Tag: Hardware Articles - Page 5

Orange Pi Zero 2 USB SSD Boot Guide

Published: August 30, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 30 Comments / Benchmarking, Hardware, Orange Pi, Storage

During my recent coverage of SBCs I’ve been benchmarking them using SSDs. The process for booting from a SSD varies across different boards. I’ve found the documentation for some of these to be lacking / nonexistent and the Orange Pi Zero 2 is one of these.

Today I wanted to benchmark the Orange Pi Zero 2 with the SSD and given the lack of documentation I’m going to document my process for setting it up. The Orange Pi Zero 2 will require a sacrificial SD card to bootstrap the process and has USB 2.0 ports. With those limitations in mind let’s set it up and see how it performs!

Orange Pi Zero 2 USB SSD Boot Guide Read More »

ODROID N2+ Petitboot SSD Boot Guide

Published: August 29, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 39 Comments / Benchmarking, Hardware, ODROID, Storage

Configuring the ODROID N2+ for USB booting can be a little bit tricky. There are guides out there that will both use a SD card to bootstrap the SSD booting and other guides that use Petitboot but have complex setup instructions.

Today I want to show you a simple method that I used to get SSD booting set up on the ODROID N2+ so I could perform my storage benchmarking on the device for my review. I will be using a NVMe SSD but you may use other types of SSDs as well. Let’s get started!

ODROID N2+ Petitboot SSD Boot Guide Read More »

ODROID Go Super Getting Started Guide

Published: August 29, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 2 Comments / Gaming, Hardware, ODROID

The ODROID Go Super is the latest model of the popular handheld retro gaming consoles made by ODROID. It was recommended by a regular reader that I should check these out and I’m really enjoying it so far.

Today I’ll show you how to get started with the ODROID Go Super including getting a network connection, loading more games onto the device and more. Let’s begin!

ODROID Go Super Getting Started Guide Read More »

ODROID XU4Q Review / eMMC Tests

Published: August 24, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 2 Comments / Benchmarking, Hardware, ODROID, Reviews

I recently received several ODROID products I wanted to review and benchmark in my quest to explore the rest of the SBC world outside of Raspberry Pi. Today we’re going to cover the ODROID XU4Q!

We’ll cover the pros and cons of the board and then benchmark the board with a official Hardkernel eMMC module. Let’s get started!

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Hardkernel ODROID eMMC Guide / Performance Benchmarking

Published: August 23, 2022 / Last Modified: March 2, 2023 / Leave a Comment / Benchmarking, Hardware, ODROID, Storage

I’ve covered eMMC modules on the site before as being a fantastic performance option. Today I received some Hardkernel eMMC modules that I wanted to do some performance testing to see how they perform as well as a guide for how to get started with them.

These are promised to be ready to go out of the box. I will test that claim and then we will do some performance benchmarking. No matter what happens we will also do a fresh reimage of the module to show the complete process of getting them set up. Let’s begin!

Hardkernel ODROID eMMC Guide / Performance Benchmarking Read More »

Upgrading HackRF One to PortaPack H2

Published: August 19, 2022 / Last Modified: March 2, 2023 / 12 Comments / Hardware, Software Defined Radio

I just received a very exciting upgrade for my HackRF One. It is called the PortaPack H2. It essentially gives your HackRF a rechargeable battery, a touchscreen display and many new capabilities that are a part of the Havoc firmware.

This setup will basically take my HackRF’s capabilities completely mobile opening it up to places and locations to explore that aren’t easy/possible without a setup like this.

Today I wanted to build the new PortaPack H2 and show all the steps I took. Let’s begin!

Upgrading HackRF One to PortaPack H2 Read More »

ODROID M1 Review and Benchmarks

Published: August 18, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 36 Comments / Benchmarking, Hardware, ODROID, Reviews

Today I’m very excited to review the ODROID M1 board. I bought this board for a couple of reasons. The first was that it is one of the top rated (and the top rated) boards on my Pi Benchmarks storage benchmarking website.

The second reason was a recommendation from you guys on one of my articles to check out and review the board! This will be my very first ODROID board. Definitely let me know if there’s more boards I need to check out that I haven’t covered as I’m actively investigating alternative SBCs to the Raspberry Pi due to the ongoing shortage

Let’s begin!

ODROID M1 Review and Benchmarks Read More »

Use HackRF SDR to Lock / Unlock Car

Published: August 15, 2022 / Last Modified: March 2, 2023 / 2 Comments / Gadgets, Hardware, Security, Software Defined Radio

I’ve previously covered getting your HackRF set up in Linux and getting the firmware updated. In that guide we installed the very easy to use CubicSDR application and were able to easily tune to various audio signals.

Today we’re going to do something more interactive and actually use the transmitter. We’re going to unlock and lock my vehicle using the HackRF! Let’s get started.

