4 ms·

I read a comment recommending used thin clients on HN like a week ago and did the same thing. I set up one as an octoprint server, one for the hardware lab, and

by SxC97 4y ago

I read a comment recommending used thin clients on HN like a week ago and did the same thing. I set up one as an octoprint server, one for the hardware lab, and one for a retro gaming station. At ~$30 a piece, it was a no brainer. I reused the rPis into a k3s cluster for experimentation so they aren't going to waste. At this point, I think I'm going to rely on esp32 + thin clients for most of my projects. The only uses for rPis that I can still think of is a PiKVM, rPi Weather Station, and maybe a cyberdeck (mostly for the low power usage).

aliqot 4y ago
That sounds great, I don't know why I didn't think of that. Any models that you would recommend? Also, are there any independent retailers that gather and resell these that you'd suggest looking at?
- SxC97 4y ago
  I did a bunch of research on thin clients before buying one and I found a site[0] that compiles data on a bunch of different machines. I ended up going with a Wyse 5060, it's a quad-core machine at 2.4ghz + 4gb of ram. It was pretty widely available for ~$35 on ebay so I figured even if it didn't work out, I wouldn't be out too much money. As far as other retailers go, every discussion I found online basically told me to look at the usual places. eBay, FB marketplace, maybe craigslist. Unfortunately I didn't find any independent retailers. Also, depending on your use case, you might want to look into AIO thin clients. You can pick up a full machine with a screen for under $50. Unfortunately, the specs on those machines were a little underpowered for what I needed, but it might be a better fit for other projects. [0]: https://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/hware/hardware.shtml https://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/hware/hardware.shtml
  - aliqot 4y ago
    Thanks, these should be fun to dig in to. Most of the applications I look for involved 'detuning' the machine until I can run it fanlessly. I use these for servers for various things, small test hosts, etc.
  - justinclift 4y ago
    Interestingly, those Wyse 5060 (at least the Dell ones) have 2x SO-DIMM slots so the ram can be upgraded (to 16GB): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvg7hOXpHFU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvg7hOXpHFU

by SxC97 4y ago

aliqot 4y ago

That sounds great, I don't know why I didn't think of that. Any models that you would recommend? Also, are there any independent retailers that gather and resell these that you'd suggest looking at?

SxC97 4y ago
I did a bunch of research on thin clients before buying one and I found a site[0] that compiles data on a bunch of different machines. I ended up going with a Wyse 5060, it's a quad-core machine at 2.4ghz + 4gb of ram. It was pretty widely available for ~$35 on ebay so I figured even if it didn't work out, I wouldn't be out too much money. As far as other retailers go, every discussion I found online basically told me to look at the usual places. eBay, FB marketplace, maybe craigslist. Unfortunately I didn't find any independent retailers. Also, depending on your use case, you might want to look into AIO thin clients. You can pick up a full machine with a screen for under $50. Unfortunately, the specs on those machines were a little underpowered for what I needed, but it might be a better fit for other projects. [0]: https://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/hware/hardware.shtml https://www.parkytowers.me.uk/thin/hware/hardware.shtml
- aliqot 4y ago
  Thanks, these should be fun to dig in to. Most of the applications I look for involved 'detuning' the machine until I can run it fanlessly. I use these for servers for various things, small test hosts, etc.
- justinclift 4y ago
  Interestingly, those Wyse 5060 (at least the Dell ones) have 2x SO-DIMM slots so the ram can be upgraded (to 16GB): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvg7hOXpHFU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvg7hOXpHFU