PiCubeServer A project in my future

Cableguy

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Hi guys,

I've been googling and brainstorming about Raspberry Pi as a stand alone server.
So I started defining specs:

Raspberry 3 B+ based
Built in Touch-Screen
M.2 SSD Bootable drive by Hat
UPS Hat

Except for the enclosure, everithing is "out of the shelve" and total cost, again without the enclosure, should be around 150€

My goal with this setup is to be able to have a ready to use Wamp Server that I can just take, and connect it to the "client" ethernet network, or connect to it using the built in Wi-Fi connection.

With the onboard UPS solution I recon I can get a couple of hours of run time if for what ever Reason the power goes out, or if I need to have it out on the field.

What do you guys thinks?
 
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sorex

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mini pc/server solutions are always interesting to follow.

is the M.2 for storage reasons?

I usually take a 2Gb sd from an old smartphone that's collecting dust and never had problems with running out of diskspace so far.
You can always hook up one of these cheap super tiny usb sticks that barely come out of the pi cases as data or backup partition.

I didn't speed test mysql with huge tables being joined and all that but I guess for regular web usage it (sd) is fast enough, not?
Resultset caching speeds up things anyway on simular lookups.

The battery packs are nice but kind of overpriced for what it is but if you really need continuity or prevent damage of the pi/sd you better go for it aswell.

I recently bumped onto the OrangePi which also seems to be an interesting alternative as it is cheaper, faster, more cores, lan + wifi etc.
Not sure if that also runs the raspBian OS etc and there are currently more goodies to find for the RaspberryPi tho as it exists longer.
 

Cableguy

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is the M.2 for storage reasons
Since the raspberry pi 3 can boot from usb, it is for booting and storage.
A good class10 SD is almost as expensive as a cheap M.2 and the performance gain, according to some reviews, is very noticeable.
The battery packs are nice but kind of overpriced for what it is but if you really need continuity or prevent damage of the pi/sd you better go for it aswell
Indeed, they are expensive. But, keeping in mind the portability of the "cube", one may find ourselves in a situation were no outlets are available to quickly showcase it.
I recently bumped onto the OrangePi which also seems to be an interesting alternative as it is cheaper, faster, more cores, lan + wifi etc.
Not sure if that also runs the raspBian OS etc and there are currently more goodies to find for the RaspberryPi tho as it exists longer.
That is the main reason I'm choosing the RPi Vs Orange Pi or even the Rock based boards
 

Cableguy

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Just ordered the first components for my PiCube; the board plus LCD (one bundle), so just need to wait a couple of weeks to get my hands on them
 

Cableguy

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So yesterday I got my Raspberry pi 3B+ and Touchscreen LCD display bundle.
Set up a 8GB SD card with oficial raspian and got it up and running...
Next steps will be to install the desired software and see how it behaves.
One thing I noticed, the ensemble trends to get quite warm... But then again, I only installed passive cooling.
 

sorex

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in my case the lcd screen gets quite warm especially on the side where the flatcable and backlights are.
 

Cableguy

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I remember having a small sized lateral ventilator... I will to fit that in and see how it goes...
Is there any status/monitor panel type of software? I would like to be able to "see" how the pi is behaving... Taking its temp and such
 
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