# Hardware Notes

Some thoughts and suggestions about Lollipop hardware options.

## Official Boards

After much testing, discussion, success, failure, and inspiration... we are happy to announce the boards we will officially support!

We've selected 4 different boards as our primary targets for the Lollipop Cloud project. Our team members will be working with these boards heavily and will prioritize supporting them. The boards were selected for their price ($25-$100 USD), specifications, and ease-of-use, keeping in mind our goal of making self-hosted clouds an accessible reality.

### Orange Pi PC Plus

The [Orange Pi PC Plus (product details / link)](http://www.orangepi.org/orangepipcplus/) is a reasonably priced arm32v7 board. This board can be purchased as a full set that includes a board, case, and power supply. It's got enough RAM, CPU, and more to run a full self-hosted cloud for an individual, family, and maybe a little more.

It has an on-board WiFi chip and on-board ethernet so networking won't be a problem. It has 3 USB ports for additional WiFi adapters or USB disks. It also has a full HDMI connector so you can setup using a USB keyboard and TV/monitor/etc.

This is our recommended board for deploying a Lollipop Cloud, especially for our beginner users.

### Orange Pi Plus 2e

The [Orange Pi Plus 2e (product details / link)](http://www.orangepi.org/orangepiplus2e/) is an arm64v8 board. It packs 2Gb of RAM, 4 core CPU, lots of expansion options, built-in WiFi, built-in ethernet, and more.

This board can run a self-hosted cloud for an individual, family, or small group. If you're looking for the "big board," this is it.

### O-Droid HC2

The [O-Droid HC2 (product details / link)](https://www.hardkernel.com/main/products/prdt_info.php?g_code=G151505170472) is an expensive board that packs the most computing power of our target boards. We are recommending this board for those who want to build their own "home brew" Synology NAS.

While not the cheapest option, this should be a reasonable replacement for entry level Synology NAS boxes if you're looking to self-host a NAS + Cloud without using proprietary software.

### Orange Pi Zero Plus

The [Orange Pi Zero Plus (product details / link)](http://www.orangepi.org/OrangePiZeroPlus/) is a small, inexpensive arm64v8 board. This board is a great starting point and can be used as a little pocket router with ad blocking, VPN, and more. This is best used as a WiFi hot spot device. It can also function as a very basic cloud but does *NOT* have quite enough RAM to function as a full cloud.

This is a great choice if you're looking for something pocket sized and/or minimal.

## Expansion Options

### USB Storage

If you're going to run services like NextCloud, Syncthing and/or Samba you will want to consider what kind of USB disk to use. I'd recommend a [Sandisk Cruzer Fit (link)](https://www.sandisk.com/home/usb-flash/cruzer-fit) or [Sandisk Ultra Fit (link)](https://www.sandisk.com/home/usb-flash/ultra-fit-usb) or similar, low power flash drive. Full hard disks that aren't SSD's tend to be power hungry and can cause problems with SBCs.

### WiFi

- The author has had decent luck with the [ASUS USB-N13 (link)](https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/USB-N13/) adapter in client mode. Be minful of your 2.4ghz channel setup. If this adapter and your AP share a channel in 2.4ghz this adapter *will* drop packets and/or suffer disconnections
  - Sometimes a reboot is necessary to get authentication to work properly after initial setup
  - The author has **NOT** tested AP mode
- The author has had very good luck with the [ASUS USB-N53 (link)](https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/USBN53/) in AP mode. *Both* 2.4ghz and 5ghz can used for AP mode at the same time.
  - The author has **NOT** tested client mode
- The author has had decent luck with the TP-Link N150 USB WiFi adapter in client mode
- The author could not get the TP-Link N300 USB WiFi adapter to work in client mode

