Small computers are BIG!
A network of small computers can be more effective than one large master computer. Look at it like multiprocessing. Automotive computer systems are a good analogy. The engine management is a dedicated task, so you need one computer to focus on that task. But there are other functions that need to be managed like the body control module, or the anti-lock brake module, or the suspension control module, or the window control module, etc. Many small computers can be more effective at managing a system than a single Master Control Module.
We all have many computers now. So lets diversify a little more. This is a Raspberry Pi computer. I had a couple of these boards laying around, and I thought maybe I can do something with them over the Xmas Holiday. This is also kind of a Scrapper project, so, for the most part, I am going to use materials that I already have without buying new stuff. Now, having said that, I did start by buying new stuff. I had the Raspberry Pi board, and SD Card, but didn't have a power supply, display, mouse or keyboard.
My aim was a "small" computer, and I kinda took that literally. I got a 3.5 inch HDMI Touchscreen, and a tiny keyboard with a mouse pad. Well that was neat, but I can't see the incredibly small characters on the screen. I was using my readers, and a magnifying glass to see what was on the display. So, when I needed to I would hook the Raspberry Pi up to the 32 inch TV, and then I could see it, LOL! The mouse pad on the tiny keyboard was hard to use as well, so I wound up using an old USB Mouse. I wanted a bigger display, but didn't want to buy a display, So I wound up using an old 720p TV that we bought about 10 years ago. The resolution is 1280 by 720, not bad for a "Toy" Computer, LOL!
It is an Element Brand TV, and I was never impressed with it as a TV, but for my Xmas Pi it works good. The sound system has no Bass, and I need to fix that for sure. Every TV produced now has a mounting point for a wall mount bracket. I have used this mounting point to hold the Raspberry Pi. I fabricated an Aluminum Plate that fits the screw holes in the TV, and also the screw holes in the Raspberry Pi to be an adapter. Then it was a matter of finding some screws, and a really short HDMI Cable.
Now that is a lightweight computer. It is impressively powerful too. It has wired ethernet, and WiFi, plus Bluetooth. At the moment it is playing Black Sabbath, albeit with insufficient Bass... Big Puppy Sigh... I kinda wish I had a 1080p Touchscreen, but there is always room for expansion in the future. The wall mount plate is a VISA Standard, so in the future, when I find a better monitor my little Xmas Pi will bolt right on there... Yee Haw!
