0 sats \ 6 replies \ @ek 16 May 2023 \ parent \ on: Daily discussion thread
Nice that everything worked after a restart! I am always afraid that I missed to configure some service to start after boot since it's annoying to test stuff like this.
What hardware is your node running on btw?
The basic Pi4 setup. I'm planning on upgrading this summer. How about you? I'm looking for suggestions.
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I started with a RPi3 but it was unstable (too many freezes). Then I ran a node on an old Thinkpad T420 but it also froze every 6-8 weeks. Then I switched to a Mini-PC (HP EliteDesk 800G1 USDT) and also configured Wireguard such that I can use a static public IP from my VPS for stable inbound connections. That was running smoothly for 3 months until my SSD broke, lol
Now I am waiting for the delivery of a new SSD since it died while it still had warranty. Thanks to @021da48107 for reminding me about the warranty here, haha
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I have had my basic RPi4 with a 1TB SSD setup going since 11/21 without any issues. I am also running Wireguard. I really want something more robust, but I'm a strong believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I'm also thinking about heading the mini pc route, but I have a lot of older laptops laying around which I might play with also.
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I have 4 1L mini PCs that I run at home and I've actually been thinking of "upgrading" to laptops. Here are my thoughts on it:
Pros of laptops:
- Built in battery that can act as a UPS.
- Built in KVM you can use to troubleshoot the system.
- A lot of the used Laptops can actually be powered via USB-C PD, which means you don't need a special AC adapter, and you can run it via DC.
- If you run the laptop via DC, you could technically power it off a LiFePO4 battery, with a solar panel hooked up that could power the whole thing if the power went down.
Cons of laptops:
- The laptops only come in the lower powered CPU (I think they have a 'T' on the end of the model #)
- Laptops take up a bit more space than the 1L mini PCs.
- Some laptops don't cool properly if the lid is closed, although you could just make sure to get ones that don't have this design flaw, or take the screen off.
In general I've thought about moving to the laptops because I'd like to experiment with running a BTC node off of a LiFePO4 battery + solar, mainly to see if I could do it.
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Informative post. I like the idea of running off of DC power. I have a 1TB ssd I could use with an old Dell XPS.
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Definitely try your older laptops first. I just went with the mini PC because of the issues with my T420. Temperature was also quite high with 65°C on average. But YMMV
I now use the T420 as a DVD player :)
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