Orange PI!

So I have a few raspis hanging about-1 for the arcade center I built, another for an octopi 3d print controller, and 1 final one for testing purposes-writing code in python and testing pi modules.

In any case, I shop frequently at aliexpress.com, dx.com, ebay and other sites for cheap Chinese electronics. My opinion is that if I can find it cheaper here, there’s no reason to buy it on amazon unless I need it tomorrow. Also, usually they’re so much cheaper that I only try buying stuff on sparkfun and adafruit when they’re custom chips or something I can’t find elsewhere.

Anyway, so I found the orangepi on aliexpress and decided to give it a shot. At 15 bucks, why not? It’s much cheaper than the pis-aside from the zero which wasn’t out when I ordered the oranges, and well, again it’s cheap.

The setup is somewhat difficult though, and using the image that you find on the forums can be a pain in the butt. For the option of using android, or linux, and many different varieties of linux, it’s still somewhat unique. After a few miscues with the install image, it’s running a solid version of Ubuntu, and it is pretty fast. The graphics driver needed updating at first-a few things here and there but otherwise a solid little machine. I haven’t fully put it through it’s paces, but I have a project that I expect to spend a good deal with it. And if that project works well, I expect to try using one with the camera. And again, if not, I have a small solid little machine I can work on anyway.

I like the microsd push mount-that always makes me feel like the card is secure-sometimes that fails with the normal raspberries, and the ports are interesting on the machine. I don’t like the cable-it’s simple enough to make one, but you have to have a separate power cable/supply for the machine, and it seems a little extra. I guess I’m used to the micro-usb that you typically use with the rpis. Just remember if you buy one, to get the power supply that comes with it, or have an adaptor hanging around. It’ll run off of a 5 volt supply, just make sure you have enough amperage. When I first bought mine, I had a hard time telling if my cable wasn’t working or the board itself. Once I switched to a better cable, it worked like a charm.

I 3d printed a small case with a fan mount for it, I should be getting in the fan sometime soon and I’ll post another pic once that comes in. For now, it’s just hanging out waiting to be put to the test. When I get a free moment, I’ll also try the android flavor and see what it can do.

Baseline verdict: More setup/tech knowledge required, but another option to the cheap tiny computer debate. Also has plenty of ports for expansions and ideas as well.

Once you get the image on it properly, it’s a nice and cheaper alternative to the raspberry pi. Not a whole lot of support, so be prepared to dive in yourself, but it has other options that work best for a small machine.