The Beaglebone Black, Raspberry Pi, and other low cost SBCs have altered the embedded computing landscape with high end capabilities and low price points. It has been amazing to watch the shift from systems like the Arduino in 2005 (16MHz cpu, 2k of ram), to the Pi in 2012 (700MHz cpu, 256MB of ram). I've been working with the Beaglebone Black (BBB) for a few years now, almost since it was released in 2013. While the Raspberry Pi is the volume leader by far, and has been around for longer, since 2012, the Pi uses a Broadcom SoC that isn't available through low volume distribution channels. The BBB on the other hand uses the TI Sitara AM335x which can be had through common enough places as DigiKey . This availability means that the BBB can be an ideal prototype platform for both hobby and commercial use. You can begin with the off the shelf BBB and then build a custom board around the AM335x SoC or, because the design files for the BBB are open, customize the BBB's desig