Awesome PocketCHIP / C.H.I.P. Resources
A curated link index for the Next Thing Co. PocketC.H.I.P. and C.H.I.P. single-board computer.
This repository prefers linking to primary sources, mirrors, archives, community projects, and external guides rather than duplicating their content. Repo-local notes are kept separately in docs/notes.md.
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Contents
- Start Here
- Firmware and Flash Images
- Flashing Tools
- Post-Flash Fixes
- Debian / Linux Repair
- Launchers and Interfaces
- Alternative Operating Systems
- Hardware Documentation
- Official and Historical Archives
- Community Hubs
- Guides and Walkthroughs
- PICO-8 and Game Dev
- Repo-Local Notes
- Contributing
Start Here
-
C.H.I.P. Flash Collection - Internet Archive Firmware images, flashing tools, source archives, SDK files, and mirrored Next Thing Co. materials.
-
r/ChipCommunity Current community troubleshooting and discussion.
-
Thore-Krug/Flash-CHIP Flashing environment for CHIP and PocketC.H.I.P.
-
SaltyCybernaut/PocketCHIP-flash-utils Helper scripts for flashing PocketC.H.I.P. / C.H.I.P. firmware locally.
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daisyUniverse/fixchip Post-flash repair script for stock PocketC.H.I.P. images.
Firmware and Flash Images
- C.H.I.P. Flash Collection - Internet Archive
- JF Possibilities CHIP Mirror
- JF Possibilities CHIP Images / Tools Mirror
- Project-chip-crumbs GitHub organisation
Useful image families to look for:
stable-pocketchip-*testing-pocketchip-*stable-gui-*testing-gui-*stable-server-*testing-server-*buildroot-*
See docs/notes.md for a short explanation of image types.
Flashing Tools
- chip-flasher The source code for the original Chrome-based web flasher. Useful for understanding how the FEL flashing process was implemented via WebUSB. (Official)
- sunxi-tools Fork of the essential Allwinner/Sunxi utilities used for interacting with the CPU over USB (FEL mode). This is a vital dependency for many flashing scripts. (Official)
- CHIP-tools - Project-chip-crumbs
- CHIP-SDK - ntc-chip-revived
- CHIP-SDK - Project-chip-crumbs
- Thore-Krug/Flash-CHIP
- SaltyCybernaut/PocketCHIP-flash-utils
- C.H.I.P. Flash Collection - Internet Archive
Related upstream tooling:
See docs/notes.md for short local notes on FEL mode and common detection problems.
Post-Flash Fixes
Debian / Linux Repair
- x-chip-tools Scripts for creating and compiling a full Linux image from scratch (using debootstrap). Helpful for developers trying to build custom distros for the platform. (Official)
- x-chip-deb-repo The repository responsible for building the final output Debian package repository for the CHIP/PocketCHIP ecosystem. Crucial for understanding how updates were originally packaged. (Official)
- CHIP-linux and linux Next Thing Co’s forks of the Linux kernel, containing all the specific device tree overlays and patches required to run on the R8 processor. (Official)
- JF Possibilities Debian Package Mirror
- arran4/pocketchip-apt-rescue Community-maintained APT rescue proxy for the Next Thing Co. PocketC.H.I.P. and C.H.I.P.
- CHIP Stuff - Max Glenister
- billys_chips.md
- How to get (re)started with a (Pocket)C.H.I.P.
- CHIP Flashing Guide - July 2020
Launchers and Interfaces
- PocketCHIP-pocket-home The original source code for the PocketC.H.I.P. interface (Marshmallow edition is a popular community fork of this). (Official)
- PocketCHIP Launcher (Marshmallow Edition) Community-maintained fork of the PocketCHIP home screen with an APT repository and easier compilation.
- pocketchip-menu Experimental community-maintained Pygame replacement for the PocketCHIP home launcher, designed for Debian 11.
Alternative Operating Systems
- postmarketOS wiki: Next Thing Co. CHIP
- FreeBSD forum: installation attempt on Pocket C.H.I.P.
- linux-sunxi: NextThingCo CHIP
Hardware Documentation
- CHIP-Hardware Official schematics, board files, and pinouts for the original C.H.I.P. board. Critical for hardware hacking. (Official)
- PocketCHIP-PCB Official board layouts and schematics for the PocketC.H.I.P. chassis. (Official)
- DIP-HDMI-PCB and DIP-VGA-PCB Schematics for the official HDMI and VGA adapters. Useful if trying to recreate them. (Official)
- PocketC.H.I.P. Documentation - JF Possibilities mirror
- C.H.I.P. Documentation - JF Possibilities mirror
- PocketC.H.I.P. Documentation - docs.getchip.cc mirror
- NextThingCo GitHub archive
- Project-chip-crumbs GitHub organisation
- chip-hardware mirror
- linux-sunxi: NextThingCo CHIP
Official and Historical Archives
- docs The raw markdown files that generated the original official documentation site (docs.getchip.cc). Contains lots of information about GPIOs, I2C, and default passwords. (Official)
- gadgetcli and Gadget-OS Tooling and the base OS for Gadget, an enterprise/IoT platform Next Thing Co. was working on. Highlights the later direction of the company. (Official)
- PocketCHIP-Education Curriculum and guides targeted at using the PocketC.H.I.P. in a classroom setting. Offers good context on the educational goals of the device. (Official)
- pocketchip-localdoc The local documentation shipped on the PocketC.H.I.P. itself, covering basics like connecting to WiFi and using the pre-installed software. (Official)
- NextThingCo GitHub archive
- Project-chip-crumbs GitHub organisation
- C.H.I.P. Flash Collection - Internet Archive
- Archived getchip.com
- Archived bbs.nextthing.co
- Archived CHIP Community Wiki
- JF Possibilities CHIP Mirror
- The C.H.I.P. is dead… or is it?
Community Hubs
- r/ChipCommunity
- Best up-to-date CHIP and PocketCHIP resources list?
- Current state of CHIP flashing: mostly broken
- Up-to-date way of flashing
- CHIP Flashing Guide - July 2020
Guides and Walkthroughs
- Reflashing the Pocket CHIP in 2023
- NextThingCo Pocket C.H.I.P. Flashing Guide
- NextThingCo C.H.I.P. Flashing guide as of November 2018
- Flash C.H.I.P. and PocketCHIP from MacOS via Chrome in 2019
- How to get (re)started with a (Pocket)C.H.I.P.
- billys_chips.md
- PocketChip notes gist
PICO-8 and Game Dev
PICO-8 is proprietary/commercial software. Link only to legitimate PICO-8 resources.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome.
Preferred contributions:
- working third-party links
- verified mirrors
- archived copies of dead official pages
- tested flashing guides
- hardware documentation
- repair notes
- post-flash fix scripts
- modern OS experiments
- dead-link reports
Please avoid copying large amounts of content from third-party sources. Prefer linking to original pages, mirrors, or archived snapshots.
When adding a resource, include:
- title
- URL
- short description
- whether it is official, mirrored, archived, community-maintained, or experimental
- date tested, if known (in commit message & pr)
Disclaimer
C.H.I.P. and PocketC.H.I.P. are discontinued devices. Many original services, repositories, and flashing tools are dead, mirrored, or outdated. This repository is a community-maintained index, not an official source.