Use HackRF SDR to Lock / Unlock Car Read More »

ASUS Tinker Board Getting Started Guide

Published: August 13, 2022 / Last Modified: March 2, 2023 / 12 Comments / Hardware, Tinker Board

My wife got me a Tinker Board several years ago as a gift and I always meant to cover it on the site but got busy and forgot about it. Due to the ongoing Raspberry Pi shortage and high prices I’ve been reexamining boards from other manufacturers and found that the Tinker Board is widely available for something like ~$76. There are several more powerful versions available as well such as the Tinker Board 2S model.

Today I will correct the injustice done to the Tinker Board and cover how to get a Tinker Board all set up with the latest image and updates. Let’s get started!

ASUS Tinker Board Getting Started Guide Read More »

Read and Reset Car Codes – Wireless ODBII Diagnostic Tool

Published: August 9, 2022 / Last Modified: October 9, 2022 / Leave a Comment / Gadgets, Hardware

Chances are if you own a vehicle at some point you’ve experienced a check engine light on your vehicle. When this happens it’s common to stop by an auto-parts store or the dealership to have them read the code and determine what is wrong. Most auto parts stores will have a little diagnostic computer they can plug in to read the code.

Today I wanted to highlight a really inexpensive way that you can interface with that same diagnostic computer yourself using a cheap (<$30) adapter that not only allows you to read these codes but to actually reset them!

I’ve found it very empowering to have one of these as I can immediately research any check engine codes my vehicle has and determine what I’m going to need to do to resolve it. It’s also great if you have a check engine light for something you already know about as you are able to reset them yourself. Let’s get started!

Read and Reset Car Codes – Wireless ODBII Diagnostic Tool Read More »

Orange Pi i96 Getting Started Guide

Published: August 5, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 368 Comments / Benchmarking, Hardware, Orange Pi

Recently I reviewed the Orange Pi Zero 2 and thought it was a fantastic board. I really like the amount of polish that the Orange Pi line of products have as it is the closest I have seen to anything approaching a Raspberry Pi experience. We also benchmarked the Orange Pi Zero 2 and determined it’s a very capable board.

I recently got a Orange Pi i96 (thanks munecito!) and this board is very exciting because it was purchased on sale for ~$10! That is insanely cheap. The reason it’s so cheap is because it’s a headless board that doesn’t contain any display-out ports.

If you are going to be using the board headless anyways (I use most of my SBCs headlessly) you may be able to save a fortune with this board. Let’s get started!

Orange Pi i96 Getting Started Guide Read More »

Android Installation for Orange Pi Guide

Published: August 3, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 11 Comments / Google, Hardware, Orange Pi

It’s quite a bit more tricky to install Android on the Orange Pi than Linux (which is as simple as writing the image to the SD card with Etcher).

As long as you know the right software to use and where to get it though it’s not too bad. In this guide I’ll show you how to set up Android on the Orange Pi from start to finish. Let’s begin!

Android Installation for Orange Pi Guide Read More »

eMMC to SD Card Adapters Explained

Published: August 1, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / Leave a Comment / Benchmarking, Hardware, Raspberry Pi, Storage

The eMMC to SD card adapter shows up a lot in IoT devices. I have owned one for my Raspberry Pi for a while and they are fantastic.

In this article I will explain what these devices are, the main advantages of them (speed/performance) and benchmark some eMMCs to show performance differences. By the end of this article this should give you an idea if this is a type of device you’d want to work with / use.

Let’s begin!

eMMC to SD Card Adapters Explained Read More »

Different Shapes / Sizes / Features of Compute Module 4 Boards

Published: July 29, 2022 / Last Modified: November 11, 2022 / Leave a Comment / Benchmarking, Hardware, Raspberry Pi

One of my favorite things about the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 is that you basically get to choose your own IO board that the Compute Module 4 plugs into.

For illustration purposes imagine that the IO board is the “motherboard” and the Compute Module 4 is the CPU that you plug into the CPU socket. That’s essentially the relationship between the two!

They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them even have PCIe and I’ve covered before how to take advantage of true NVMe on the CM4. Today I wanted to show you some of the different IO boards for the Compute Module 4 I have and what features / traits led me to want to try them. Let’s get started!

Different Shapes / Sizes / Features of Compute Module 4 Boards Read More »

Getting Started Guide – Raspberry Pi Pico

Published: July 27, 2022 / Last Modified: March 15, 2023 / 2 Comments / Hardware, Raspberry Pi

This guide is meant to help get an environment configured to work with the Raspberry Pi Pico. It’s intended for Linux as even if you don’t use Linux as your main OS you presumably have a Pi that does run Linux and the Pi is a perfectly fine development environment for the Pico!

If you aren’t familiar with the Pico make sure you check out my Raspberry Pi Pico W Explained article as this guide is intended for people who already have the board.

Getting Started Guide – Raspberry Pi Pico Read More »