Raspberry Pi Geek 19

Our cover says "Boards Galore!", and we're not kidding. Last issue, we reviewed the LeMaker HiKey and the Banana Pi M3. This issue we add the Odroid-C2, Pine A64+, LeMaker Guitar, BBC micro:bit, and C.H.I.P. Each of these small-board computers (SBCs) have strengths and weaknesses, so you have to understand the needs of your project to choose wisely.

NOOBS 1.9.2

Read all about the Pi as Droid, Raspberry Pi seismograph, your Pi on Docker, and PiCapture video hardware. 

The Odroid-C2 and the Pine A64+ are among recent newcomers to the single-board computer market. Benchmarks show how these two boards compare with the Raspberry Pis 2 and 3.

The LeMaker Guitar and Odroid-C2 are hobby computers that were created as competitors for the Raspberry Pi 2, but we discovered they can even challenge the Raspberry Pi 3.

The C.H.I.P. is a cute little thing, but don't let appearances fool you: It is quite the beast deep down, and you can squeeze some seriously fun projects out of it.

Display T. Box is a Raspberry Pi with a touch display in a compact case. The newest version of the Box comes with revisions that include a better touch screen and more speed.

The tiny micro:bit single-board computer from the BBC can be used both as an alternative and as a handy companion to the Raspberry Pi. Get started with this simple yet versatile machine.

The interface for Kodi 17 "Krypton" has undergone a complete overhaul. Significant changes now allow you to stream Amazon Video.

A good backup system is not only important, it is essential when a hard drive crashes, a virus infects the system, or you are victimized by ransomware. Luckily, the Raspberry Pi is ideally suited to run as a backup server in the background.