[GTALUG] Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit

Mon Aug 10 21:05:33 EDT 2020

On Sun, Aug 9, 2020 at 11:56 AM D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
wrote:

> Just adding my two cents after reading this thread.
>
> Cooling (just an opinion, not based on diverse experience):
>
> - Pi 4 does not need cooling but it apparently makes a difference in
>   performance under load.
>

I found this about heat and thermal throttling for the Pi:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/thermal-testing-raspberry-pi-4/
Very interesting read ( a bit lengthy but fully worth it )

> - passive cooling is "good enough".  I use a FLIRC case
>   <https://www.amazon.ca/Flirc-Raspberry-Pi-Case-Silver/dp/B07WG4DW52/>
>   Passive means that it won't wear out.
>   A lot more choices are available now.
>   The price ($21.15) isn't too horrible.
>

They have another case which looks interesting:
https://youtu.be/79HG6ZUblZs
He actually has temperature readings over 20 minutes under load.

>
> | From: Aruna Hewapathirane via talk <talk at gtalug.org>
>
> | This is not for me. My uncle lives in Edmonton. He is in his late 70's
> and
> | getting on.
> | I visited him recently and he has an ancient desktop and my aunty has a
> | laptop. Both
> | run Windows 10.
>
> The step from Win10 => Linux might or might not be hard for them.  You
> don't really want to find out the hard way.  For example, they might
> need some initial help that is hard to do remotely.  Forcing them into
> new habits might or might not go well.
>

You know I never gave this much thought. I have been using Linux for
so long now it never occured to me. But your so right. I may need to
rethink all this again. Thank's for the pointer.

After reading what you said I googled around and found this:
https://youtu.be/h0_kEV-gdtI
This is more proof of concept and wifi does not work. I wonder
how functional and actually useful it would be ? But windows can be
installed on the Pi :-)

>
> I did switch my father from Windows to Linux when he started having
> trouble (in his late 80s).  He barely noticed.  But I wasn't a plane
> trip away.
>

Yes and return fare to Edmonton is not cheap :-)

>
> I guess you want two desktops.  It might be best if they are very
> similar so that they can help each other.
>

Makes sense. But uncle has a desktop and aunty uses the laptop.
Uncle dislikes the lap and aunty does not much care for the desktop.

>
> How much of their old systems is salvageable?
>

Most everything..

>
> - keyboard, mouse: USB, right?
>

 Yep !

>
> - display: CRT or LCD?  Connectors: VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, or HDMI
>   (likely some subset)?
>
> - cables, desks, ...
>
> The Raspberry Pi family is meant to invite play.  Unfortunately,
> that's kind of the opposite of what you want.  You can paper over much
> of that by configuring it yourself.  Little things like power on /
> power off remain as possible problems.
>
> The first time you turn on a new conventional PC involves a lot of
> busywork.  Windows requires a fair amount of stupid work.  Some people
> even find that unboxing and plugging all the cables in is challenging.
> Other than that, I'd suggest ordering a PC of some sort to be
> delivered to their house: no additional expense.
>
> These days, notebooks are the right choice for most people.  Less
> cabling, less trouble moving, less space, not too expensive.  On the
> down side, the screens may be too small for folks with vision
> problems.
>
> I don't know how important price is to you.  You could consider refurb
> stuff from Dell Financial Services.  Not the cheapest but they are not
> fly by night.  Supplies are a bit limited because of the lock-down.
>

Price is very important right now.

>
> <https://www.dellrefurbished.com/>
>
> Shipping isn't free.
>
> There are also small X86 PCs.  They are often as expensive as
> notebooks.  But they might let your customers keep their existing
> keyboard, mouse, and monitor.  For example, I have a few ThinkCentre
> M93p "tiny" computers.
>
> These people currently have them starting at $170.  Not cheap.
> Getting old.  Still getting updates from Lenovo!
> <
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-hKAmQahPcEV_h5mwflWGLWCQtqkKOBDbsakv4ee2u0/edit#gid=0
> >
>
> Dell has SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs (a little larger than "tiny").
> Here are some
> <
> https://www.dellrefurbished.com/desktop-computers?filter_brand=188&filter_chassis_type=242
> >
>
>
> |  The modem+router is in their basement. The house has 3
> | levels. So
> | the wifi signal has to get through two floors for my uncle and one floor
> | for my aunty.
>
> Mentioned before, but:
>
> Surely there is a way to move the modem/router.
>
> - if it is DSL, all you have to do is move the modem/router to another
> phone jack
>   (and juggle the filters)
>

I will ask uncle to check and get back to me. That seems simple enough to
do.

> - if it is cable, all you should have to do is move the modem/router
>   to a different cable jack
>
> It would be odd if there were not a jack elsewhere.
>

Again I will ask uncle to check and let me know.

> A Raspberry Pi's WiFi might not be great (I don't know).  After all,
> its antena is just a squiggle on the PC board.
>
> | Most
> | times things are extremely slow.
>
> Why?  Often a hard problem to answer, but without knowing why it is hard
> to know the best fixes.
>
> - old WiFi standard (eg. 802.11b)?
>
> - too many neighbours using the channel?
>
> - leaky microwave oven?
>
> - substandard broadband service?
>
> | I could run an ethernet cable from the
> | basement and wire
> | a direct connection but did not have the time to do that this time.
>
> That should not be necessary.  I do like wired connections for
> security and for fewer/simpler ways of going wrong.  I no longer even
> wire my TV PCs.
>
> | If there is anyone in Edmonton in the Castledowns area who has the
> | experience and a few minutes
> | to spare would it be possible to have a look at my uncle's basement and
> see
> | what would be the
> | best way to solve this ?
>
> There surely is, but asking the GTA LUG might not be the best way to
> discover them.  Certainly you might find GTA people with Edmonton
> connections.  Google finds:
> <https://groups.io/g/elug>
>

Thank you for the Edmonton lug info. I will follow up.

And that's one hell of a 2 cents :-) I would have never figured they may not
be comfortable suddenly being shown a desktop that is not Windows.

Thank you so much for all the pointers and apologies for the delayed
response.

Aruna

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