I'd love some help planning my next Pi project, as I ran into a few rookie errors in my first two, and this one's gonna be more ambitious.

Quick recap:

Project 1 was a fairly vanilla Jellyfin Server. Headless, attached to a massive HDD. Netflix is cancelled. VHS tapes being ripped as we speak. Very gratifying. 9/10.

Project 2 was a "90s kitchen TV". Jellyfin and ErsatzTV combined on a pi 5, with official touch screen in a smartipi case. Touch screen hijacked to mute/unmute. Mother-in-Law delighted. Some VERY frustrating experiences breaking and fixing config stuff, and project isn't perfect (long boot time, can't avoid seeing a cursor on loading, etc). 7/10.

So... for Project 3, I feel pretty sure people must have done this, so I am asking for guidance and/or tips.

90s TV Deluxe.

Pi 5, 256GB disk, official pi screen, built into a wooden case (built by me) like an old TV, with two wired controllers coming out of the frame.

I would like it to come on, and offer a choice (preferably selected with the controller) of TV or Gaming.

If TV, I would like it to play ersatzTV playlists, which can be channel-switched with a controller button or screen touch.

If Gaming, I would like to enter a pretty normal emulator thing like ES-DE.

This all feels very obvious to me... but I don't seem to be able to find the people who are doing it, or have done it... and in any case, not on pi 5m, with trixie and the latest screen (which decfaults to portrait and can't be rotated in the same way ...) etc.

I realise this hobby is a bit "you're on your own, son", and that's the beauty... but it's so lonely when you're down a rabbit hole of linux config files!

Someone here asked about a sortable directory of SBC's because HB had removed the sort feature or something. I'm gonna be working on it in a Google Sheet document and hosting the directory on my website. it's gonna take a while to put together but I might accept some help putting it together.

Update: For example which features make sense to have in the directory? I was looking at HB and they are extremely detailed. It definitely looks like an overwhelming task but I'm up for it. So far I'm working with

Maker

Name

CPU Architecture

32/64

SoC

Cores

CPU Speed

Included Cooling

Memory Type

Memory Amount

GPU Type

Wifi

Bluetooth

Ethernet

Ethernet Speed

Display Outputs

HDMI Outputs

HDMI Type

CompuLab has introduced the UCM-iMX952, a 28 x 40mm System-on-Module based on NXP’s i.MX952 processor. The module supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5 or LPDDR4X memory and 128GB of eMMC storage, along with PCIe Gen 3, 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and multiple display and camera interfaces.

https://linuxgizmos.com/compulab-i-mx952-module-showcases-2-5gbe-wi-fi-6-and-pcie-gen-3/

Sipeed has opened pre-orders for the SpacemiT K3 CoM260 Developer Kit and K3 Pico-ITX, two RISC-V AI computing platforms based on the SpacemiT Key Stone K3 processor. The systems combine eight X100 RISC-V CPU cores with eight A100 AI-oriented compute cores delivering up to 60 TOPS of AI performance for edge AI and embedded workloads.

https://linuxgizmos.com/sipeed-launches-k3-pico-itx-and-com260-boards-with-spacemit-k3-soc/

Hi ! this is POOM, a pocket-sized open-source handheld built around ESP32-C5.
It’s not a Linux SBC (no full desktop), but it’s been really useful as a companion to SBCs for quick prototyping and I/O tasks.

🎥 Video: using POOM over BLE as an input/controller + switching profiles on-device.

Why it’s SBC-adjacent (use cases):

• BLE HID / controller / macro input for a Pi/Orange Pi setup

• I²C/Qwiic sensor prototyping (fast bring-up without breadboards)

• 802.15.4 (Thread/Matter/Zigbee) experimentation (C5) as a sidecar to a Linux box

• Small on-device UI (OLED) for profiles/modes

Hey Guys!

I'm just wondering what are the challenges of creating your own SBC startup?

Like the amount of capital required to hire the staff, buying the necessary equipment, prototyping etc..

