If Raspberry Pi Zero does not seem to be affordable for your next project, you can now opt for VoCore2 Lite as the cheapest option. The new coin-sized Linux computer comes at a price of $4.
The VoCore2 Lite is the lighter version of the original VoCore2 that was released back in April. Unlike that full-fledged, single-board platform for Internet of Things (IoT) developments, the new model has inferior specifications such as a 580MHz MT7688AN MediaTek chipset, 64MB of DDR2 RAM and 8MB of storage as well as an antenna slot for Wi-Fi connectivity.
Having said that, the pocket-friendly VoCore2 Lite is capable of being a fully functional wireless router and enables users to experience a VPN gateway on their native networks. It can even act as a private cloud or let you test your coding skills on Linux platform.
Price close to its manufacturing cost
VoCore reveals that the $4 price of its Lite board is close to its cost of manufacturing. “People may ask, is that price lower than the cost. The answer is it is not, but it is very very close to the cost, and only for us with the experience of production VoCore2 (we reuse the VoCore2 tech, test jig, test app, to save cost),” the VoCore team said in a blog post.
The VoCore2 Lite is not as high-end as the Raspberry Pi Zero if we look at its hardware. However, this tiny device can be an ultimate option for your hobby projects. It consumes less power, particularly 74mA on standby and 230mA at full speed, and has a small presence on the surface.
