Guide to Boards 2026: Indie Boards
While the big guns like Arduino and Raspberry Pi may steal all the headlines, there are a huge variety of lesser-known but equally exciting single-board computers (SBCs) cropping up from all over the world.
PocketBeagle 2: A Small Team with Big Goals
However, the BeagleBoard.org team has just four full-time staffers, during a call with the Michigan-based nonprofit’s president/co-founder/community manager/software cat herder, Jason Kridner.
By the time the first Raspberry Pi was released in 2012, multiple generations of BeagleBoards had already found their way into the hands of makers, educators, and professional engineers.
BeagleBoard’s Open-Source Approach
Meanwhile, BeagleBoard’s openness and flexibility have resulted in a number of exciting projects and products being built around the platform.
In addition to the Bela high-performance audio systems, projects like Kulp Lights have evolved from BeagleBone capes to entire ecosystems unto themselves.
ZimaBoard 2: A Cloud Server for Every Home
However, another emerging leviathan in the SBC segment is IceWhale, creator of the new ZimaBoard 2.
Lauren Pan and his team are huge fans of Make: and are working to create a community rather than a company — a team that loves to learn, build, and do.
IceWhale’s Goal: Personal Cloud Computing
Therefore, Pan’s goal is to create a $100 home server that can function as a media server, storage, Git server, and run scripts that help automate users’ daily lives.
Moreover, the ZimaBoard 2 is designed to be a cloud server for every home, taking all your data, media, smart home functionality, and digital life back from giant cloud platforms onto a server that you control.
Consequently, the ZimaBoard 2 is a game-changer for personal cloud computing, and IceWhale is working hard to make it a reality.
In addition, the ZimaBoard 2 is designed to be easy to use and set up, making it accessible to everyone, not just tech-savvy individuals.
Conclusion
Meanwhile, the future of single-board computers is looking bright, with new and exciting projects emerging all the time.
Therefore, it’s an exciting time to be a maker, engineer, or simply someone interested in technology and innovation.
Moreover, the indie boards mentioned in this article are just a few examples of the many amazing projects out there.
Consequently, we can expect to see even more innovative and exciting projects in the future.
In addition, the community surrounding these projects is growing and becoming more diverse, with people from all over the world contributing and learning from each other.
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