The DropTap makes use of a Raspberry Pi 3 witch it self requires a 32 GB microSDHC UHS-I card to contain the file system. This needs to be a class 10 device as speed will be a issue as the DropTap polls and displays information to a mobile user. The card used for the DropTap can be found HERE which at this time is listed at $12.99.
The Raspberry Pi also needs a power adapter which is included in many Raspberry Pi kits so that the device can function. The kit used for the Raspberry Pi DropTap kit can be found HERE which at this time is listed at $49.99.
The DropTap makes use of a USB Gigabit Ethernet Adapter . This is needed to create a network bridge that the DropTap connects to so that network communication can continue without delaying current connections. The USB Ethernet adapter for the DropTap can be found HERE which at this time is listed at $13.99.
Finally the DropTap needs to use a Ethernet cable to complete the connection and create the bridge . This is used to allow communication to continue to flow from the host system to the host network. The Ethernet cable used for the DropTap can be found HERE which at this time is listed at $5.49. It is important to note that size is not much of a issue as the DropTap should be attached at the local box.
| Component name | Link to Component | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Kit | HERE | $49.99 |
| microSDHC Card | HERE | $12.99 |
| Ethernet Adapter | HERE | $13.99 |
| Ethernet Cable | HERE | $5.49 |
The DropTap system is running Raspbian Stretch with the Desktop Option. The kernel version is 4.14 and the current image can be found HERE. The Node Red components are built into the Raspbian operating system which allows any device to run the DropTap feature.
The DropTap also makes use of a mobile application titled DropTap which pulls the relevant information when connected to the DropTap network. The application can be found HERE.