Hands-On with the CrowPi2

As previously covered by Cabe Atwell, the CrowPi2 is just completing its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The portable computing and STEM education platform comes in the form of an ordinary laptop, but beneath its removable keyboard are a variety of hardware components that you can explore, and it's powered by a Raspberry Pi. The device is available for pledges ranging from around $170 USD sans Pi, all the way up to a two deluxe kit pack for ~$619, with each one mounting a Pi 4B 8GB model, along with a variety of parts for experimentation.

Can They Deliver?

This all sounds very good, and as they’ve raised over $500,000 toward their $20,000 goal as of this writing, there is no doubt the project will get the go-ahead. But, can they deliver? The short answer is that if the sample that they sent me is any indication, they have something that is nearly ready for production. This isn’t their “first rodeo” either, and while I never got my hands on the original CrowPi, it appears that the unit is much improved version of that device, or at least targeted to a somewhat different market.

First Impressions

Digging into the silver CrowPi2, the first challenge was to get the included keyboard and mouse hooked up, which was a matter of supplying a battery to the mouse, and inserting a dongle into the included Pi 4 4GB’s USB port. Once that was done, and power was connected, that was the extent of the setup, and I could explore the different educational opportunities.

On the home screen, you have access to Projects, Minecraft, Learning, and more. To explore the hardware side of the device, you simply click on Projects, and remove the keyboard to reveal the hardware inside. Here you can experiment with items like an infrared receiver that can be hooked up to take commands from the included IR remote. A small breadboard is available for more involved projects, and there is even a tray that pops out in the back for component storage.

Gaming Laptop Substitute?

If you’d rather play games on the machine, it includes a pair of Super NES-style controllers, and a second SD card pre-loaded with RetroPie. Naturally, you’ll need to supply your own games, but this could be an interesting option. While I wouldn’t compare it with a laptop from Apple or Lenovo, if you specifically want a Pi-based laptop, this could be a good alternative to a DIY solution. There is no built-in battery, and the keyboard tends to flex when typing on it in its cradle, so that's something to consider if you're going to use it that way.

For Future Hardware Hackers

Where I see the CrowPi2 being really useful is for kids that are old enough to read the tutorials, but have very little experience with computer hardware. One could first go through some or all of the pre-defined lessons, then break out to new projects. At some point, it could even be taken apart and used with the supplied components as a donor for even more advanced projects. Such use is probably not what its creators intended, but would definitely be in the spirit of hacking!

For the right audience, the CrowPi2 looks like a lot of educational fun. Given its current pledge level, and the sophistication of my early version, I’d say the chances of them delivering on this campaign are extremely good!