Chip

Milestones

Next Thing Co. was an Oakland, California based start-up aggregation founded in 2013 by Dave Rauchwerk, Gustavo Huber and Thomas Deckert.[8] NTC initially launched CHIP computer via a acknowledged Kickstarter attack in May 2015. The attack started with a ambition of US$50,000, and concluded with 39,560 backers alliance US$2,071,927.[5]

Next Thing began aircraft alpha boards to "Kernel Hacker" backers on September 25, 2015.[9] First chump aircraft (for Kickstarter backers) began by May 31, 2016.[1][10] Pre-order opened by December 2015.[11] Pre-order for the aboriginal CHIP had chock-full by April 4, 2017 as the band was discontinued.[12]
Next Thing Co. Insolvency

By March 2018, Next Thing Co. had entered insolvency. Abounding barter still had not accustomed their pre-orders.[13]
Models
CHIP Board, advanced face
CHIP board, advanced side.
CHIP
C.H.I.P Board, aback face
CHIP board, rear side.

CHIP was the aboriginal board, mostly targeting hobbyists. The arrangement is congenital about the Allwinner R8 SoC processor, which integrates an ARM Cortex-A8 CPU (based on ARM architectonics V7-A) and peripherals, such as Graphic Engine, UART, SPI, USB ports, CIR, CMOS Sensor Interface and LCD controller.[14] The CPU is additionally accompanied by a NEON SIMD coprocessor and has RCT JAVA-Accelerations to optimize just-in-time (JIT) and activating adaptive accumulation (DAC). There is additionally an ARM Mali-400 GPU, and a x263,x264 and vp8 accouterments video decoder in the R8.[15]

CHIP was upgraded in April 2017 in apprehension of the CHIP Pro to "share a ample cardinal of the aforementioned components".[12]

Features implemented on this model:

    Congenital Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
    One USB host with type-A receptacle, one USB On-The-Go port
    Blended video and stereo audio anchorage via mini TRRS
    Optional blended TRRS to RCA audio-video cable
    Optional VGA adapter and HDMI adapter (see Accouterments extensions below)
    Accessible antecedent hardware[16] and accessible antecedent software[17]
    Up to 45 GPIO ports[18]
    Supports 1-Wire and I2C protocols, PWM output
    Serial animate and Ethernet via USB for quick headless operation[19]
    Power options accommodate 5V via USB OTG, 5V via CHN pin, and by 3.7 battery
    Onboard NAND storage, 4-8GB,[5][6] pre-installed Linux OS (Debian)[3][17]
    Web-based firmware update[20]

The CHIP is 60 mm × 40 mm in size.[21]
CHIP Pro

CHIP Pro is agnate to the aboriginal CHIP board, but uses the newer GR8 adaptation of the chip. It is a arrangement in amalgamation (SiP) fabricated by Next Thing Co. It appearance a 1 GHz Allwinner R8 ARMv7 Cortex-A8 processor with NEON SIMD extensions and a Mali-400 GPU. 256 MB of Nanya Technology DDR3 SDRAM is accumulated with the R8 SoC into a 14 mm × 14 mm, 0.8 mm-pitch 252-ball FBGA package, simplifying the acquisition of connections. Instead of accepting two dual-line 40-pin sockets as on CHIP, it accouterments castellated edges area the pin holes are advised and optimized to bury to accession lath with SMT.[22] Most of the CHIP's accouterments appearance are additionally included in this model.
CHIP "v2" (unreleased)

Few capacity were accessible in attention to CHIP's ambitious almsman or breed except it would accept acclimated Next Thing's own SiP GR8 instead of Allwinner's aboriginal R8. In accession to feature-sharing with CHIP Pro, the aggregation capital to "take advantage of CHIP Pro's abundant added abiding accumulation chain"[12] in adjustment to abode the anxiety in its user abject about the approaching of the product.[23] In responding to user concerns, Next Thing additionally appear that added than one almsman artefact band was in the works.[24]

As Next Thing Co. entered defalcation with its assets and bookish backdrop actuality sold,[13] absolution of "v2" is improbable.
Hardware extensions

In accession to open-source accouterments and software, Next Thing additionally appear an HPI and an API for users to advance add-ons boards alleged "DIP" [25] The aggregation produced several DIPs including the Pocket CHIP.
Pocket CHIP and Pockulus

Pocket CHIP includes a CHIP, a case with a 4.3 inch 480×272 pixel arresting touchscreen, a clicky keyboard, GPIO headers on the top of the device, and GPIO soldering pads central of the bang cast case. A 5-hour array is included. Following DIP specifications, the CHIP snaps into the case with no "screws or glues" creating a carriageable computer. On the lower appropriate bend of the Pocket CHIP is a hexagonal aperture that takes a accepted #2 HB pencil. Inserting the pencil creates a angle that allows the Pocket CHIP to angle cocked on a desk. Likewise, on the lower larboard is a annular aperture for a pen.

PocketCHIP comes loaded with a appropriate copy of CHIP OS that includes the DIP's disciplinarian and a brace of added applications, including a appropriate adaptation of video bold animate basic apparatus Pico-8, a absolutely anatomic Linux terminal, a book browser, a terminal based web browser alleged surf, and modular synthesizer Sunvox.

The Pockulus is a basic absoluteness bureaucracy accumulation a Pocket CH.I.P. that requires some 3D printing.
Other DIPs from Next Thing

For users who did not appetite to use the baby awning in Pocket CHIP and additionally did not appetite to use the congenital blended TV output, Next Thing awash a VGA DIP[26] and an HDMI DIP.[27] Unlike Pocket CHIP, concrete ambit of these DIPs are agnate to CHIP, so the airtight accumulation looks like a thicker CHIP.
Media advantage and user community

CHIP accustomed favorable reviews, and connected comparisons to Raspberry Pi. Laura Sydell of NPR asked if the accessory could "spark a new beachcomber of tinkering and innovation", acquainted it was additionally accessible antecedent hardware.[28] Marco della Cava of USA Today said that the accessory "represent[s] opportunities to both abutting the technology gap in developing and developed countries alike, while auspicious accouchement to apprentice coding, due to their attainable design".[29]

Reviewers additionally acclaimed its low price. Bo Moore of PC Gamer said the amount of CHIP "[puts] Raspberry Pi 2 to shame",[30] and Ian Paul of PCWorld said it fabricated "Raspberry Pi's amount assume luxurious".[31] Within canicule of the barrage of its Kickstarter, US civic media outlets like The Washington Post and Time followed with aglow coverage.[32][33] Even Fortune abutting the choir with banderole "This $9 computer could change the economics of architecture hardware."[34]

Since its Alpha shipping, CHIP has admiring an agog user base, communicating mainly on NTC's account lath arrangement (BBS). At the time of NTC's demise, the BBS had over 10,000 users, with hundreds of alive users and hundreds of postings every month, to a absolute of over 100,000.[35]

Despite activity from reviewers and users, Next Thing Co. declared defalcation in March 2018, abrogation abounding pre-order barter with undelivered orders.[13]
Archives and continuing support

While NTC has appear abounding of its accouterments and software repositories on GitHub, actual CHIPsters (as CHIP users alarm themselves[citation needed]) additionally launched an accomplishment in adjustment to bottle advantageous document, software, and added artifacts by leveraging the Internet Annal (a.k.a. archive.org). One accomplishment is led by a user who has never accustomed his preordered CHIP.[36] Accession user set up a standalone armpit absorption on bifold bales and a Git repository.[37]

In addition, the association additionally has a Wiki armpit that is absolute of NTC.[38]