Talk:OctoGoatBox
Page under construction --AndrewBCN (talk) 21:47, 3 January 2015 (PST)
I used the 4pi page as a base so bear with the wrong pictures and links for a while please. I'll edit the page and add more detailed information in the coming days as my free time allows.
And just to preempt the inevitable question: why not OctoPi? The answer is simply because - after months of testing - I came to the conclusion that the Raspberry Pi is painfully underspecified for this particular application. Also my particular OctoPi setup was plagued with instability issues (basically I had to reboot the RPi after every print - tried two different RPis, half a dozen power supplies, etc). In summary: a huge waste of time and money. But if you want to try it, be my guest: https://github.com/guysoft/OctoPi.
Some prices for dual core Allwinner A20 Android TV boxes out of AliExpress:
- Banana Pi (requires optional WiFi dongle, external powered USB hub, 5V@2A power supply and case):$41.50 with free shipping.
- GV17 (includes case, power supply, 2MP webcam, internal WiFi b/g/n, IR remote: $51.99 with free shipping.
- Many nameless clones with the same case design, make sure they are specified with 1GB RAM (some of them come with only 512MB), for example this one:$42 with free shipping.
- Orange Pi Beyond, similar to Banana Pi but comes with 4 x USB 2.0 and WiFi, again requires case and 5V@2A power supply: $49 with free shipping.
- Cubieboard 2 and Cubietruck/Cubieboard 3: these are imho overpriced, they tend to cost more than the Banana Pi for more or less the same specs.
- MeLE M5 is a bit more expensive but can be said to be a better quality option: $73.50 with free shipping.
You can also probably find some of these on other websites.
The important details to check before you click on the "Buy" button:
- Allwinner A20 SoC / CPU.
- 1GB RAM.
- 2 or preferably 3 x USB HOST.
- SD Card slot (essential to boot Linux image).
- Ethernet port (saves time during initial configuration of the WiFi interface).
- Preferably built-in WiFi b/g/n (saves one USB port).
As usual it doesn't hurt to check the vendor's reputation and buyer's feedback.
Somehow the links to aliexpressdotcom are blacklisted here on reprap.org so please click and edit the links above accordingly. Note that I am not advertising for aliexpress, have no relationship with them or any vendor in China and honestly couldn't care less if the above links work or not, I am just trying to give people some pointers to where they can buy the hardware for this project.
