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Next Thing Co. has ceased operations

In the spring of 2018 official confirmation of the closing down of Next Thing Co. appeared on the forum. The getchip.com domain that included all the official documentation started returning 403 errors in July 2018 and the forum went offline on October 2nd, 2018. Be aware that links to NTC owned domains in this wiki are no longer functioning. Some C.H.I.P. users have been collecting most of the existing information in preparation for the inevitable, see the Archives page for links to their efforts and information about archiving some of the content inside this wiki.

C.H.I.P. Single-Board Computer Wiki. Hosted by http://ourproject.org/ free of charge. I've donated to them, have you?

This wiki is for the user community of Next Thing Co's CHIP single-board computer. All are welcome. Anonymous edits are not allowed, but you can create an account for yourself. Before creating an account, please read our high-tech anti-bot captcha all the way to the end. Then create an account for yourself, use the same username as you have on NTC's message board, and start adding content!

Please review the Guidelines before contributing.

Consult the Mediawiki User's Guide for information on using the wiki software. Or email the wiki administrators at chip-community-admins@lists.ourproject.org

For a super quick guide on how to add content to the wiki, see Add Wiki Content (original source, 2nd post on page) .

The following are good places to start looking for information, or you can look for information by category.

BEGINNERS START HERE

• Care and Feeding - NOT JUST FOR BEGINNERS: Dos and don'ts for keeping you and your CHIP healthy and sane.
• Documentation - CHIP, DIP, PocketCHIP, CHIP Pro, and Gadget Documentation from NTC (pdfs)
• Turn it on - How to start it up for the first time!
• Troubleshooting - CHIP not boot? Scrambled video? Smoke and flames? Here's how others solved similar problems.
• You don't have a TV? - Use a VNC server running on CHIP as a remote display so you don't have to use only console commands for basic things.
• Glossary - Terms and abbreviations that are common among CHIPsters. Give it a skim even if you know the vocabulary just to get CHIPsters usage.
• Easy Projects - Simple things to try that don't require Mad Skillz.
• Linux resources - some learning resources for Linux beginners.

SOFTWARE

Finding, comparing, installing applications and software for C.H.I.P, C.H.I.P.Pro and PocketCHIP

• Installing software - Need some apps? Want to install a favorite emulator or a web browser? Learn to use Debian's package management tool.
• Compatible games and emulators list - Everyone love games. This list will help you to know what you can run on your C.H.I.P. or PocketC.H.I.P.

GET LIVE HELP

• Online Chats - Other places you can get help and chat to like minded people
• NTC's CHIP Message Board - VERY valuable resource for asking questions and having discussions. BBS has finally died. Folks have archived the bbs, see the Archive page linked to above..
• ChipCommunity Sub-Reddit - Dedicated resource for asking questions about C.H.I.P and PocketC.H.I.P.
• LinuxQuestions.org - Has a specific subforum for General Linux Software Questions and one for Hardware related questions for Embedded and Single Board Computers
• Ubuntu Forums - Get help in the Ubuntu/Debian BASED subforum

HOW TO

Collective wisdom on how to get things done.

• Contribute to the Wiki - it's not hard, but it is a little different than the message board.
• Power - how to power CHIP and its peripherals.

Flashing and configuring CHIP & pro

• Flash from command line - Flashing CHIP from the command line
• Flashing Buildroot Image from Ubuntu - Flashing CHIP Pro Buildroot Image from Ubuntu
• Startup Program with Buildroot - Startup Program with Buildroot
• U-Boot Environment - Working with U-Boot environment variables after boot
• Automate CHIP configuration - Programmatically set up a CHIP with software and configuration
• Minimize power consumption - steps to reduce CHIP's power consumption.
• Flash#Extend life - flash memory can be written to a finite number of cycles. How to minimize flash writes.

Using CHIP

• Calibrate Touchscreen - How to calibrate the touchscreen in Xorg
• Awesome Projects - Tell us what you did and how you did it. Go ahead and brag a little.
• Remote Desktop - how to log into CHIP over the network.
• Chromium on CHIP - process to get Chromium (the open-source version of the Chrome browser) and Pepper Flash (open-source Flash viewer). These allow viewing YouTube videos.
• Software Libraries - Accessing CHIP's peripherals, the easy way.
• Setting up text mode on PocketCHIP 4.3 - Complete guide how to set up text mode properly from a clean PocketCHIP 4.3 firmware

Attaching peripherals

• GPIO Info - Half the fun of CHIP is being able to interact with the Real World with its General Purpose Input/Output lines.
• OneWire Support using reenzo's rd235+ Kernel
• PWM support using rd235a+ kernel
• SPI support using rd235a+ kernel
• Add a enc28j60 Ethernet interface using rd235b+ kernel
• Create a very basic WiFi access point - make CHIP into a *source* of WIFI, not just a client (convert wlan1 into a wireless AP. Note: Does not include routing).
• Bluetooth How to use Bluetooth to connect to other devices
• Re-use an old printer - Re-use an old parallel printer (or new USB one) with C.H.I.P., CUPS, and a converter cable

NTC COMPUTERS

Facts about and comparisons of NTC computers and their kernels, including lists of what comes pre-installed. Also see the Advanced Hacking sections "Measurements" and "hardware Information"

• Software Info - General info about CHIP OS.
• CHIP vs CHIP Pro - The all inclusive guide comparing the CHIP and the CHIP Pro.

ACCESSORIES

• DIPs - Add-on boards that are made to fit on CHIP (a.k.a. "shields", "capes", etc).
• PocketCHIP - Super Handy Fun Computer.
• USB Devices - Interesting USB peripherals for CHIP.
• I2C Devices - Interesting I2C bus devices for CHIP.
• Cases - from custom-made 3D printing, to modifying existing products, to building toys like Lego.
• Hummus Ethernet DIP: static IP via DHCP - (post is now Obsolete) How to obtain a static IP via DHCP for the Hummus Ethernet DIP.

ADVANCED HACKING

• Kernel Hacking - Building and downloading new operating systems.
• Hardware Information - Stuff CHIPsters have learned the hard way.
• Measurements - Measurements of speed, power usage, memory footprint, etc.
• How does flashing work (original source) - some good information about CHIP flashing.
• U-Boot and flashing - Some tips how to enter boot command prompt, booting single user mode, and more

DEVELOPMENT

• CMake Cross Compile - Cross compiling with CMake without Vagrant VM.

SHARING CODE

Got a git repository with some fun, cool or amazing stuff you wish to share with the community?

Then ask for it to be added to https://github.com/chip-community