Re:Pi-Top 4
by jrockway on Wednesday July 03, 2019 @04:45PM
(#20348584)
I think you are understating the current power of microcontrollers. They can run Python. You get a REPL. The days of 8 bit micros for hobbyists are over; 32 bit micros that are hundreds of times more powerful in terms of CPU, memory, flash, and APIs cost the exact same amount.
The library situation is pretty good these days. You can talk to TLS-enabled web servers. You can talk to Bluetooth devices. You can integrate sensors with a couple lines of code. It isn't trivial but it isn't hard either.
The advantage of using a microcontroller is that you don't have to stress out about all the other things that a computer is going to be doing. You don't have to write systemd configurations to start your application at boot. You don't have to prevent syslog from ruining your SD card. You don't have to update the Linux kernel when there is a 0day. You don't have to work hard to power the machine from a battery. (I have a Bluetooth-based temperature/humidity/pressure logger + epaper clock that runs off a 100mAh LiPo battery. A Raspberry Pi that isn't even turned on would suck that thing dry in 3 hours, not counting power loss in the boost converter that would be required.)
The advantage of using a Raspberry Pi is that you get a ton more CPU power and all the advantages of a computer. Your GPIO sensors can show their data on 2 4k screens. You can browse the web with Chrome. You can run complex software trivially.
They are both great for different use cases. I think someone that wants to make a tiny robot or blinky light would be better served by an $8 M0-based Arduino clone. I think someone that wants to run image recognition on a video feed would be better served by a Raspberry Pi. The power level of the Pi is greater than a micro. Getting something simple working perfectly without any future maintenance is easier on a micro.
https://learn.adafruit.com/welcome-to-circuitpython/what-is-...
Here is a HomeKit device on a nrf52:
https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_nRF52_Arduino/blob/mast...
The library situation is pretty good these days. You can talk to TLS-enabled web servers. You can talk to Bluetooth devices. You can integrate sensors with a couple lines of code. It isn't trivial but it isn't hard either.
The advantage of using a microcontroller is that you don't have to stress out about all the other things that a computer is going to be doing. You don't have to write systemd configurations to start your application at boot. You don't have to prevent syslog from ruining your SD card. You don't have to update the Linux kernel when there is a 0day. You don't have to work hard to power the machine from a battery. (I have a Bluetooth-based temperature/humidity/pressure logger + epaper clock that runs off a 100mAh LiPo battery. A Raspberry Pi that isn't even turned on would suck that thing dry in 3 hours, not counting power loss in the boost converter that would be required.)
The advantage of using a Raspberry Pi is that you get a ton more CPU power and all the advantages of a computer. Your GPIO sensors can show their data on 2 4k screens. You can browse the web with Chrome. You can run complex software trivially.
They are both great for different use cases. I think someone that wants to make a tiny robot or blinky light would be better served by an $8 M0-based Arduino clone. I think someone that wants to run image recognition on a video feed would be better served by a Raspberry Pi. The power level of the Pi is greater than a micro. Getting something simple working perfectly without any future maintenance is easier on a micro.