Move over Raspberry Pi, here is a $20, coin-sized, open-source Linux computer

Looking for a small, cheap Linux-powered computer to put at the heart of your project? Is "coin-sized" small enough? Is $20 cheap enough?

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor April 5, 2016 at 7:15 a.m. PT

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Looking for a small, cheap Linux-powered computer to put at the heart of your project? Take a look at the VoCore. This is a small, low-cost, totally open-source (both the hardware and software) computer that's ideal for projects such as IoT or building your own custom router.

Don't think that for $20 you're getting a poor-quality bit of kit. You're not. The VoCore features a 360MHz MIPS CPU, 32MB of RAM, 8MB of flash memory, and comes ready equipped with header pins for sound, USB 2.0, Ethernet, and even Wi-Fi.

The OS is OpenWrt (Linux 3.10.44), and the system will boot up in about 30 seconds.

You can power the system from any power supply in the range of 3.2V to 6.0V, and there's an optional extra dock that allows you to clip the tiny computer to another board that offers a headphone jack, USB 2.0 port, RJ45 and micro SD card slot. Perfect for those who don't want to have to mess around hooking up connectors.

VoCore is $20, and a VoCore unit with dock is $45. If you want a camera, there's a 1080p unit complete with a built-in microphone available that will connect directly to the VoCore with no drivers required for an additional $40.

These are all available from the VoCore store.

Don't want to pay the $20 for the VoCore? Then build your own for free (well, except for the parts) from the schematics that are available.

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