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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In a July 22, 2015 report, Make described Next Thing Co.’s CHIP as an unusually open $9 single-board computer. The board’s published hardware files used a Creative Commons ShareAlike license, while the company released CHIP-specific boot, Linux, Buildroot and flashing materials. Those details describe the product and software state announced in 2015—not current availability, pricing or support.
What the 2015 CHIP computer included
Make reported a launch configuration built around a 1GHz R8 ARM processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of onboard NAND storage, Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth. The stated launch price was $9, although international shipping could increase the delivered cost. These are the specifications and price reported for the 2015 launch, not a current listing or a guarantee that every shipped unit had identical storage.
| Item | Make’s July 2015 report |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1GHz R8 ARM |
| Memory | 512MB RAM |
| Storage | 4GB NAND |
| Wireless | Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth |
| Launch price | $9, before any additional international shipping |
Next Thing Co. had raised more than $2 million through crowdfunding, according to the same article. Make identified the company as being based in Oakland, California.
What “open source” meant for CHIP
Open hardware files
Make said the CHIP board was licensed under Creative Commons ShareAlike and directed readers to the company’s open hardware files. The article also mentioned a separate R8 data sheet. That establishes an open-hardware publication and license for the board materials; it does not establish that every software component used the same license.
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- ATmega 328P Chip: R3 board is equipped with an ATmega328P microcontroller with 14 digital I/O pins and 8 analog input pins, allowing users to connect a variety of sensors, displays, and other peripherals
- R3 Board: The ATmega328 has 32 KB (0.5 KB of which is occupied by the bootloader). It also has 2 KB and 1 KB of EEPROM (which can be read and written using the EEPROM library)
- Shield Function: Two new pins are also placed near the RESET pin. One is IOREF, which allows the shield to adapt to the voltage provided by the board, and the other is reserved for future use. The R3 works with all existing shields and can adapt to new shields that use these additional pins
- Atmega16U2 Chip: The R3 board can be powered through the USB connection or using an external power supply, the pin names are clearly printed on the header connector, making it more precise and easier to work with wires, the RX and TX LEDs on the board will flash when data is being transferred to the computer through the USB to Serial chip and the USB connection
- Ar-duino Kit: You don't need to worry about whether you can program it with Ar-duino IDE. You can use it just like an Ar-duino r3 board. R3 is fully compatible with Ard-uino UNO
Linux and upstreaming work
At publication, CHIP ran Linux kernel 4.2. The team was working to get CHIP code into the mainline Linux kernel, but Make presented that as an ongoing effort rather than a completed upstreaming result. Kernel 4.2 is therefore a historical version reference, not a statement about current compatibility.
Software released for building and booting CHIP
The company’s published development pieces covered several layers of the system:
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- U-Boot: a CHIP-modified version designed for the board’s onboard NAND storage.
- Linux build: the company’s build materials for producing a CHIP Linux system.
- Buildroot: tooling for constructing the embedded Linux userspace and image.
- Flashing scripts: scripts intended to write the resulting system to the board.
- SDK: an announced software-development kit intended to bring these pieces into a more turnkey workflow.
The release of bootloader, build and flashing components was important because openness was not limited to a schematic: developers were given a path from source and configuration to a bootable board image.
The SDK workflow Make documented
Make described a development setup based on tools that were current in 2015. The article’s sequence was:
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- 【WiFi and Bluetooth Module】: Features the powerful ESP32 chip with dual-mode Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities, perfect for IoT applications.
- 【CP2012 USB to Serial Communication】: ESP32 equipped with CP2012 USB-to-serial chip for easy communication with various microcontrollers and computers, Compatible with Arduino.
- 【Supports Lua Programming】: The ESP32 board supports Lua scripting language, which simplifies the development process and makes it more accessible for both beginners and advanced users.
- 【Compact and Versatile Design】: The ESP32 compact size allows easy integration into any project,usb c supports AP, STA, and AP+STA coexistence modes.
- 【Reliable Performance】: Built using TSMC 40nm low-power technology, the offers high performance with minimal power consumption.
- Install VirtualBox 4.3.
- Install the matching VirtualBox extension package.
- Clone the CHIP-SDK.
- Use Vagrant to configure the development environment.
Those versions and steps are historical documentation. They should not be treated as current installation instructions without checking the original project’s surviving documentation, repository state and compatibility with modern host operating systems.
