Breaking The Bank While Trying Not To (Raspberry Pi Hardware)
The title might be a bit of a misnomer: Thirty-five dollars for a Pi is hardly breaking the bank, the problem is that it's so cheap that you tend to buy a bunch of extras...which is exactly what I did. Everything below has been purchased by me; either methodically, or on a whim (often arriving after I forgot about that late-night order). I'm hoping that I'll have more than I need to not only learn on my Pi and do some smaller electronics projects, but to make what is still a nebulous idea a reality.
Let's go down the current hardware list, shall we?
Let's go down the current hardware list, shall we?
- Raspberry Pi 3B+: My initial research into the Raspberry Pi was that it was a great media manager, and could play a bunch of retro games - awesome, let's get the beefiest version! Power supply not included.
- Miuzei Raspberry Pi 3B+ Case w/fan: I worried that playing more complex games would heat up the Pi. Still unsure as to what limits I'll be pushing my system, but I figured that it would only help performance. Its a lovely clear acrylic layered case, with a 30mm fan (plugging into pins 4 and 6), three aluminum heat sinks, and a 5V 3A power supply.
- SanDisk Extreme 32GB Micro SD Card: I use these for my drone work, and they are reliable and cheap.
Dressed to impress: My RPi 3B+ w/Miuzei case |
Wallet: "Surely that's enough, right?"
Me: "Almost there pal, almost there..."
- Rii Mini Wireless 2.4 GHz Keyboard w/Touchpad: I love the size and look of it, and it kept with my theme of keeping things compact, but I find myself preferring a full sized keyboard for the time being.
- Raspberry Pi For Dummies: I'm a dummy, and I was determined to do all of this from the ground up: This was the means. Great layout and easy to read in both print and Kindle versions. One for working through, and one for bathroom reading - I won't tell you which.
Wallet: "That hurt a little, but I'm glad that you're happy now."
Me: "Hey little buddy, did you see that you can make your own little LED power light? Wouldn't it be cool if I learned how to solder components together too? I could be like those guys on Halt and Catch Fire!"
- Elegoo EL-CK-002 Electronic Fun Kit: Lots of fun pieces that do a lot of unknown things. So far I'm limiting myself to the LED project
- EDGELEC 200pc -10 color 3mm LEDs: I liked these better than the ones included in the Elegoo kit
- WMore Soldering Iron Kit 14-in-1: Small, simple, and hopefully a great starting kit.
- Cheap Home Depot Wire Strippers: I already needed these; so technically they don't count, nor does that heat wrap and electrical tape. Right?
Wallet: "Looks like you've got all that you need, so you can start spending money on Miniatures again..."
Me: "I'm rubbish at soldering things together, AND I just found out that I can run Windows 3.1 from those old disks that I've been holding onto for years."
- Ram-Pro Helping Hands Magnifier Glass Stand w/Alligator Clips: Super cheap, but hopefully it'll help keep wires/components together as I attempt to solder them. I can also use them for painting wargaming miniatures (my other hobby).
- Esynic USB 3.5" External Floppy Drive: I'll let you know how this works once I locate those disks...
To be fair, these were bought in multiple phases and didn't break the bank at once - it was more like death by a thousand cuts! As this project progresses and grows, I'm sure that there will be further purchases once I hone in on where I see things going. I'm already looking at more portable displays so that I can take this to the dining room rather than locking myself away downstairs for an entire evening. I've just got to remember to pace myself...
I will be posting links to each of these items, and hopefully setting it up through Amazon Affiliates. I dont have the charm and eloquence to make a business out of this; but making a few pennies here and there if I've inspired someone would be a great way to support this habit hobby. With that being said, please don't hesitate to ask questions about any of the things that I've listed above, I'll be more than happy to give you my initial impressions.
Next time: Setup, and all of my various iterations of it...
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