIe Gen2 switch.
• Tower cooler (for passive cooling) with PWM fan (adjusts as per CPU temperature).
• Two additional RGB fans that can be configured.
• Tiny OLED display with tap to wake function
• Two full-sized HDMI ports.
• RTC battery support
• All GPIO pins remain accessible through the in-built extender.
• Sleek black looks with part metal and part acrylic body.

Build your case

Like many other SunFounder products, this too has a DIY touch. The case needs to be assembled. Which is not complicated but still take a look at the official assembly video to get a gist of what kind of effort it will take.

I used the paper manual, as there were no assembly videos when I received it, and it took me nearly an hour to get it up and running.

Assembly needs to be done carefully. If you put the wrong end of the FPC cable in or if the attachments do not fit in properly, you’ll have to struggle with opening the case again to fix it.

In my case, I had the fan connection wire in front of the fan and it started making awful noise. I quickly fixed it by tucking in the wire, but these things may happen.

Cooling your Pi

Your Raspberry Pi 5 needs a cooling system and the official inexpensive active cooler does a decent job at that.But if you want to use Raspberry Pi as a desktop or for intensive tasks, it starts getting hotter before choking up completely.

SunFounder has been making accessories for Raspberry Pi ecosystem for a long time and their Pironman 5 Max handles it with a mix of passive and active cooling.

Pironman 5 Max has a tower cooler to passively cool your device. And then there are RGB dual fans to add active cooling.

Surprisingly, the RGB fans were set to run by default. But you can easily configure them to start when the temperature gets hotter.

I put them at cool mode, as it hardly reaches beyond that for casual computing thanks to the effective passive cooling. You can control the RGB lighting on the fan to have them always on, always off or turn on only when the fans are running.

There is a tiny lag between the lights of the two fans. Unless you have intense OCD, you won’t be bothered with that.

Leveling up the ports

Cooling is just one aspect of this magnificent Raspberry Pi case. It converts your barebone Pi 5 into a mini PC by adding extra ports.

The Pi 5 still uses mini HDMI ports. But the Pironman 5 case converts them into full HDMI ports. Now you can use your regular HDMI cables. That’s a relief. All 4 USB ports are neatly accessible in the back.

The micro SD card slot is conveniently located at the front along with a dedicated power button. You can press the power button to turn it on. While running, press it once to bring up the shutdown menu or double-press it quickly to turn it off immediately.

There is this tiny OLED display that gives a quick overview of your system resources. You can see the IP address, disk storage, CPU temperature, and RAM consumption. This is also configurable from the handy dashboard.

The OLED screen needs tap to wake or shake to wake. It displays for a few seconds and goes to sleep again. Saves a tiny amount of power. I find it convenient that it displays the IP address of the PI. Helps a great deal when I want to SSH into it.

It also has an IR receiver at the front for your experiments. You are not losing the versatility of your Pi as all 40 GPIO pins are easily accessible from the side. And they are neatly labeled too.

This Pironman 5 Max features a dual NVMe PIP board, which is an upgrade on its previous edition, which had only one NVMe slot. So, here, you can put in two SSDs and have a RAID setup, or you can have one SSD and one AI accelerator.

Keep in mind that this is a PCIe Gen2 switch and thus you are not getting PCIe Gen3 speed like the previous Pironman version. However, that should not be an issue, as it’s good enough for random I/O operations.

I have used two SSDs to experiment with a RAID setup. I will share that in a separate tutorial.

Beautiful RGB lighting and more

The RGB lighting adds to the charm of the case. There are 4 LEDs located at the top that throw the lights down. By default, it is blue mood lighting. You can configure their color and lighting pattern to match up with your desk and room setup.

You can also control its intensity, which is a good thing, as the semi-transparent dark glass may not always show the lights in their full glory.

A tiny but useful feature is the inclusion of RTC battery and thus giving the real time clock to your Raspberry Pi. Your Pi doesn’t need to be connected to internet to give you the correct time.

Remember...

Pironman does not support all kinds of SSDs. Go through their list of supported SSDs first.

Pironman also has a list of compatible operating systems. The script and dashboard that let you control the RGB lights and other behavior work only with these operating systems, and you have to install the scripts explicitly.

Conclusion

Ever since I started using these Pironman cases, my Raspberry Pi not only stays cool, it also looks super cool.

Now a price tag of $95 could seem like a lot but Pironman Max is not just a case, it transforms your Pi into a mini PC with a miniature gaming rig look. You get full HDMI ports, power buttons, an OLED display, and two SSD slots. It enhances the capabilities of your Pi.

