Subj : Re: Digital Radio Amateur
To   : k9zw
From : N1uro
Date : Wed May 19 2021 09:39 pm

-=> k9zw wrote to N1uro <=-

 k9> Any idea what the mode of failure has been?

Most of them has to do with the fact that they insist on booting an SD Card.
SD Cards, while being made a tad better, still are the weakest link in a Pi.
They contain an extremely thin piece of aluminum which tends to warp due to
the heat the Pis generate and that's like getting a dig in a hard drive's
platters. Others are that they sometimes overheat and burn out.

One of their biggest downfalls is the fact that what they have for onboard
ram is *it*. It'd be nice if it was simple to upgrade ram in those things.

 k9> I've broke two - hamfisted one trying to get it back out of a poorly
 k9> designed case.  It still works but I broke the camera connector,
 k9> Another  one I think succumbed to static losing its WiFi chip which
 k9> again is more Operator Error than anything else.

Personally, I have a 1B I've run for years. So far it's been "OK". Locks
up often from not having enough ram. Died once when the SD Card warped. 
Fortunately, my 'do-image' script backed it up prior to it dying.

 k9> But I've also run a Pi Based VPN as backup for about five years, and
 k9> have lots of other projects that have worked long term.

If you wish to count AmprNet connectivity as a VPN then I parallel you. It's
also my testbed for URONode on a Pi. Not what I suggest but it is what it is.

 k9> It does pay to note that not all RPis are equal, as there are a number
 k9> of builders.  Since the whole RPi project orbits around an accessible
 k9> prince point perhaps the economization of a manufacturer looking to
 k9> save product costs might not work out so well?

As I tell others, especially those looking to get onto packet:
RPis are circuit test cards NOT replacement CPUs. You would _never_ see
Google run on Pis, nor Bing, or any other service... because they're not
meant for the punishment. Packet is a server (if you're running a node/bbs/
dxc/etc. 

 k9> Certainly would think twice about using one for a mission-critical
 k9> purpose. There are upgraded versions and other SBC that might be more
 k9> appropriate.

You can easily get Dell SFF cases with iCore5's at 3KGhz speed for under 
$100.00. It's actually what I'm on now - an Optiplex3010 SFF. It does so much
for so little. I paid $0.00 for it. Better price than any Pi config :)

 k9> Another of my RPi projects migrated the same way as this guy's did, but
 k9> because of difficulties with the RPi supporting certain SSD hardware
 k9> (current draw appears to exceed what the RPi will allow) so the project
 k9> moved to a deskbook running Win10.

I'm using Devuan Linux, 8Gb ram, 4 BBS, XMPP server, DX Cluster, Convers, Mail,
apache... I could go on. Windows would never handle it even on this system.

73

.... Kidnapped  - By Caesar Quick
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
 * Origin: Carnage - risen from the dead now on SBBS (21:4/107)

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