2020-11-02, 11:11
Not specifically Kodi related - but the Raspberry Pi people have launched a new model today. The Pi 400 is a 4GB Raspberry Pi 4B (without the POE, CSI, DSI, Composite/Analogue connectors, and with only one USB 2.0 socket) integrated into a Raspberry Pi keyboard. It definitely harks back to the days of 'computers in keyboards' when we had ZX Spectrums, BBC Micros, Commodore 64s and Amigas and Atari 400/800s and STs.
It has 4GB RAM on-board, 2 x HDMI 2.0 outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.1/BLE and WiFi 5, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, a 40-pin GPIO connector pin in standard Pi configuration but vertically mounted (so a ribbon cable or modified form factor 'boxed hat' will probably be a neater solution - but some HATs will fit - and look a bit like a ZX81 RAM pack stuck on the pack...).
There is also now a Power button (software shutdown I think), and the return of the sprung-loaded MicroSD card slot (the Pi 400 will usually be used to boot from micro SD, but can also boot from external USB 3.0 or 2.0 connected storage)
The keyboard has a large heatsink integrated (basically a large piece of metal the full width of the keyboard) - and a new revision of the SoC (as does the Compute Module 4 apparently) which allows it to be clocked as standard at 1.8GHz (the Pi 4B standard clock is 1.5GHz). The computer is based on a custom PCB - not a CM4 - which, like the Pi Zero, looks to be designed with all the components on one side of the board. There's a microcontroller handling keyboard duties which interfaces to the Pi via USB internally (I guess that took out one of the two USB 2.0 ports)
I doubt people will want this form factor for pure Kodi installations (it's a neat desktop solution though - just plug in a USB Type C PSU, Mouse and monitor - the former two items are bundled in a starter pack along with a Micro SD card, Micro->Full Size HDMI cable and a book) - but thought I'd mention it.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspber...esktop-pc/
Cost is £67.50 (inc VAT) /$70 (probably excluding sales tax)
It has 4GB RAM on-board, 2 x HDMI 2.0 outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 5.1/BLE and WiFi 5, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, a 40-pin GPIO connector pin in standard Pi configuration but vertically mounted (so a ribbon cable or modified form factor 'boxed hat' will probably be a neater solution - but some HATs will fit - and look a bit like a ZX81 RAM pack stuck on the pack...).
There is also now a Power button (software shutdown I think), and the return of the sprung-loaded MicroSD card slot (the Pi 400 will usually be used to boot from micro SD, but can also boot from external USB 3.0 or 2.0 connected storage)
The keyboard has a large heatsink integrated (basically a large piece of metal the full width of the keyboard) - and a new revision of the SoC (as does the Compute Module 4 apparently) which allows it to be clocked as standard at 1.8GHz (the Pi 4B standard clock is 1.5GHz). The computer is based on a custom PCB - not a CM4 - which, like the Pi Zero, looks to be designed with all the components on one side of the board. There's a microcontroller handling keyboard duties which interfaces to the Pi via USB internally (I guess that took out one of the two USB 2.0 ports)
I doubt people will want this form factor for pure Kodi installations (it's a neat desktop solution though - just plug in a USB Type C PSU, Mouse and monitor - the former two items are bundled in a starter pack along with a Micro SD card, Micro->Full Size HDMI cable and a book) - but thought I'd mention it.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspber...esktop-pc/
Cost is £67.50 (inc VAT) /$70 (probably excluding sales tax)
