I mentioned getting my CHIPs from NextThing aq bit ago, but I have not really done much with them. I noticed a bit of an issue keeping them powered when I set them up and assumed I had been using a power supply that wasn’t ideal. I believe it was the one off of the Chromecast on the TV, just because it was handy. It turns out, this is not the case, there is actually an issue with the software of the CHIPs that have shipped so far. I don’t beleive it affects all of them but it’s probably a good idea to update anyway.
It’s a pretty simple process, you can review the boot repair process here. The main issue you may have is that it requires you be running Ubuntu (or really just Linux). You can get a live image and load it using a USB drive though, and being familiar with Linux is useful for working with the CHIP itself since, it runs Linux.
I’m already running Ubuntu on my Laptop, so no issues for me there, my issue was actually getting something to short the pins for FEL mode. I didn’t have any breadboard wires handy at the time. I tried a paperclip as suggested but it was too large to stick in the pin holes. Instead I found a piece of wire to strip off. The point is, almost any melat strip would work to conduct between the pins.
You may also want to try flashing the whole image. Details on this process can be found on the NextThing’s website. It’s the same basic process of fixing the boot but you need to do more work yourself instead of just running a pre made fix app.
I’ve been trying to find some good plans and ideas for my CHIPs. There are some good ideas listed here.
I wanted to try turn a USB camera into a Streaming camera, but I can’t locate any of the USB cameras I used to have.
This Web and Bluetooth Sniffing device seemed neat, though once I started looking at it it looks more like it just tracks Wireless APs in the area, I’m more interested in building a network monitor.
This homemade Amazon Echo clone is pretty neat, and seems like an interesting project to work on that involves some hardware set up as well as software.
Josh Miller aka “Ramen Junkie”. I write about my various hobbies here. Mostly coding, photography, and music. Sometimes I just write about life in general. I also post sometimes about toy collecting and video games at Lameazoid.com.