Technology @lemmy.world sundray @lemmus.org 2mo ago

The olimex company just announced the: RVPC - a kit PC with a RISC-V CPU, and they say it'll cost US$1

olimex.wordpress.com RVPC the open source hardware USD 1 Retro Style RiscV computer with VGA and PS2 keyboard and buzzer now play small games :)

The idea of 1 USD RISCV retro style computer with Display and Keyboard came on TuxCon 2024. The challenge was to create the lowest cost working computer with VGA display, PS2 keyboard and Audio Buz…

It will support PS/2 keyboards and VGA. Intended to be a learning platform for RISC-V coding, it's only got 2k of RAM. (I tried finding a 3rd party source for this announcement but I struck out, so I'm linking the actual olimex webpage. Not affiliated with them, just thought this looked neat.)

24 comments

I'll believe it, when I ordered one for $1.
- Yeah it's a "PC"
I don't think defining a microcontroller kit as a PC is an accurate description.
- Some ARM CPUs that are advertised as microcontrollers have 32 bit address spaces and roughly the same power as an i486.
  
  Yeah nah still in micro controller space. When you say PC it comes w with up to date expectations attached and VGA is not one of them. Or 2k RAM.
  
  A CPU on its own cannot be a microcontroller alone via its definition; as a microcontroller contains a CPU and other needed components to drive it.
  
  No microcontroller is going to beat a computer with a modern microprocessor on complex computing though. But it's good to know tech is still improving on all sides.
While I understand some of the hate in the thread, I appreciate someone creating something for us old timers. Working within the constraints of a system and making things work was a real satisfying experience.
Even at this price point isn't it more economic and sustainable to emulate a RISC-V device with already owned hardware. Especially since it's so low powered.
- And an emulator doesn't require you to find a PS/2 keyboard.
  
  You mean the agony of deciding which one to dig out of my bin of PS/2 keyboards?
2K of RAM? Time to port over some Atari 2600 games!
Sounds groundbreaking for 1997.
So basically something like this only a whole lot LESS capable? Although if you specifically want to do RiscV coding then it does limit your options.
- The esp32 doesn't have VGA.
  I seriously doubt you can get these special Esp32 that have VGA and USB for $1 USD, I can't find pricing on any of them.
  Cool concept though.
  
  The board costs about $10, I have one on hand. Besides VGA and PS/2 ports, it also has an audio-out jack and a slot for SD cards. And if you want to compare specs, the ESP32 blows this away. Sure $1 sounds impressive, until you realize just how little you can do with it.
  
  [Edit] Looks like the price has come down under $10 for this board now, here's a link to get them from China.
The OLPC reborn. You can probably by one for a child in a developing nation for $1 while purchasing one for $300 for yourself.

24 comments