SB Components' EncroPi Packs a Real-Time Clock and an RP2040 for USB Timekeeping, Security Tasks
Originally designed as a real-time clock board, the EncroPi comes with the promise of secure data storage through encryption.
Embedded developer Rohit Rohit and SB Components have launched a crowdfunding campaign for a neat USB stick, the EncroPi, designed to help keep your data secure — using a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller.
"There are so many RTCs [Real-Time Clocks] available in the market," Rohit explains of the board's surprisingly expansive feature set, "but our idea was to make it more efficient than just being a real-time clock. So we decided to mount it with a strong micro-controller — RP2040 — and make provisions for data storage."
At its most basic, the EncroPi serves as a real-time cock for a host device connected over USB — complete with battery backup, so the time isn't lost when the dongle is removed from the USB port. An on-board 1.14" 240×135 color LCD panel provides at-a-glance viewing of the current time, or can be programmed to show anything of the user's choice — including full-color images.
But it's the security aspect SB Components is pushing most heavily. The EncroPi, the company explains, offers the ability to store data on a microSD card either directly or in encrypted form, while also offering support for encrypting other stored data — though the company has not detailed exactly how this works, nor whether the encryption takes place on the microcontroller or on the host machine. "Make use of EncroPi as an encrypted key," Rohit writes, "and secure your codes and application sources."
The dongle can also be used as a physical secure access key, Rohit claims, offering "a seamless authentication experience," which the company claims could be of use in fields ranging from telematics to Internet of Things (IoT) and smart-metering systems. At the time of writing, however, SB Components had yet to release any sample source code for such projects.
The EncroPi crowdfunding campaign is now running on Kickstarter, with physical rewards starting at £35 (around $42) for a single EncroPi and enclosure. The hardware is expected to ship in September, SB Components has confirmed.