Marc
Today I finally got the last parts for my uConsole. I replaced the not-so-good WiFi antenna and the not-so-good trackball. I added an anti-glare screen protector and an expansion card with an Ethernet port. It uses a Raspberry Pi CM4 with 8 GB of RAM. The system feels faster than I expected. Maybe it can replace my laptop when traveling. The 5-inch screen is large enough to do small programming tasks, and compiling software works fast enough for me. #uConsole
Feb 21 at 10:34pmWeb
Show threadMarcFeb 21
If you live in Europe and want to buy a uConsole, I can recommend https://rpishop.cz. I received the package after just a few days for an OK price. ClockworkPi usually needs several months for shipping and buying from the scalpers at Aliexpress was out of the question. I bought the extension board from https://www.tindie.com/products/wtdstore/uether/ and received it super quick. (I'm not getting paid for this post. 😉)
RPishop.cz

Specializovaný eshop s Raspberry Pi a příslušenstvím za bezkonkurenční ceny.

RPishop.cz
Show threadMarcFeb 21
This is the trackball I used to replace the original one: https://aliexpress.com/item/32808565863.html
Cltgxdd AJ-042 Schwarz und weiß ball handy tracking ball FÜR Blackberry 8300/8800/8900/9000/9650 schalter taste - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

aliexpress.
Show threadLucasFeb 21
@m2c_n3e That thing looks a bit like it belongs in an airplane cockpit 😃
Show threadMarcFeb 21
@lu_leipzig True! But my wife calls it "Politessencomputer". 😂
Show threadPhil NortonFeb 21
@m2c_n3e Nice! I love my uConsole. I also have the hackergadgets nvme and wifi/LoRa/GPS all in one board.
It's also quite good for a bit of retro gaming since its more than powerful enough to run DOS games :)
Show threadMarcFeb 21
@philipnorton42 I may buy some of the Hackergadgets parts at some point in the future. Right now I am happy with the uConsole the way it is, but upgrading it for more CPU power and an SSD sounds tempting. I have not tried LoRa yet, but it sounds interesting. I have already installed DOSBox, but I have not used it yet. I have only played the C64 version of Giana Sisters in vice. I used a gamepad since I did not get the keyboard mapping right yet.
Show threadPhil NortonFeb 21
@m2c_n3e Yeah, I had the uConsole for about a year before I got the hackergadgets bits. The improved Wifi antenna is a must as well!
Show threadMarcFeb 21
@philipnorton42 I didn't even try the original one after reading about the poor performance before buying the uConsole. Luckily there is enough information available online to avoid many pitfalls.
Show threadscopsFeb 22
@m2c_n3e
do you set time/date manually after boot or does the expansion card has a rtc on it? :)
Show threadMarcFeb 22
@scops No RTC on the expansion card. I guess the OS gets time and date via NTP. I haven't thought about that yet.
Show threadscopsFeb 22
@m2c_n3e
yeah, it gets it via ntp normally. But on the road, you need to set it manually :( thats why i look for just a rtc expansion :)
Show threadMarcFeb 22
@scops So far I hace only used it with WiFi enabled. I guess I will also have to look into adding an RTC.
Show threadscopsFeb 22
@m2c_n3e
https://hackergadgets.com/products/uconsole-aio-v2 :)
【Pre-Order】uConsole AIO V2 (RTL-SDR/LoRa/GPS/RTC/USB Hub/USB 3.0/RJ45 Ethernet)

Show threadMarcFeb 24
@scops Very tempting, but I will probably use what I got for now. I also remembered that I have an old Nokia LD-3W GPS receiver with Bluetooth which I haven't used in ages. I just tried using it and the NMEA data I get from it is fairly easy to parse and contains date and time. I may use it just for the heck of it. It won't work inside, but on the other hand, I can always use my phone as a WiFi hotspot and get time and date via NTP.