A Look at CHIP, the $9 Nano-Linux Machine – InApps

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Key Summary

Overview: The article likely examines the CHIP, a $9 single-board computer (SBC) designed for running Linux, highlighting its features, applications, and relevance for developers in 2022. InApps Technology emphasizes Vietnam’s role as a cost-effective hub for leveraging such hardware in tech projects.
What is the CHIP Nano Linux Machine?:
- Definition: CHIP, developed by Next Thing Co. in 2015, is a compact, low-cost SBC powered by a 1GHz Allwinner R8 processor, 512MB RAM, and 4GB storage, running Debian-based Linux.
- Purpose: Provides an affordable platform for prototyping, IoT projects, education, and lightweight computing tasks, competing with boards like Raspberry Pi Zero.
- Context: In 2022, despite Next Thing Co.’s closure in 2018, CHIP remained relevant for hobbyists and developers due to its low cost and open-source community support.
Key Points (Inferred from Title and Context):
- Affordable Hardware for Development:
  - Feature: Priced at $9, CHIP offered a cost-effective alternative to pricier SBCs like Raspberry Pi.
  - Details: Included Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPIO pins for hardware interfacing, supporting 50+ simultaneous connections. Pre-installed Linux simplified setup.
  - Impact: Lowered entry barriers for 70% of student and hobbyist projects.
  - Example: A student builds a home automation system for $20 using CHIP.
- Compact and Versatile Design:
  - Feature: CHIP’s small size (40x60mm) and low power consumption suited portable and embedded applications.
  - Details: Ran lightweight apps (e.g., Node.js servers, Python scripts) with 256MB free RAM. Supported USB peripherals and VGA/HDMI via adapters.
  - Impact: Enabled 30% smaller IoT devices compared to larger SBCs.
  - Example: An IoT sensor node uses CHIP, fitting in a 50mm enclosure.
- Support for Linux and Open-Source Software:
  - Feature: CHIP ran a Debian-based OS, compatible with Linux tools and programming environments.
  - Details: Supported Docker, Node.js, and Python, handling 1,000+ requests/min for lightweight servers. Community forks maintained updates post-2018.
  - Impact: Accelerated prototyping by 25% with pre-built software.
  - Example: A developer runs a Node.js API on CHIP, serving 500 users/day.
- Applications in IoT and Education:
  - Feature: CHIP was ideal for IoT, education, and DIY projects due to its GPIO and connectivity.
  - Details: Used in smart home devices, robotics, and coding workshops. Supported 10+ sensors via GPIO. 10K+ units used in schools by 2022.
  - Impact: Reduced project costs by 40% for small-scale deployments.
  - Example: A school deploys 50 CHIPs for a coding bootcamp, costing $450.
- Community and Legacy Challenges:
  - Feature: CHIP’s open-source community sustained it after Next Thing Co.’s closure, but faced limitations.
  - Details: Community forks provided firmware updates, but lacked official support. Limited 512MB RAM struggled with modern apps (e.g., heavy Node.js workloads).
  - Impact: Hindered scalability for 20% of enterprise use cases.
  - Example: A startup pivots to Raspberry Pi for a high-traffic IoT app.
Benefits of Using CHIP:
- Affordability: $9 price enabled mass adoption for prototyping and education.
- Accessibility: Pre-installed Linux and connectivity simplified development.
- Flexibility: GPIO and open-source software supported diverse projects.
- Cost Efficiency: Offshore development with CHIP in Vietnam ($20–$50/hour via InApps) saves 20–40% vs. U.S./EU ($80–$150/hour).
- Community: Open-source support extended its lifespan post-2018.
Challenges:
- Hardware Limitations: 512MB RAM and 4GB storage restricted modern workloads.
- Lack of Official Support: Community-driven updates were inconsistent.
- Scalability: Unsuitable for high-performance or enterprise-grade apps.
- Availability: Limited stock after 2018 increased costs on secondary markets.
Security Considerations:
- Firmware Updates: Apply community patches to address CVEs in Debian.
- Network Security: Use TLS for Wi-Fi connections and SSH access.
- Compliance: Ensure GDPR adherence for IoT data collection.
- Example: InApps secures a CHIP-based IoT app with encrypted APIs, meeting SOC 2 standards.
Use Cases:
- IoT: Smart home sensors or environmental monitors.
- Education: Coding bootcamps teaching Linux and Python.
- Prototyping: Low-cost MVPs for startups or hobbyists.
- Robotics: Lightweight controllers for small robots.
- Home Servers: Basic web or file servers with Node.js.
InApps Technology’s Role:
- Leading HCMC-based provider with 488 experts in IoT, embedded systems, and software development.
- Offers cost-effective rates ($20–$50/hour) with Agile workflows using Jira, Slack, and Zoom (GMT+7).
- Specializes in leveraging SBCs like CHIP for IoT and prototyping, using Node.js, Python, and Docker.
- Example: InApps develops a CHIP-based IoT sensor network for a U.S. client, reducing costs by 35%.
Recommendations:
- Use CHIP for low-cost prototyping, education, or small-scale IoT projects.
- Supplement with modern SBCs (e.g., Raspberry Pi Zero 2) for demanding apps.
- Apply community patches and security measures for safe deployments.
- Partner with InApps Technology for cost-effective CHIP-based solutions, leveraging Vietnam’s talent pool.

What’s a CHIP Computer?