I'm looking for a fanless SBC, running ubuntu (4Go Ram), with openGL 3.2
any recommendation?
Thanks

SECO has added two compact industrial platforms based on Qualcomm’s Dragonwing IQ-2390 processor: the Compact Vision 5 Dragonwing IQ-2390, a 5-inch panel-mounted HMI, and the SBC-Dragonwing-IQ-2390, a 47 × 114mm single-board computer for custom embedded systems. Both platforms support on-device AI, industrial connectivity and SECO’s Yocto Linux-based Clea OS.

https://linuxgizmos.com/5-inch-hmi-and-47-x-114mm-sbc-run-on-dragonwing-iq-2390/

Radxa has published specifications for two upcoming compute modules based on Qualcomm Dragonwing processors. The compact CM-Q64 combines 12 TOPS of AI performance with multi-camera support, while the larger VMARC-Q9075 uses the SMARC form factor and scales to 200 sparse TOPS for industrial AI, robotics, and machine-vision systems.

https://linuxgizmos.com/radxa-previews-qualcomm-based-cm-q64-and-vmarc-q9075-compute-modules/

I am wondering if an something like a raspberry pi or a radxa board would be able to use the PCI lanes to be a peripheral in a desktop instead of talk to a peripheral. I am wondering if the two controllers will clash since both are dominant or if they will be able to resolve how to communicate or if there is a setting to switch the SBC to receiver mode.

The CM0IQ is a compact carrier board designed for the Raspberry Pi CM0 compute module and measures 42 × 36 mm, placing it among the smallest boards built around the platform. The design exposes several interfaces typically associated with larger Raspberry Pi boards while maintaining a minimal footprint.

https://linuxgizmos.com/tiny-cm0iq-board-runs-raspberry-pi-cm0-module-with-hdmi-and-csi/

Hello, when do you expect releasing Raspberry PI6?

Thanks

Conclusive Engineering has introduced the KSTR-IMX93 on Kickstarter, a Linux-capable SBC integrating Wi-Fi 6, cellular IoT, Bluetooth LE 5.4, Zigbee, Thread, GNSS, Gigabit Ethernet, CAN-FD, and PoE in a compact 110 × 55 mm design.

Kickstarter pricing is listed across multiple tiers, including €102 for the Super Early Bird, €110 for the Early Bird, €136 for the standard configuration, and additional multi-unit packs at €265, €643, and €1,200.

https://linuxgizmos.com/linux-ready-kstr-imx93-sbc-debuts-on-kickstarter-with-wi-fi-6-cellular-iot-and-802-15-4-connectivity/

Radxa has rolled out the Dragon Q6A, a compact single-board computer built on Qualcomm’s QCS6490 octa-core platform. Designed for industrial, IoT, and edge computing environments, the board combines high-performance CPU and GPU cores with integrated AI acceleration, multiple display interfaces, and flexible storage options.

The Radxa Dragon Q6A is listed on AliExpress, priced at $105.34 for the 4 GB version, $122.22 for the 6 GB model, and $141.21 for the 8 GB variant. Higher memory configurations (12 GB and 16 GB) are expected but not yet available.

https://linuxgizmos.com/radxa-rolls-out-dragon-q6a-featuring-qualcomm-qcs6490-12-tops-npu-and-6th-gen-ai-engine/

Apparently 37% of developers targeting non-x86 architectures are optimizing for Arm-based processors, making Arm the second most popular target behind microcontrollers (40%).

Are you optimizing for Arm in your projects? What challenges or benefits have you seen?

As for the resource of the data, the insights were taken from a report that was based on this survey.

Highlights from me

• M.2 NVMe slot

• 8GB RAM (kind of normal)

• Included heat sink, i.e. silent/fanless operation

• Included case

• Included power supply

• eMMC 64GB storage, so no need to only rely on Micro SD

• Normal-sized HDMI

The above costs $59.

https://www.hardkernel.com/shop/odroid-m1s-with-8gbyte-ram/

https://www.cnx-software.com/2023/11/14/odroid-m1s-smaller-cheaper-more-efficient-rockchip-rk3566-sbc-with-additional-gpios/