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I suggest you don't develop an interest in esp32, or like me you may add an equivalent pile of those devices to your gaggle of interesting but unused hardware.
by abraae 6y ago
I suggest you don't develop an interest in esp32, or like me you may add an equivalent pile of those devices to your gaggle of interesting but unused hardware.
At least it's much cheaper that pi!
- lostlogin 6y agoDon’t forget the need compare different esp32s or esp8266s.
- michrassena 6y agoI've really gone down that rabbit hole recently, and I get it, but I don't regret it. There's a whole world of electronics that I've been missing. As wonderful as Linux is, at the end of the day, once you have Linux running on a device, it becomes a bit generic. The Raspberry Pi is useful and fun, but they are sort of interchangeable with any other Linux computer. These gumstick-sized microcontrollers bring back some of the joy I had with computing in years past.
- afandian 6y agoNot sure if you were referencing gumstix there, but I remember fantasizing about getting one of the tiny SBCs over a decade ago but they were too expensive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumstix#/media/File:Gumstix_oconnor.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gumstix#/media/File:Gumstix_oc... A decade later we have ESP32 and RPi Zero. And it looks like gumstix have read the writing on the wall and now make RPi accessories. https://www.gumstix.com/ https://www.gumstix.com/
- michrassena 6y agoI don't think I was consciously referencing Gumstix, but that must be where I first heard the term. I remember being interested in those at the time, but like you I thought they were too much.
- abraae 6y agoLinux is indeed wonderful, but there's a lot to be said for dealing with things at a simple level when your goal is to e.g. measure voltages, turn LEDs and relays on and off etc. I still find it incredible that a fairly fast, dual core computer with a color display, wifi, bluetooth, USB, battery charging and all the memory you need costs $8! [0] [0] https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001235066814.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001235066814.html
- michrassena 6y agoThat's really an incredible price for a computer with a color display. I enjoy and use Linux, but I think it's so versatile and general purpose my inclination is to put it online, run Firefox, play videos or whatever, and then it's magically just another PC. It's kind of like the old saw about every program expanding until it can do email. I'm starting to see the small devices, like esp32 inherit some of the aura of the old home computers which ran BASIC from ROM.
- mhh__ 6y agoThe thing that I want in the future is things at the ESP32 price point that can actually do interesting work - i.e. 1GSPS ADC and an FPGA on a board for 20 bucks let's say. I suspect moore's law may have died too early for it, but I can dream...
- adolph 6y agoFrom ESP there’s downsizing to 555timer chips https://howtomechatronics.com/how-it-works/electronics/555-timer-ic-working-principle-block-diagram-circuit-schematics/ https://howtomechatronics.com/how-it-works/electronics/555-t...
- throwaway2048 6y agomicrocontrollers are cheaper than 555s these days