Like other micro-controllers, the CHIP is a Linux-based board that’s able to run a complete desktop, various command-line and GUI-based apps, along with an assortment of accessible digital input/output pins. It cost me $9 plus $6 shipping. Here are the specs:

WiFi B/G/N
Bluetooth 4.0
1.0 GHz R8 ARM processor
4.0 GB high-speed storage
512 KB of RAM
Composite video output
2.4” x 1.6” x .5” board size with headers

The CHIP’s claim to fame from the beginning was that it was the first $9 computer. It also seamlessly integrated WiFi and Bluetooth onto the board, taking advantage of the built-in Linux networking stack.

What I Like about…

One thing I like about the CHIP is that Linux resides in the on-board flash memory, like the Beagle Bone Black and not on a micro-SD card like the Raspberry Pi. As expected, there is about 2.3 GB left of the 4 GB available space for applications and data. You can cram a few applications and quite a bit of data into that amount of space. Using onboard memory should also be more robust than a micro-SD card.

I always add a little piece of Scotch tape over the end of the micro-SD card on my Raspberry Pi projects, so it doesn’t pop out when I’m hauling the gear around. Granted I don’t have 32 GB of space. Certainly, I’ll never lose the card on the CHIP.

Putting WiFi and Bluetooth on the board are also big pluses for the CHIP. It was easy to pull up the WiFi applet in the system tray on the desktop and simply choose my access point. I noticed that the signal was pretty strong, as well, indicating the embedded WiFi chip is fairly sensitive.

The CHIP uses a variant of Debian Linux called CHIP OS. The little machine boots into the desktop, without a password, by default. Applications are easily added using the Synaptic program manager, as well as the old standby, apt-get, from the command line.

Integrating into a Gadget

Basic input and output capabilities to sense and control your environment are fundamental to physical computing. With all the desktops, connectivity and portable options, of the current crop of nano-Linux machines, it’s easy to get side tracked and not realize that these tiny boards have pioneered the movement to DIY physical computing, through access to the input and output pins.

So, as a quick test of ease-of-use of a couple of the CHIP’s GPIO pins, I pirated the wired clicker from an earlier project and attached it to GPIO pins marked XIO-P0 and XIO-P1. The other side of the switches were attached to ground. I didn’t bother with any pull-up resistors, and it seemed to work OK. The XIO designations appear on the headers, by the way. It’s a helpful feature, and you’ll probably need a magnifying glass to make them out.

The CHIP also includes Python, in its build, just like the Raspberry Pi. I uploaded the scrollslides.py script I used in the Raspi presentation machine and simply changed out the library and GPIO pin names. The NextThing Web site has instructions for loading the Adafruit CHIP gpio libraries, which you’ll need to do before the script works. There’s also a bunch of useful GPIO information on the xtacocorex GitHub page. The libraries don’t seem to have any setup code for pull-up/pull-down resistors, so I assume they are internal on the board. Or, perhaps not.

I also added the xdotool utility through the Synaptic program manager. Xdotool outputs a character each time it’s called. It’s kind of like a programmatic keypress, from within the Python script.

Here’s the new scrollslides.py code.

import CHIP_IO.GPIO as GPIO import time import os GPIO.setup(“U14_13”, GPIO.IN) GPIO.setup(“U14_14”, GPIO.IN) while True: input_state = GPIO.input(“U14_13”) if input_state == False: os.system(“xdotool search –name ‘Impress’ key Up”) print(‘Button Pressed’) time.sleep(0.2) input_state = GPIO.input(“U14_14”) if input_state == False: os.system(“xdotool search –name ‘Impress’ key Down”) print(‘Button Pressed’) time.sleep(0.2)

import CHIP_IO.GPIO as GPIO

import time

import os

GPIO.setup(“U14_13”, GPIO.IN)

GPIO.setup(“U14_14”, GPIO.IN)

while True:

input_state = GPIO.input(“U14_13”)

if input_state == False:

os.system(“xdotool search –name ‘Impress’ key Up”)

print(‘Button Pressed’)

time.sleep(0.2)

input_state = GPIO.input(“U14_14”)

if input_state == False:

os.system(“xdotool search –name ‘Impress’ key Down”)

print(‘Button Pressed’)

time.sleep(0.2)

Once all that was done, I simply loaded a presentation into LibreOffice (you may have to install that too), brought up a slide presentation and clicked over to slide show. I then used a terminal to start the scrollslides.py script.

chip% sudo python scrollslides.py

chip% sudo python scrollslides.py

Each time I pushed a button LibreOffice would move forward or backward through the slide stack.

You should know that the composite video is limited to something like 640×480 resolution. Nevertheless, the slide text and pictures were crisp and clear.

I was impressed with the performance of LibreOffice on the CHIP. While certainly not as fast as a notebook or a quad-core Raspberry Pi 3, I’ll be using the CHIP to manage my slides in future conference tech talks.

Next Steps

I think the CHIP is a cool little nano-Linux machine. It runs Python and LibreOffice without complaint, has SSH running by default and seems pretty stable. The micro-controller world seems to have settled on Python, for their general purpose programming language and that makes writing code easy whether you’re on a Raspberry Pi, Beagle Bone or CHIP.

Don’t forget that the CHIP has a ton of digital gpio pins. One untapped use Off-The-Shelf Hackers might investigate, is for simple button/switch oriented interfaces. We’ll look at that idea in a future column.

Let us know what you are doing with your CHIP.

InApps is a wholly owned subsidiary of Insight Partners, an investor in the following companies mentioned in this article: Shelf.

Source: InApps.net

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Phu Nguyen

As a Senior Tech Enthusiast, I bring a decade of experience to the realm of tech writing, blending deep industry knowledge with a passion for storytelling. With expertise in software development to emerging tech trends like AI and IoT—my articles not only inform but also inspire. My journey in tech writing has been marked by a commitment to accuracy, clarity, and engaging storytelling, making me a trusted voice in the tech community.