Another good thing is that they also take care of taxes and import duty. You can order it from their official website. The new version is not available on Amazon yet.

If your budget allows it, this is surely worth investing in your Raspberry Pi setup.

Alternatively, if you are on a budget, explore some other tower cases for Raspberry Pi.

In fact, there is a new mini version of the Pironman in making that costs half the price and offers half the features.

Pironman 5 Mini

The mini version has only one NVMe slot and one RGB fan. There is no OLED display or passive tower cooling. But it still adds value at half the cost.

Pironman 5 Mini

And that’s my opinion. What about you? The comment section is all yours.

The Raspberry Pi is an extremely popular invention that enabled tinkerers to make interesting projects out of it.

You name it, and there must be a way for tinkerers to make it happen using the Raspberry Pi board. The possibilities are endless. Don't believe me? You can explore our list of Raspberry Pi project ideas to see what kind of projects exist.

That being said, the Raspberry Pi can also be used in arrangement to make a laptop you can use, or maybe a tablet. You can purchase some ready-made Raspberry Pi-based kits or choose to build it yourself following some project ideas out there.

Here, I have compiled all such options for you to take a look at.

1. RasPad

RasPad is one of the most popular Linux tablets out there. While it is extremely difficult to find it in stock on the official website, you can find several retailers/resellers making it available.

It is built to be used along with a Raspberry Pi device, which you have to purchase separately. Sure, it may not be a slim tablet, like the Android ones, but it is a fun portable gadget to put together and use.

You can install RasPad OS or any other Raspberry Pi operating system.

2. CrowPi Raspberry Pi Educational Kit

A portable Raspberry Pi-based kit that looks like a laptop, CrowPi by Elecrow is a decent option available to purchase.

It is compatible with Raspberry Pi 5. So, you can make use of the latest tech available to get yourself a portable Raspberry Pi device with a big 9-inch IPS touch screen.

You can connect a keyboard to it, install any operating system of your choice, and you have a portable laptop to mimic, even if it may not look the prettiest.

3. Piper Computer Kit

A Raspberry Pi-based kit tailored to provide a computer building experience where you end up with a device which you can use to learn and build stuff.

The kit is designed like there are puzzle pieces that you need to put together to learn as you build. It already includes a Raspberry Pi in the kit. So, you do not need to purchase it separately.

4. CrowPi L

CrowPi L looks relatively close to a laptop, and you have it as an assembled device without the Raspberry Pi.

It is compatible with Raspberry Pi 4B. So, all you have to do is get the board, and install it on its back side just like you would install a removable battery, yes, that easy!

You get an integrated camera + microphone, an 11.6-inch IPS screen, and a 5000 mAh battery to power the device.

You can choose to use it as a real laptop replacement or utilize it to build other projects.

5. Handeld Nano Pi 2

Unlike the above-mentioned options, this handheld Raspberry Pi device is a project idea that you can refer and build it yourself.

The project runs a Raspberry Pi 2 version board with an incredibly small phone-sized keyboard and screen. You can 3D print the chassis of the keyboard, screen, and the box using the files available. And, customize it for a newer Raspberry Pi board.

For instructions, you will have to check out its Thingiverse page.

6. CrowView Note

CrowView Note is a portable monitor with a keyboard and all the essentials, like microphone, camera, to turn any SBC like Raspberry Pi into a laptop.

Sure, you can use Raspberry Pi alternatives. But, I have seen people build Raspberry Pi laptops out of it on YouTube, just like this one:

When writing this, it was available as a Kickstarter product. So, it should be available when it's back in stock or at a later date again on its official manufacturer's website, Elecrow.

7. Raspberry Pi 500 Desktop Kit

If you are not satisfied with any of the options available in the market, you can go for the Raspberry Pi 500 or its predecessor, Raspberry Pi 400, built on top of the Raspberry Pi 5 and 4 respectively.

It is not a laptop nor a tablet, but if you aren't concerned about the form factor, this can be a portable solution. All you need is a screen to connect to, as the keyboard is the entire computer.

With the kit, you get a mouse, a preloaded SD card with Raspberry Pi OS, and essential cables to connect to a monitor. You will find limited online resellers having it in stock.

Any Other Options To Consider?

You can build countless form factors when using a Raspberry Pi board to create a device. The ready-made options are always limited.

