
Turning a Raspberry Pi into a tiny Linux notebook - followmylee
http://liliputing.com/2012/12/turning-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-tiny-linux-notebook.html
======
robomartin
I've been looking for an alternative to Raspberry Pi for a project. Perhaps
someone on HN can suggest a solution. Here's what I need:

\- Run minimal embedded Linux (LAMP) \- No graphics/GUI required \- Ethernet
connector \- Power connector for wall-mounted adapter (P5 or something like
that) \- Serial port header for debugging \- Second serial port for other I/O
\- Maybe a couple of LED's or an 8 bit port available for status LEDs \- SD
card for OS (just like R-Pi) \- No other peripherals or I/O needed \- Low cost
(ideally $25 or less)

Barring a pre-existing board, any suggestions for a low-cost processor to
design a board around that could run a bare-bones LAMP setup? A lot of what I
see out there (like the i.MX233) have built-in peripherals such as LCD and
touch-screen controllers that would be overkill for this project.

~~~
noonespecial
TP-Link TL-WR703N running OpenWRT.

Cost is about $22. Ethernet, Wifi, USB already working well with OpenWRT. Nice
package manager. Real Linux at micro-controller price and power consumption.

You _can_ lift some GPIO beyond the single light and button that comes on the
board if you're clever with a soldering iron, but a generic Arduino Mini can
make it sing for about $10 extra.

~~~
maratd
Currently using a TL-WR703N to build my own nest thermostat. Very cool device.

~~~
noonespecial
Yes, I'm very glad I found it. With the exception of graphics, it seems to
deliver on all of the "maker promise" that originally excited me about the
raspi, for a lot less, and with no issues actually getting hold of them.

~~~
robomartin
Where are you getting these boards for $22? It looks like they are not
manufacturing the device any more. They list a '702 but not a '703:

[http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=&...](http://www.tp-
link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=&model=TL-WR702N)

[http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-
WR703N-Portable-802-11n-Wir...](http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-
WR703N-Portable-802-11n-Wireless/dp/B0083Z54P0)

[http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-802-11n-802-11g-Wireless-TL-
WR...](http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-802-11n-802-11g-Wireless-TL-
WR702N/dp/B007PTCFFW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1356223829&sr=1-1&keywords=TL-
WR702)

~~~
noonespecial
[http://dx.com/p/tp-link-tl-
wr703n-mini-3g-2-4ghz-802-11b-g-n...](http://dx.com/p/tp-link-tl-
wr703n-mini-3g-2-4ghz-802-11b-g-n-150mbps-wireless-router-blue-158552)

I usually get them 10 at a time. Looks like the price went up to $26 :(

You can always try your luck on ebay. Looks like lots of vendors are shipping
new ones from HK.

The '02 is just the '03 without a USB port and less flash. It can't fit
OpenWRT.

Edit: Ahh. Looks like they superseded it with the TL-MR3020. The bad news is,
it costs $33. The good news is that it has a software readable 3 position
switch on the side that does seem supported under OpenWRT.

[http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Portable-802-11n-Wireless-
TL-M...](http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Portable-802-11n-Wireless-TL-
MR3020/dp/B006DEBXD0)

<http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-mr3020>

------
mbustamante
original source : [http://blog.parts-people.com/2012/12/20/mobile-raspberry-
pi-...](http://blog.parts-people.com/2012/12/20/mobile-raspberry-pi-computer-
build-your-own-portable-rpi-to-go/)

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MatthewPhillips
There's also a touch screen panel (LG produced) available[1]. We're not that
far off from DIY RPi tablets, which is pretty exciting.

[1][http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=1...](http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=19394http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=19394)

~~~
eertami
Thank you so much for the link, hope they get some more stock soon!

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tluyben2
Shelved my project for doing that because I couldn't fill all the gaps. This
rocks!

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zokier
Not exactly tiny imho. Looks like about 2 inches thick, not something you'd
want to put into your pocket.

~~~
makomk
Also way more expensive than just buying a netbook, or a low-end Android
phone.

