C.H.I.P. Form Factor Is Back via PopCorn Computer

By on June 11, 2019
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C.H.I.P was a $9 Linux computer launched in 2015 by Next Things Co., and followed by the $16 C.H.I.P Pro in 2016. Sadly the company eventually encountered financial troubles and had to fold last year. But the design was open source hardware so a new company called Source Parts has developed a new set of devices and launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Popcorn Computers that pick up where C.H.I.P. left off.

None of them are anywhere near as cheap as the original though.

  • The Original Popcorn is nearly identical to the C.H.I.P. and uses the same Allwinner R8 Arm Cortex-A8 processor and 512MB of RAM. But it has 32GB of eMMC storage rather than 4GB of NAND flash storage. It should be compatible with most software designed for the C.H.I.P. and should work with hardware add-ons as well. Original Popcorn also has a companion board called Stovetop that adds HDMI, 10/100 Ethernet, and a USB-C port for power, among other things.
  • Super Popcorn has a similar design but features an Amlogic S905D Arm Cortex-A53 quad-core processor with Mali-450 MP3 graphics, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of eMMC flash storage and an HDMI 2.0b port with support for 4K60 output and a USB Type-C port.
  • Super 8 Popcorn includes an Amlogic S912 octa-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor and Mali-T820 MP3 graphics. Other features are similar to the Super Popcorn.

If you want one of these products, the Kickstarter campaign will be running until June 27th. Backers can get the Original Popcorn for $49, the Super Popcorn for $69, the Super 8 Popcorn for $89, and the Stovetop for $39.

About Luca Ruggeri

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