Beyond MuleCube
Your MuleCube is a full Raspberry Pi 5 — swap the SD card to transform it
MuleCube is built on the Raspberry Pi 5 — the world’s most versatile mini-computer with over 68 million units deployed globally. While it comes pre-configured as an offline knowledge server, it’s capable of much more.
One Device, Many Possibilities
The MuleCube hardware you own is a complete, powerful computer. By swapping the SD card, you can transform it into an entirely different device — then swap back to MuleCube whenever you need offline services again.
No extra hardware needed. Your MuleCube already has everything: the computer, the battery, the case, the cooling. Just download a different operating system image, flash it to a spare SD card, and boot into a completely different experience.
What Else Can It Become?
Retro Gaming Console
Turn your MuleCube into a gaming machine with thousands of classic games.
RetroPie or Batocera transforms it into a retro gaming console supporting:
- Nintendo (NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy)
- Sega (Genesis, Dreamcast, Game Gear)
- PlayStation 1 & 2 (selected titles)
- Arcade classics (MAME)
- And 50+ other platforms
Perfect for: Downtime during expeditions, entertaining kids on road trips, or nostalgia nights.
→ Download RetroPie | Download Batocera
Full Desktop Computer
Connect a monitor, keyboard, and mouse — you have a complete Linux PC.
Raspberry Pi OS Desktop gives you:
- Web browsing (Firefox, Chromium)
- Office suite (LibreOffice)
- Email, calendars, and contacts
- Programming environments
- Photo and video editing
Perfect for: A backup computer, teaching kids to code, or a privacy-focused workstation.
Media Center
Stream your movie and music collection to any TV.
LibreELEC (running Kodi) turns it into:
- A sleek TV interface for movies and shows
- Music player with album art
- Photo slideshow viewer
- YouTube, Netflix, and streaming add-ons (when online)
- Local media playback (no internet needed)
Perfect for: Boat entertainment systems, cabin TVs, or cord-cutting at home.
Smart Home Hub
Control your entire smart home from one central device.
Home Assistant lets you:
- Control lights, thermostats, and sensors
- Create automations (“turn on lights at sunset”)
- Monitor energy usage
- Integrate with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit
- Run entirely locally — no cloud required
Perfect for: Privacy-conscious smart home users, off-grid cabins with solar automation.
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
With your existing battery backup, MuleCube makes an excellent small NAS.
OpenMediaVault provides:
- File sharing (SMB/NFS) for your network
- Automatic backups from phones and laptops
- Media streaming (DLNA)
- Docker support for additional services
- UPS-protected storage (your battery prevents data loss during outages)
Add an NVMe HAT for fast SSD storage — your MuleCube’s battery acts as built-in UPS protection.
Personal Cloud Server
Host your own services instead of paying for cloud subscriptions.
Umbrel or CasaOS offer one-click installation of:
- Nextcloud (your own Dropbox/Google Drive)
- Bitwarden (password manager)
- Immich (photo backup like Google Photos)
- Jellyfin (streaming server)
- Bitcoin/Lightning node
- And 200+ other self-hosted apps
Perfect for: Privacy advocates, reducing subscription costs, data sovereignty.
→ Download Umbrel | Download CasaOS
Marine Navigation System
For sailors, the Pi ecosystem has dedicated marine solutions.
OpenPlotter integrates:
- Signal K marine data server
- OpenCPN chart plotting
- AIS receiver support
- Instrument displays
- Weather routing
- Autopilot interfaces
Many cruisers have replaced thousands in marine electronics with a Pi running OpenPlotter.
How to Switch Between Systems
- Get a spare SD card (32GB or larger recommended)
- Download the OS image from the links above
- Flash it using Raspberry Pi Imager (free, works on Windows/Mac/Linux)
- Insert the new SD card into your MuleCube
- Power on — it boots into the new system
To switch back to MuleCube, just swap in your original SD card.
Pro tip: Label your SD cards! Keep one for MuleCube, one for gaming, one for media center, etc. Swap as needed.
Hardware Expansion
Because MuleCube is built on standard Raspberry Pi hardware, you can expand it:
| Expansion | What It Adds |
|---|---|
| NVMe HAT | Fast SSD storage for NAS or media server use |
| PoE HAT | Power over Ethernet — one cable for power + network |
| Camera module | Security camera, timelapse, wildlife monitoring |
| GPIO sensors | Temperature, humidity, motion detection |
| DAC HAT | High-quality audio output for music systems |
| Display HAT | Touchscreen for dedicated interfaces |
Your MuleCube’s battery and case work with most standard Pi HATs.
The Raspberry Pi Ecosystem
With 68+ million Raspberry Pi computers sold worldwide, you benefit from:
- Massive community — solutions to almost any problem already documented
- Global parts availability — replacements available in any electronics shop
- Thousands of tutorials — YouTube, forums, and guides for every project imaginable
- Regular software updates — active development and long-term support
- Compatible accessories — cases, HATs, cables available everywhere
Official Resources
- Raspberry Pi Foundation — Official site with projects and guides
- Raspberry Pi for Home — Consumer use cases
- Raspberry Pi Forums — Community support
- MagPi Magazine — Free monthly magazine with projects
MuleCube: Your Starting Point
When you buy a MuleCube, you’re getting:
- A ready-to-use offline server — works out of the box
- A complete Raspberry Pi 5 computer — for any other project
- A battery-powered portable platform — no other Pi comes with this
- Professional assembly and testing — no soldering, no troubleshooting
- Global parts availability — repairable anywhere in the world
One purchase. Endless possibilities. Start with offline knowledge, expand into whatever you need.
Questions?
Email hello@mulecube.com — we’re happy to discuss what’s possible with your MuleCube hardware.