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Repurposing Old Cellphones as Single-Board Computers (SBCs)
Refurbished Phones to Linux Powered Single-Board Computers? Here's the Lowdown
Let's talk about a darn cool idea - turning old mobile phones into single-board computers for embedded Linux applications! Yeah, you heard that right. A Belgian company, Citronics, is taking discarded handsets and giving them a new life as pocket-sized supercomputers suitable for hacking projects (finally, less waste!).
A tip sent our way highlighted the Citronics dev kit, which features connectivity options like USB 2.0, Ethernet 10/100M, and a Raspberry Pi Header for UART, SPI, I2C, and GPIO (you know we love that hardware flexibility!). Sadly, it comes at the cost of the phone's display and touch interface. Despite that, they've managed to retain the RF capabilities, so you're not totally losing out.
Don't worry, open-source solutions like PostmarketOS can help broaden the range of phones you can hack on, making it easier to find and use your discarded devices. Already sick of broken screens and unsupported parts? Yeah, us too. This project simplifies that by stripping away the elements most prone to breaking and least supported by custom Linux distributions.
On the downside, specifics on the break-out boards used for the development kits are sparse. Still, we're digging the concept, especially since there's an abundance of cheap, used, or broken handsets out there just waiting to be repurposed! Wondering when we might see an open-source implementation of something like this? Here's hoping it's sooner rather than later!
For the Curious Minds
Transforming old phones into single-board computers involves a series of steps:
- Hardware Selection: Identifying suitable phones with processors, memory, and interfaces compatible with the chosen embedded Linux distribution.
- Software Development:
- Linux Porting: Customizing the Linux kernel for the specific mobile hardware.
- Open-Source Tools: Utilizing open-source projects and communities for development (Linux Foundation, OpenWRT, Building, etc.) to ease the process.
- Hardware Modifications: Modifying the phone's hardware to expose interfaces like GPIO, USB, and Ethernet needed for single-board computer functionality.
Challenges in the process include hardware compatibility, power management, and physical modifications (tinkering skills required!). A rough timeline for this project might span research, preparation, software development, and testing stages - with each phase lasting multiple weeks. This timeline depends on factors like the team's expertise, resources, and the specific hardware chosen.
- The concept of reusing old smartphones for single-board computers, such as the one offered by Citronics, aligns well with open-source solutions like PostmarketOS, broadening the range of compatible devices.
- The Citronics dev kit, famous for its hardware flexibility, includes USB 2.0, Ethernet 10/100M, and a Raspberry Pi Header for UART, SPI, I2C, and GPIO, but sacrifices the phone's display and touch interface.
- A DIY project like transforming old phones into single-board computers involves hardware selection, software development, Linux porting, open-source tools usage, and hardware modifications.
- The repurposing of used or broken smartphones into single-board computers for hacking projects can be an exciting addition to the home-and-garden lifestyle, filled with gadgets and technology, including Linux-powered Raspberry Pi devices.
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