Why the project emphasized a turnkey build system
Dave Rauchwerk, Next Thing Co.’s CEO, framed the release as a way to reduce the operational burden on kernel developers. Make quoted him: “It’s not fair to the kernel hackers to make them do all this dev/ops” says Rauchwerk, “Here is an out of the box turnkey build system and hardware.” The quote captures the project’s aim: pair accessible hardware files with reproducible-enough build and flashing machinery so contributors could work on the board without assembling every toolchain component themselves.
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- The Raspberry Pi Pico is a beginner-friendly microcontroller board that uses MicroPython to give you a taste of the Internet of Things and microcontrollers. The RP2040 is a well-designed microprocessor that can be utilized in almost any Internet of Things project. It has enough power to complete the task quickly.
- 【Raspberry Pi RP2040 Microcontroller】Raspberry Pi Pico features Dual-core ARM Cortex M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133 MHz. With 264KB of SRAM, and 2MB of on-board Flash memory.Supports up to 16 MB of off chip flash memory via a dedicated QSPI bus
- 【Multiple Software Support】Pico has rich and complete software support, it comes with a complete Rasberry Pi official C/C++ SDK, Micropython SDK.The programming and burning of Pico need to be carried out on the computer. Supported operating systems and computers include:Raspberry Pie with Raspberry Pi OS,Other platforms equipped with Debian based Linux system Computer with MacOS, Computers with Windows, etc.
- 【Rich Hardware Interface】Raspberry Pi Pico has 30 GPIO pins, 4 pins for analog signal input and 26 × multi-function GPIO pins, 2 × SPI, 2 × I2C, 2 × UART, 3 × 12-bit ADC, 16 × controllable PWM channels.USB 1.1 supported by host and device, The installation mode can be flexibly selected by users to facilitate welding with other development boards.
- 【Build Project in Tiny Size】Only 2.1cm*5.1cm ( as small as your thumb). Pico has been designed to use either soldered 0.1" pin-headers or can be used as a surface-mountable 'module'.
Partners and affiliations mentioned in the announcement
Make named Free Electrons as an embedded-Linux engineering partner and reported that Next Thing Co. was joining the Linux Foundation. Both statements belong to the 2015 announcement; the article does not verify whether those relationships or affiliations remain current.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to interpret CHIP today
- Historically open: the 2015 report supports Creative Commons ShareAlike hardware files and publicly described build materials.
- Not a current buying guide: the $9 figure was a launch price, and the article gives no present-day availability, seller, replacement or support information.
- Not proof of complete software openness: the source distinguishes the board license from software and does not provide license text for every component.
- Not proof of mainline Linux support: upstreaming was described as work in progress while the board was running kernel 4.2.
For a present-day project, verify the original hardware-license text, repository and build instructions, supported kernel versions, and the authenticity and condition of any second-hand listing before relying on CHIP.
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- 【ACEBOTT ESP32 Development Board】 - Powerful WiFi and wireless development board, driven by the rugged ESP 32 module, seamlessly integrated with Arduino IDE. With Hall sensors, high-speed SDIO/SPI, UART, I2S and I2C, it is the cornerstone of IoT and smart home innovation.
- 【Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and Arduino Cloud Compatibility】 - This board uses 2.4GHz dual-mode WiFi and wireless chips with low-power technology, which are RoHS-compliant, simplifying wireless communication and allowing you to easily connect devices and platforms. Whether you are using a compatible Arduino IDE or exploring other development environments, our board can easily adapt to your needs.
- 【Improved and Professional Edition】 - All IO pins are brought out for easy development; no additional breadboard is required; the Type-C interface is equipped with electrostatic discharge protection diodes and transient voltage suppression diodes to protect the chip from damage by electrostatic breakdown and various surge pulses. In addition, it is equipped with a freeRTOS operating system, which is very suitable for the Internet of Things, smart homes, and building smart robots/game consoles.
- 【Easy to Use】- The ACEBOTT ESP-32 Development Board includes everything you need to support the microcontroller. Just connect it to a computer via a USB cable or use an AC-DC adapter or battery to power it to start using it. Whether you are an experienced developer or a hobbyist, this development board can provide you with the tools you need for unlimited innovation.
- 【 Install Plugins And Download Drivers】: This ESP32 development board includes detailed instructions on how to download plugins and all necessary programs and codes from the network environment. The path is: ACEBOTT official website - Resources - WIKI.
Source
David Scheltema, “With Linux and Creative Commons, The $9 CHIP Computer Reveals Its Open Source Details,” Make:, July 22, 2015: https://makezine.com/article/technology/with-linux-and-creative-commons-the-9-chip-computer-reveals-its-open-source-details/
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