Beepberry
Hardware
portable e-paper chat device
SHOW HN2023
How HN took it
42 positive, 64 neutral or asking, 7 mixed, 25 critical, out of 138 comments about the project. Thread score +0.14.
Idea: 21 for, 4 againstDesign: 11 for, 5 againstPerformance: 0 for, 7 againstDocs: 2 for, 5 againstExecution: 0 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Physical keyboard and form factor appeal
From 3 comments
To borrow from Jerry Maguire: you had me at physical qwerty.
user3939382 on HNAwesome, you're my hero. I just ordered two of these. It looks to be using the same Q10 keyboard as a few of the other hacks (i.e. Fairberry[0], but with the addition of the…
boomskats on HNThanks! Ordered two.
KingOfCoders on HN
Hackable and fun for DIY projects
From 2 comments
This is amazing! A hacker friendly Cybiko/TwitterPeek with the power of Matrix. Feels like the ultimate chat device.
rsre on HNHave been wanting to get a device just like this for a long time to do live-coding (Glicol) on. So glad you had the foresight to expose the rpi pins so I can just stick an audio…
bodge5000 on HN
Objections
Pi Zero makes battery life poor and power management questionable
From 2 comments
i almost didn't open this because it said 'e-paper' and i've sort of dismissed e-paper for this kind of thing this is much more interesting than an e-paper device; it's a…
kragen on HNLove the idea but a Zero W is pretty underwhelming. I have couple and it’s barely useful because of the single core limitations. I’m guessing it’s a supply chain issue? Also,…
syntaxing on HN
Preorder wording and shipping timeline confusing
From 2 comments
I love the product but I take issue with the term "Order now" on the website. > Below is the shipping timeline for Beepberry: > Beepberry without Raspberry Pi Zero W: ~ August…
jbm on HNAt least it's only $99. Sadly, it's not a shipping product yet. It's a "preorder".
Animats on HN
Lack of radio beyond Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
From 1 comment
Aye, the "diagram" shows nothing of the topology. Can the rp2040 run the show with the Zero not even attached? That would be interesting. Furthermore, there's no radio other than…
myself248 on HN
Requests
Add LoRa support
From 2 comments
I would love to hook this up to a LoRa receiver and use it around town, will be fun to hack on.
deegles on HNWith lora support, it would make for a nice off the grid communication device.
BiteCode_dev on HN
Sell a case or battery version
From 2 comments
I've ordered my share of little Linux gadgets. I said no more because they were wholly impractical. Well, congrats, you just caused me to pull out my wallet and buy. This looks…
rwl4 on HNThis seems super cool; have you considered selling a model with a battery and case? I would think that would be far more useful to most?
throwaway894345 on HN
Support for ESP32 instead of Pi Zero
From 2 comments
Spot on. I was so excited to see the form factor, and then my excitement was deflated as soon as I noticed the component details. Note to any hardware hackers out there: I would…
deepspace on HNi almost didn't open this because it said 'e-paper' and i've sort of dismissed e-paper for this kind of thing this is much more interesting than an e-paper device; it's a…
kragen on HN
Questions
What is battery life?
From 2 comments
Could someone tell me how many hours of battery life you could get out of it?
MrBruh on HNI love the form factor here. A few questions: 1) Have you considered how this could be made more mobile friendly? Most places I could see myself using a device like this, I…
conor_f on HN
Does it work with Pi Zero 2 W?
From 2 comments
Seems to only mention Zero W directly, but would a Zero 2 W also work? Kind of expecting it would but thought it better to check
nmstoker on HNworks great with pi zero 2. Needs a front-light to see in low light.
erohead on HN
Can it use an external keyboard or LTE/GSM?
From 3 comments
this is more promising but you forgot the keyboard can you plug in an external keyboard
kragen on HNWhat is the possibility of connecting a GSM module and using this for making and receiving calls and staying connected on the go?
pkphilip on HN1) maybe? this is just a hacker device for now. You can easily add a USB LTE modem if you'd like. 2) battery life will depend on which OS you use, peripherals, software duty…
erohead on HN
Alternatives named
Precursor (Sutajio Kosagi)
From 2 comments
A lot pricier of course but there's https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/precursor too for the same kind of uses this is for.
vhodges on HNA fancy expensive version of this concept exists as the Precursor. All open, built off of some FPGAs, though with a much bigger security focus
rtpg on HN
Fairberry
From 1 comment
Awesome, you're my hero. I just ordered two of these. It looks to be using the same Q10 keyboard as a few of the other hacks (i.e. Fairberry[0], but with the addition of the…
boomskats on HN
Zipit wireless messenger
From 1 comment
A predecessor to this concept: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipit_wireless_messenger_(Z2)
zeckalpha on HN