[Beowulf] A cluster of Arduinos

[Prentice Bisbal]

On 01/11/2012 08:22 PM, Lux, Jim (337C) wrote:
> Interesting...
> That seems to be a growing trend, then.  So, now we just have to wait for them to actually exist.   The $35 B style board has Ethernet, and assuming one could netboot and operate "headless", then a stack o'raspberry PIs and a cheap Ethernet switch might be an alternate approach.
>
> The "per node" cost is comparable to the Arduino, and it's true that Ethernet is probably more congenial in the long run. 

You can get an ethernet "shield" for arduino to add ethernet
capabilities, but at $35-50 each, you cost savings just went out the
window, especially when compared to the Raspberry Pi. You can also buy
the Arduino Ethernet, which is an arduino board with Ethernet built in,
but at a cost of ~$60, is no better a value than buying an arduino and
the ethernet shield separately.
> Drawing 700mA off the microUSB, though..  That's fairly hefty (although not a big deal in general.. you might need to have some better power supply scheme for a basket o'pi cluster.  (Arduino Uno runs around 40-50 mA

The arduino can be powered by USB, or a 9V power supply, so if you plan
on using lots of them (as Jim is, theoretically), you don't have to
worry about overloading the USB bus.

--
Prentice