If you just want a lightweight hackable laptop to run Linux for your projects (not based on Raspberry Pi), you can take a look at PineBook that uses its custom SBC.

Not a tinkerer? And, looking for a mini PC? We have a list of Linux-based mini PCs as well:

11 Mini PCs That Come With Linux Pre-installed

Looking for a Linux-based mini PC? Here are the options that let you replace your traditional bulky desktop with a compact yet powerful mini PC.

It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash

💬Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments down below!

When ArmSoM kindly offered to send me their upcoming RK3588 AI Module 7 (AIM7), along with the AIM-IO carrier board, I was thrilled.

Having worked with AI hardware like Nvidia’s Jetson Nano and Raspberry Pi boards, I’m always curious about devices that promise powerful AI capabilities without requiring a large physical setup or heavy power draw.

The RK3588 AI Module 7 (AIM7), powered by the Rockchip RK3588, seemed to hit that sweet spot, a compact module with robust processing power, efficient energy use, and versatile connectivity options for a range of projects.

What intrigued me most was its potential to handle AI tasks like object detection and image processing while also supporting multimedia applications, all while being small enough to integrate into custom enclosures or embedded systems where space is a premium.

Here’s my hands-on experience with this exciting piece of hardware.

ArmSoM RK3588 AI Module 7 AIM7 specifications

The RK3588 AI Module 7 is a compact yet powerful board built around the Rockchip RK3588 SoC, an octa-core processor with a quad-core Cortex-A76 and a quad-core Cortex-A55, clocked up to 2.4 GHz.

Complementing this powerhouse is the ARM Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with a 6 TOPS NPU, making it an excellent choice for AI workloads and multimedia applications.

Its small size and versatile connectivity options make it suitable for embedded applications and development projects.

The unit I received came with 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 32 GB of eMMC storage.

AIM-IO Carrier Board Specifications

The AIM-IO carrier board is designed to complement the RK3588 AI Module 7. It offers a rich set of features, including multiple USB ports, display outputs, and expansion options, making it an ideal platform for development and prototyping.

Unboxing and first impressions

The RK3588 AI Module 7 arrived in a compact, well-packaged generic box alongside the AIM-IO board, which is essential for getting the module up and running.

At first glance, the AIM7 itself is tiny, measuring just 69.6 x 45 mm—almost identical in size to the Jetson Nano’s core module.

The carrier board, too, shares the same dimensions as the Jetson Nano Developer Kit’s carrier board, making it an easy swap for those already familiar with Nvidia’s ecosystem.

The build quality of both the module and the carrier board is solid. The AIM-IO board’s layout is clean, with clearly labeled ports and connectors.

It features four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, a 40-pin GPIO header and an M.2 slot for expansion, a welcome addition for developers looking to push the hardware’s limits.

Setting it up

Installing the RK3588 AI Module 7 onto the AIM-IO board was straightforward. The edge connector design, similar to the Jetson Nano’s, meant it slotted in effortlessly.

Powering it up required a standard 5V barrel jack.

I know these Rockchip SBCs get real hot, so I got a generic passive heat sink. Active cooling options were way too expensive.

Since I was hoping to use this device for home automation projects, I also got myself a DIY-built case.

OS installation

Now, let’s talk about the OS installation. Spoiled by the ease of the Raspberry Pi Imager, I found myself on a steep learning curve while working with RKDevTool.

Burning an image for the Rockchip device required me to watch several videos and read multiple pieces of documentation. After much trial and error, I managed to flash the provided Ubuntu image successfully.

I’ve written a dedicated guide to help you install an OS on Rockchip devices using RKDevTool.

One hiccup worth mentioning: I couldn’t test the SD card support as it didn’t work for me at all. This was disappointing, but the onboard eMMC storage provided a reliable fallback.

Performance testing

To gauge the RK3588 AI Module 7’s capabilities, I ran a series of benchmarks and real-world tests. Here’s how it fared:

Geekbench Scores

Here you can see the single-core and multi-core performance of RK3588, which is quite impressive. I mean, the results speaks for themselves. The Cortex-A76 cores are a significant upgrade.

You can see the full single-core performance of RK3588:

Multi-core performance:

The RK3588’s multi-core performance blew the Raspberry Pi and even Jetson Nano out of the water, with scores nearly double in most tests.

AI Workloads

The RK3588 AI Module 7’s 6 TOPS NPU is designed to handle AI inference efficiently. It supports RKNN-LLM, a toolkit that enables deploying lightweight language models on Rockchip hardware.

