Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone?

Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by randomblock1 on Saturday November 14, 2026 @05:07AM (#50495681)

Reasons to get a Pi: GPIO support, software support, OS updates, free root & bootloader, more flexibility and customizability, extensive documentation and support, consistency, simplicity, more ports, battery optional.

Used phones are good for tinkering, especially for "display with sensors and battery attached" usecases, but there are still plenty of downsides. And unfortunately Linux on phones is just not ready for primetime, last I checked.

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by cowlevel on Saturday November 14, 2026 @05:08AM (#50495685)

Your phone has GPIOs inside it, but you can't access them without at least root.

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by randomblock1 on Saturday November 14, 2026 @05:20AM (#50495772)

Cool, didn't know that. But like are they physically accessible? I don't think you can use the USB port as GPIO. Maybe some unused pins on the SOC itself, but that means opening up the phone and probably removing the shielding/heatsink...

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by amelius on Saturday November 14, 2026 @06:02AM (#50496000)

You can attach some photodiodes to your screen to control things. And use the camera/mic for input.

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by cowlevel on Saturday November 14, 2026 @06:30AM (#50496156)

Now that's a funny idea. But it's true!

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by almog on Saturday November 14, 2026 @05:20AM (#50495776)

I've never used one but android phones can use utilize USB GPIO devices which are very cheap

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by aborsy on Saturday November 14, 2026 @05:22AM (#50495787)

PI was a thing when it was much cheaper than X86. You can buy a much better speced mini PC nowadays

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by graemep on Saturday November 14, 2026 @05:42AM (#50495905)

For the cost of a Pico or a Zero? Even some of the SBCs cost about £30. Where can I get a mini PC for that?

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by skyyler on Saturday November 14, 2026 @06:09AM (#50496034)

ebay :-)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/147663241534

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Re:Why get an expensive Pi when I have an old phone? by kotaKat on Saturday November 14, 2026 @06:09AM (#50496035)

I'll bite. Wyse 3040. $20-40 on the used market, similarly crappy specs to a Zero.

https://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/wyse/3040/

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