The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video , to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games. What’s more, the Raspberry Pi has the ability to interact with the outside world, and has been used in a wide array of digital maker projects, from music machines and parent detectors to weather stations and tweeting birdhouses with infra-red cameras. We want to see the Raspberry Pi being used by kids all over the world to learn to program and understand how computers work.
What are the specifications of a "Raspberry Pi?"
There are many models of "Raspberry Pi's" they all have fairly low end specifications.
just to name the highest end model the "Raspberry Pi 2 Model B" for example
4 USB ports
40 GPIO pins
Full HDMI port
Ethernet port
Combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video
Camera interface (CSI)
Display interface (DSI)
Micro SD card slot
VideoCore IV 3D graphics core
900mhz Qualcomm Quad-Core CPU
1GB of RAM
Now I know what you're thinking.. What the F@$% can I do with something like that? those are terrible specs !
Well I'll tell you! it's good enough to do all types of things. here's a link
Why does a Raspberry Pi matter?
It's dirt cheap computer. under $50 that can be used for almost all tiny light weight tasks. media consumption, you could make a mini micro sever with just a few of them, you can even learn how to program. and so on.
If you own one, post some experiences or more things you've done that i haven't listed with your Raspberry Pi. and if so make a thread or tutorial on stuff to do with it. it's an awesome device that you should own :)
I love my Raspberry Pi. It's silly how much you can do with it. I have plans to buy two more. One as a Media Playbox and the other well I don't know yet but I'll think of something.
Uh, a little context is that I'm running my household's wireless devices AND ethernet devices off a crappy $30 wal-mart. That's... 2 PCs on Ethernet, 4 small devices on wireless (ipods/tablets/etc), 2 laptops and a PC on wireless. It would have to be able able to handle that load.
No worries. It sounds like I'd need more hardware, since the Pi only has the one Ethernet port, which would be occupied by the modem line, when I need 2, if not 3, more to connect to ethernet devices. So I'd probably be better served by something else.
On the other hand, a weather station does sound useful.
Yeah, I didn't even consider the USB ports seriously. Not that I'm 100% convinced my ISP would max out 10/100, there's still principle. I can't yell at them for their crap service if maybe my hardware's at fault, you know?
I got him interested in the Pi yesterday :P some cred pls @Kat.
As the video in the topic shows you can run XBMC (now known as Kodi) on the Pi easily so depending on your usage a WD Live TV box wouldn't be too difficult to replace. Though those boxes aren't too bad from what I hear so ask yourself if it's necessary, might be able to find a better use for the Pi ;)
Yea, it doesn't saturate the USB2 bus, not even close. A Raspberry Pi would make a good wireless router, depending on the antenna you stick on it. At 2 Amps you can't exactly stick huge antennas.
It was just a thought, I know there is alternate firmware for them that adds a lot of functionality, I run a media server and send content to the WD boxes, I've never liked the interface and they have flaky quirks that crop up from firmware version to firmware version. I run Plex as a front end and the WD boxes really don't support it fully, they work ok but have over heating issues if left on all day and have a tendency to just lock up in the middle of a show.
On the other hand it would be a fun device to have to try my hand at Python...
The Pi 1 (A, B, B+) was powered by a single core ARMv6 BCM2835 processor clocked at 700 MHz.
The Model B+ and later Model Bs had 512MB of RAM. The Model A and very early Model Bs had 256MB of RAM.
The Pi 2 meanwhile (B) is powered by a quad core ARMv7 BCM2836 processor clocked at 900MHz. It has 1GB of RAM.
ARM is NOT x86 like you'll find in your desktop or laptop. It is an ARM chip which is what you'd find in the majority of phones and tablets (and most 'smart' devices). They are by no means a 'niche' market like the Pi, with some 12 billion chips sold last year.
This means that the Pi can not run the Windows desktop like you'll find on your PC. Though, with the Pi 2, Microsoft have released 'Windows for IoT' which is for Internet of Things development on the Pi. This is accessed through 'Powershell' on Windows (think terminal).
I am currently running one as a Print/Scan server and the other is my Quassle IRC lurker box. Once I get a CHIP (another micro ARM computer) I will be converting it into a software defined radio server. I will post A guide once I get it running. One Pi runs FreeBSD the other runs Opensuse.
I'm quite doubtful of CHIP at present. The shipping prices make me think that's how they are paying for it, as there is no way (as many of the comments on their Kickstarter stated) that it costs that much to ship something that tiny internationally. Also the VGA boards which are more expensive than the computer itself.
Though it may be possible as they are using a new SOC with the RAM included but they would have to be sourcing them at a ludicrously low price point.
Once it's on the open market I'll be sure to pick up a few. I don't have the trust for Kickstarter at present.