I tested the TinyLLAMA model with 1.1 billion parameters, and the performance was amazing, achieving 16 tokens per second.

Output result:

root@armsom-aim7-io:/# ./llm_demo tinyLlama.rkllm 
rkllm init start
rkllm-runtime version: 1.0.1, rknpu driver version: 0.9.6, platform: RK3588
rkllm init success

**********************可输入以下问题对应序号获取回答/或自定义输入********************

[0] what is a hypervisor?

*************************************************************************

user: 0
what is a hypervisor?
robot: A hypervisor is software, firmware, or hardware that creates and runs virtual machines (VMs).There are two types: Type 1 (bare-metal, runs directly on hardware) and Type 2 (hosted, runs on top of an OS). tokens 50 time 3.12
Token/s : 16.01

• While I couldn’t test all the other supported models, here’s a list of models and their performance, courtesy of Radxa:TinyLLAMA 1.1B – 15.03 tokens/sQwen 1.8B – 14.18 tokens/sPhi3 3.8B – 6.46 tokens/sChatGLM3 – 3.67 tokens/s

The RKNN-LLM toolkit supports deploying lightweight language models on Rockchip hardware, and the NPU’s efficiency makes it a compelling option for AI workloads.

The performance varies depending on the model size and parameters, with larger models naturally running slower. The NPU also consumes less power than the GPU, freeing it up for other tasks.

Image & video processing

I couldn’t process live video and images as I didn’t have a compatible camera module. I own an RPi camera module but lacked the compatible ribbon cable to connect it to the AIM-IO board.

Despite this, I tested the image processing capabilities using the YOLOv8 model for Object detection on the demo images provided with it.

Took me a lot of time to understand how to use it (will cover that in separate article, hopefully) but thanks to Radxa's well-structured documentation, which provided a step-by-step guide.

The results were impressive, showcasing the board’s ability to handle complex image recognition tasks efficiently.

What Could It Be Used For?

The RK3588 AI Module 7 (AIM7) offers a wide range of potential applications, making it a versatile tool for developers and hobbyists alike. Here are some possible use cases:

1. Home Automation: AIM7’s low power consumption and robust processing capabilities make it ideal for smart home setups. From controlling IoT devices to running edge AI for home security systems, the AIM7 can handle it all.
2. AI-Powered Applications: With its 6 TOPS NPU, the AIM7 excels in tasks like object detection, natural language processing, and image recognition. It’s a great choice for deploying lightweight AI models at the edge.
3. Media Centers: The ability to decode and encode 8K video makes it a powerful option for creating custom media centers or streaming setups.
4. Robotics: AIM7’s compact size and versatile connectivity options make it suitable for robotics projects that require real-time processing and AI inference.
5. Educational Projects: For students and educators, the AIM7 provides a hands-on platform to learn about embedded systems, AI, and computer vision.
6. Industrial Automation: Its robust hardware and software support make it a reliable choice for industrial applications like predictive maintenance and process automation.
7. DIY Projects: Whether you’re building a smart mirror, an AI-powered camera, or a custom NAS, the AIM7 offers the flexibility and power to bring your ideas to life.

If you are not interested in all of the above, you can always use it as your secondary desktop, at the end it is essentially a single board computer. 😉

Final thoughts

After spending some time with the RK3588 AI Module 7, I can confidently say that it’s an impressive piece of hardware. I installed Ubuntu on it, and the desktop experience was surprisingly smooth.

The onboard eMMC storage really made the experience smooth, it made app launches fast and responsive, offering a noticeable speed boost compared to traditional SD card setups.

Watching YouTube at 1080p was smooth, something that’s still a bit of a challenge for Raspberry Pi in the same resolution. The playback was consistent, without any stuttering, which is a big win for media-heavy applications.

The RKNN-LLM toolkit enabled me to deploy lightweight models, and the NPU’s power efficiency freed up the GPU for other tasks, which is perfect for edge AI applications.

My only gripe is the lack of extensive documentation from ArmSoM. While it’s available, it often doesn’t cover everything, and I found myself relying on Radxa and Mixtile forums to work around issues. ArmSoM told me that documentation will be improved after the crowdfunding launch.

You can follow the crowdfunding campaign and other developments on the dedicate page.

RK3588 AI Module7

A low-power AI module compatible with the Nvidia Jetson Nano ecosystem

Crowd Supply

I’m looking forward to exploring more of its potential in my home automation projects, especially as I integrate AI for smarter, more efficient systems.