Hardware Hacks: Raspberry Pi 2.0 is made in the UK & KindleBerry Pi

A Kindle, a Raspberry Pi and an USB keyboard create a low-powered development machine
Source: ponnuki.net

Hardware Hacks is the section on The H that collects stories about the wide range of uses of open source in the rapidly expanding area of open hardware. Find out about interesting projects, re-purposing of devices and the creation of a new generation of deeply open systems. In this edition, the Raspberry Pi revision 2.0, how it is now made in the UK and a hack that turns a Kindle and a Raspberry Pi into a command-line only development machine.

• Raspberry Pi 2.0 – The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the release of a 2.0 revision of the Model B Raspberry Pi. Taking into account feedback received from customers, the new model sports a reset circuit, a more reliable way to power the device from a USB hub (at the expense of the security provided by some fuses), new connectors, mounting holes and a fix to the HDMI connector. The Foundation believes that holding out for the new model is not worth it for most users but says that the new revision should replace older 1.0 Raspberry Pis at the different distributors "over the next month".

• Made in the UK – After announcing the new revision of their device, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has also revealed that, going forward, most of the Raspberry Pis will be manufactured in the UK. The increased public awareness of the device has enabled the Foundation to move manufacture to Sony's assembly plant in South Wales where Element14 and Premier Farnell will henceforth have most of their stock assembled. The Sony plant will manufacture 30,000 Raspberry Pis every month; this should create thirty new jobs at the plant.

• The KindleBerry Pi – Comprising a jailbroken Kindle Keyboard, a Raspberry Pi, a USB keyboard and a USB hub for power, the KindleBerry Pi is a lightweight, low power development platform. Since the built-in keyboard on the Kindle is very limited for everyday typing, the implementation uses the screen command-line multiplexer to access the Kindle's terminal session on the Raspberry Pi with the USB keyboard. According to the creator, the hack is completely usable as long as users are happy to live completely on the command line.

(fab)