### WiFi Antennas

- [https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=%2fv8iy7V9uiwj65CKT%2f%252b6tQ%3d%3d](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=%2fv8iy7V9uiwj65CKT%2f%252b6tQ%3d%3d)
- [https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=G9o9YCnxvoZVoyw0A06Ktg%3d%3d](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=G9o9YCnxvoZVoyw0A06Ktg%3d%3d)
- [https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=WUa1z%2fNV9%252b2lzv2ZS%2f50GQ%3d%3d](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=WUa1z%2fNV9%252b2lzv2ZS%2f50GQ%3d%3d)
- [https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=RuW%2fu%252bNMQmv6yDroBT8RNQ%3d%3d](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/?qs=RuW%2fu%252bNMQmv6yDroBT8RNQ%3d%3d)
- [https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Antenova/SR4W030-100?qs=sGAEpiMZZMuBTKBKvsBmlN73K%2f2BcYXln6YUd9YVZ3FLX3OerI69PA%3d%3d](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Antenova/SR4W030-100?qs=sGAEpiMZZMuBTKBKvsBmlN73K%2f2BcYXln6YUd9YVZ3FLX3OerI69PA%3d%3d)
- [https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Antenova/SRF2W021-100?qs=sGAEpiMZZMuBTKBKvsBmlMeP1Lut7uca61hspfdOxQexT8ZJsKeXqw%3d%3d](https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Antenova/SRF2W021-100?qs=sGAEpiMZZMuBTKBKvsBmlMeP1Lut7uca61hspfdOxQexT8ZJsKeXqw%3d%3d)

### Power / LiPo Batteries

- [SparkFun mosfet power control (link)](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12959)
- [Pimoroni On/Off shim (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3581)
- [SparkFun Charger/Booster (link)](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/sparkfun-5v1a-lipo-chargerbooster-hookup-guide)
- [Power Meter](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14331)
- [Pimoroni LiPo shim (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3196)

### Storage

- [Ableconn mSATA Hat (link)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WQJ8BH2)
- [Ableconn nvme Hat (link)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZ0LCTU)

### Displays

- [Waveshare 4.2 inch e-ink display (link)](https://www.waveshare.com/product/modules/oleds-lcds/e-paper/4.2inch-e-paper-module.htm?___SID=U)
- [Waveshare 2.9 inch e-ink display (link)](https://www.waveshare.com/product/modules/oleds-lcds/e-paper/2.9inch-e-paper-module.htm?___SID=U)
- [Pimoroni e-ink hat (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3743)

### Input

- [Waveshare touch keypad (link)](https://www.waveshare.com/product/RPi-Touch-Keypad.htm)
- [Pimoroni touch button hat (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3472)
- [Pimoroni push button shim (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3582)
- [Adafruit display+button hat (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3531)
- [Adafruit joystick+button hat (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3464)
- [Pimoroni display+button hat (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/2694)

### Cell Data

- [LTE rPi Shield (link)](http://sixfab.com/product/raspberry-pi-3g-4glte-base-shield-v2/)
- [LTE/4G pciE (link)](http://sixfab.com/product/quectel-ec25-mini-pcle-4glte-module/)
- [3G pciE (link)](http://sixfab.com/product/quectel-uc20-mini-pcle-3g-module/)

### Misc

- [SparkFun TTL serial usb adapter (link)](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14050)
- [Adafruit TTL serial usb adapter (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3309)
- [SparkFun Bluetooth Mate Silver (link)](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12576)
- [Adafruit GPS (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/746)
- [Pimoroni mini hat extender (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3182)
- [Pimoroni hat extender (link)](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3742)

### 3d Printed Cases

- Pine64 [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1831345) : ```3d_printer_sources/Pine_A64_Two-Parts_case.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero [Plus] Base [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2776831) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_-_Minimal_Mount.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero [Plus] Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1939780) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero [Plus] + Expansion Board Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2353879) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_+_Expansion_Board_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero [Plus] + NAS Board Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2122451) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_NAS_Board_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi PC Case (External Mounts) [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2239240) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_PI_PC_Case_with_External_mounts_+_M5_mount.zip```
- Orange Pi PC NAS Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2468854) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_PI_PC_NAS_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi One Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1447933) : ```3d_printer_sources/OrangePi_One_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi One NAS Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2790266) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_One_NAS_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero NAS Case (minimal) [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2740032) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_NAS_minimal.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero 2+ H5 Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2797865) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_2+_H5_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero 2 Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2626323) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Zero_2_Case.zip```
- Orange Pi Plus 2E Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2251219) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_plus_2e_case.zip```
- Orange Pi Plus 2E Case (alt) [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1916113) : ```3d_printer_sources/Orange_Pi_Plus_2E_case_2.zip```
- Orange Pi Zero Plus2 H3 Case [(source)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2802598) : ```3d_printer_sources/
