Choose Your Hardware
Four ways to buy Helioclock.
Bring your own Pi 4/5, boot it from a USB stick on a PC you already have, get a turnkey display, or run a multi-screen server for a wall of displays. Pick the one that fits how you’ll actually use it.
Outside the US or Canada? We can’t ship there yet, but join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment we can.
Wondering why Helioclock ships on physical media instead of a download? Here’s why.
Questions about returns or warranty? Read our Purchase & Return Policy.
SKU-1
SD Card – Pi 4/5
$49.99
IN STOCK
FREE SHIPPING — USPS Ground Advantage with tracking
A preloaded SD card for a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 you already own. Primary use case is a big screen TV. You can also access Helioclock from a browser on your PC or tablet on your LAN for a full interactive session.
For Pi 4 and 5 only. Pi models 1/2/3 will not work as they are not powerful enough.
- Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 5, 4GB minimum RAM
- Runs Helioclock automatically after power up
- Use with big screen TV/displays, plus can be a headless server with remote browser access
- SD card wear mitigation built in for long service life
- Keyboard and mouse required for initial setup (not included)
SKU-2
Live USB Stick
$49.99
IN STOCK
FREE SHIPPING — USPS Ground Advantage with tracking
A bootable USB drive that runs Helioclock on a PC you already own. Works on most existing Intel/AMD PCs made in the last decade, allowing you to repurpose old hardware. No Pi 4/5, needed, no separate appliance, just plug it in and boot from it. Works on connected big screen TV’s and from a browser on your PC or tablet on your LAN. (Product appearance may vary slightly.)
- Works on existing Intel/AMD PCs – repurpose old hardware
- 4GB minimum RAM
- Runs Helioclock automatically after power up by configuring your PC Boot preference in BIOS
- Ships as a physical 32GB USB 3.0 drive
- Wear mitigation built in for long service life
- Keyboard and mouse required for initial setup (not included)
SKU-3
Turnkey Appliance
$396
IN STOCK
FREE SHIPPING — USPS Priority Mail with tracking
A dedicated compute appliance, ready to run Helioclock out of the box. Ryzen 5 CPU, Vega graphics, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD. No setup beyond your network connection and time zone. Connect your own HDMI big screen TV/display and go. (Product appearance may vary slightly.)
- Ready to run – connect your own HDMI display and/or use to drive browsers on your LAN
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB NVMe SSD
- Dual HDMI outputs – drive two displays at the same time
- Supports WiFi and Ethernet
- Runs Helioclock automatically after power up
- Compact, built for a desk, wall, or shelf
- Built in wear mitigation for long service life
- Silent cooling fan
- HDMI cable included
- Keyboard and mouse required for initial setup (not included)
SKU-4
Multi-Display Server
$499+
An enterprise-class server built to drive multiple displays at once – for NOCs, trading floors, dispatch centers, and lobbies that need more than one screen showing live data. Custom or turnkey systems are available – contact us for a quote.
- Desktop or rack-mounted server
- Drives multiple displays from one unit
- Server-side caching handles many more simultaneous remote browser viewers
Minimum System Requirements
What you’ll need on your end.
SKU-3 and SKU-4 are turnkey – the hardware ships ready to run. SKU-1 and SKU-2 run on hardware you already own, so here’s what that hardware needs to meet.
SKU-1
SD Card – Pi 4/5
- Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 5, 4GB minimum RAM
- WiFi minimum, wired ethernet recommended for 24/7 reliability
- 1080p HDMI display minimum, 4K recommended – or none at all, primary use is headless via remote browser
- Keyboard and mouse required for initial setup (not included)
SKU-2
Live USB Stick
- Intel or AMD PC (x86_64), UEFI or legacy BIOS boot support
- Quad-core processor (4 or more physical cores) with a boost clock of 3 GHz or higher, in a laptop or desktop. Boost speed is what counts, since laptop chips often list a lower base speed. In practice that means Intel Core i3/i5/i7 8th generation or newer, AMD Ryzen 5/7 2000-series or newer, or an Intel N95/N97 or N100/N150-class chip.
- 4GB minimum RAM
- USB 3.0 port recommended for best performance
- Any display with HDMI or DisplayPort
- Keyboard and mouse required for initial setup (not included)
Before You Buy
A couple of things worth knowing.
Why can’t I just download it?
Helioclock isn’t an app you install on top of your existing setup, it’s a complete, purpose-built Live Linux environment tuned for exactly the hardware it runs on. That’s what makes it plug-and-play: no drivers to chase down, no dependencies to install, no config to get right. Building and testing a real, working image for a given piece of hardware, then standing behind it, is what SKU-1 and SKU-2 actually are. A raw download we couldn’t test against your specific board or PC wouldn’t give you that same guarantee, and it’s part of why physical media is what ships. It’s also a support question: trying to make a general download work across every Linux distro and every skill level, from experienced sysadmins to first-time users, would turn troubleshooting into a nightmare for everyone involved.
Why only US and Canada right now?
International shipping brings its own customs paperwork, duties, and per-country logistics, and we’d rather get that right than promise delivery we can’t back up. We’re actively working on setting up proper sales and shipping channels outside the US and Canada. If you’re outside either country, join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s ready.
Not Sure Which One?
A quick way to decide.
Already own a Pi?
Go with SKU-1. It’s the cheapest way in, and you’re likely running it headless anyway.
Have a spare PC instead?
Go with SKU-2. Boot it from the USB stick, no Pi 4/5 required.
Want it to just work?
Go with SKU-3. One box, connect a display, nothing to configure.
Outfitting a NOC or ops room?
Go with SKU-4. Built for more than one screen from the start.