48bit.net
48bit.net
⌘K

SBCs & MCUs

SBCs & MCUs

SBCs, also known as Single Board Computers are a wonderful way to run small applications, code, or projects. Many Mini PCs are SBCs, however one of the most famous of them all is the Rasbperry Pi.

Single-Board Computers (SBCs)

These are full-fledged computers, usually running Linux:

  1. Raspberry Pi 5 / 4 / 3 Series – The gold standard SBC for general use, education, and makers.
  2. Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W – Ultra-compact Pi great for small, low-power projects.
  3. Radxa Rock Pi 4 / 5 – Powerful Pi alternatives with RK3399/RK3588 processors.
  4. Orange Pi 5 / 3 / Zero – Versatile and affordable with decent specs.
  5. Banana Pi M5 / R3 / BPI-M2 Pro – Competing with Orange Pi and Raspberry Pi in power and price.
  6. Libre Computer AML-S905X-CC (Le Potato) – Designed for Pi compatibility with better mainline kernel support.
  7. Odroid XU4 / N2+ / C4 – High-performance ARM SBCs from Hardkernel, often used in emulation and servers.
  8. BeagleBone Black / AI-64 – Known for industrial use and real-time processing.
  9. NVIDIA Jetson Nano / Xavier NX / Orin Nano – SBCs with GPU acceleration for AI and robotics.
  10. LattePanda Alpha / Delta – x86 SBCs with Windows/Linux support, great for more desktop-class projects.
  11. Udoo Bolt / x86 – High-performance x86 SBCs for powerful embedded applications.
  12. PINE64 (RockPro64, Quartz64, Pine A64) – Open-source friendly and modular.

Microcontroller Boards (MCUs)

These are typically used for controlling sensors, motors, and other hardware:

  1. Arduino Uno / Mega / Nano / Leonardo – Classic and most recognizable MCUs.
  2. Arduino Due / Portenta H7 / Nicla Sense ME – Higher-end Arduinos for more demanding tasks.
  3. ESP32 / ESP8266 – Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-capable MCUs from Espressif, extremely popular in IoT.
  4. Raspberry Pi Pico / Pico W – Raspberry Pi’s take on microcontrollers, with the RP2040 chip.
  5. Teensy 4.1 / 4.0 / 3.2 – Fast ARM Cortex-M-based boards with lots of peripherals.
  6. Adafruit Feather / ItsyBitsy / QT Py – A family of boards with various chips, often designed for low-power and wearable projects.
  7. Seeed Studio XIAO Series / Wio Terminal – Tiny but powerful, including wireless variants.
  8. STM32 Nucleo / Blue Pill / Discovery Boards – ARM Cortex-M boards, popular in embedded development.
  9. Particle Photon / Argon / Boron – Connected MCUs built for IoT, with cloud features.
  10. BBC micro:bit v2 – Educational microcontroller with sensors and Bluetooth, popular in schools.