Raspberry PI

[bbond007]

So you could say, the Raspberry Pi has 256meg Chip Ram!!! How awesome is that

Did you guys ever figure anything to do with these things? I just ordered a 512meg Chip RAM version...

So far I really just want to try RiscOS...

[bbond007]

Mine got kind of shuffled aside as I got my PDP-11 pretty much right afterward...been meaning to get back to it. I still need to try Raspbian and see if that's better performing than the unoptimized Linux builds, and I have wanted to give RiscOS a shot, too...

I can't have something like a PDP-11, it takes too much power and probably produces a bunch of heat than my AC would then have to cool... PI is more my budget.

[bbond007]

I don't know for sure; I've asked some of the minicomputer fanatics over on the Vintage Computer Forums about power draw before, and they weren't sure of anything conclusive. Later models at least are probably better (and the PDP-11 was always a mid-range sort of machine anyway, compared to the PDP-10 - which had power supplies so inefficient that CompuServe, which used a bunch of them, had to design a replacement!)

I don't suppose you would leave the PDP running 24/7, then then again, that's probably what its designed for...

there is a device you can get that will tell you the current draw from the AC outlet. I don't know what its called, but I have been wanting to get one because I'm curious to see how all these "wall warts" add up...

I remember when I was a teenager and the school was trying to get rid of some sort of big mainframe thing with tape drives... I tried to convince my dad to bring it home with his truck as it would not fit in my mustang-II. He said no way, so I must not have  convincing enough. I guess that was my one shot of having a mainframe.

[bbond007]

I've just ordered a 512Mb version, I want to use my old 256mb one as a file server.

I just got my 512mb version today...

I have updated the Raspbian, overclocked  to 800mhz and split the memory 128/374...

So far I'm not very impressed with this device at all...

Very slow and unresponsive overall.

It misses mouse clicks and when your are dragging or resizing windows it seems to think you released the mouse button when you did not.

like using an Amiga mouse with a worn out button...

Hopefully RiscOS is more interesting...

Also, why could they not mount the USB and Ethernet flush with each other?

I guess you get what you pay for :/

update:
adding usphid.mousepoll=8 to the command.txt fixes the mouse

I also have a problem with the keyboard where keys don't respond or stick and repeat and the fix for that seems to turn my USB hub off and back on then the KB seems ok. Not found a better fix for that. I have to do that every time I boot it seems...

I think the Raspberry PI was designed to make 8-bit computers look good

[bbond007]

Crazy - my first gen with 256MB and no OC or RAM fiddling seems to work just fine.

It was sloness issues before I OC or started fiddling with the RAM. The image by default only saw 256 megs of ram.

It is more responsive now with the mouse fix. The CPU was maxing out with any movement of the mouse.

The USB support just seems really poor. I have now tried it with 3 different KB with different results.

Cosair - keys misfire or stick and repeat. Totally unusable.

Logitech- same as Cosair but if you turn of and on the usb hub, the KB starts working fine most of the time.

Belkin - works perfectly. I just don't like the feel of the KB, its really cheapo.

Also, I find it really sad that none of the browsers from the image are capable enough to order the video codecs from http://www.raspberrypi.com.

[bbond007]

Thinking about it, I suspect that bbond007 has a power supply issue... The Raspi model B needs at least 700mA to function and some keyboards/mice will try and pull much more that that.

I'm using a 1.2A (IIRC) supply, and have has no USB issues at all.

I'm using a PS with 2A and ther PI actually runs just as well without the PS - getting power from my 16 port USB HUB.

The problem seems to be with the Cosair and Logitech backlit keyboards. It works well with the cheapo keyboards I have tried like the Belkin and I just tried a Lenovo OEM.

Settign the clock back to 700mhz does not seem to make a difference.

this is the update guide I followed:

 

Here's the how-to I made from my troubles getting it to recognize the memory split for 512MB Pi boards

Create your new installation on SD
boot it
change the following in raspi-config
· Resize partition (as needed)
· change password (as needed)
· 128mb split (or whatever value you need)
· timezone set to your locale
Exit raspi-config (do not choose to reboot yet)
set your time
date -s "22/10/2012 08:00am"
Run raspi-config again
· update raspi-config (now that your date/time is set properly)
Exit raspi-config
sudo reboot (to Resize partition)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git (Since you can't run rpi-update without it)
sudo wget http://goo.gl/1BOfJ -O /usr/bin/rpi-update
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/rpi-update
sudo rpi-update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo sh -c 'cp /root/.rpi-firmware/* /boot'
sudo rm /boot/arm*_start.elf
cd /boot
sudo nano config.txt
Add "gpu_mem_512=XXX"
Add License Keys for MPEG & VC-1
Add overclocking settings (if desired)
Ctrl=O
Ctrl-X
sud

[bbond007]

@bbond007

Well, I would say backlit keyboards definitely pull too much current... But as you say, it's on a powered hub so that "should" be a non-issue.

Also, you should run the Pi at 1Ghz turbo mode really... And only drop it down if the device is unstable (an unstable pi, will just reset when the load is too large) at that over clock. Linux is not a lightweight OS by any standard, and prefers the faster clock speed!

Cool. I'll try it when I get home, I'm at the eye doctor now and I don't know if they would appreciate me plugging in the PI to the TV in the waiting room.... But if they take as long as usual...

I also tried playing a few video files, one was 1080 h264, one was Divx. Used VLC, mplayer, the supplied one(o..something) and it did not go well. I did end up buying those codecs, hopefully it helps. Not installed them yet. I was playing the video files from /home/pi...

[bbond007]

For video playback I use omxplayer (which is command line only at the moment), it plays back 1080p H.264 videos with virtually no CPU usage!!!

Yeah, that's the one that I could not rember the name of. Was not able to play the videos smoothly. I suppose you have the codecs?

I can try the codecs when I get home...

[bbond007]

For video playback I use omxplayer (which is command line only at the moment), it plays back 1080p H.264 videos with virtually no CPU usage!!!

I tried omxplayer again and it now plays videos really smoothly - even the 1080p video. I'm not so sure what I was doing wrong last night. Maybe I just needed to reboot. It would play really fast then stall over and over... strange.

Anyway, I put my codec keys in the config.txt and changed my OC settings and now this thing is running pretty well. I did not go for the full 1000mhz yet but that is next.  

I'm still using the Logitech backlit KB, usually resetting the hub after each reboot.

thanks.

[bbond007]

Wow! I received a shipping notice from Farnel, I guess the backlog is clearing

I ended up getting mine from MCM electronics.

this is the case i got with it.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/ADAFRUIT-INDUSTRIES-859-/83-14388