Meet the Raspberry Pi
Ok so a Raspberry Pi is a small credit card sized
embedded computer. Just like any computer it requires system software and an
operating system (Usually some flavor of Linux or BSD) to function. Now the
application software that is installed on these tiny computers depends on the
specific intended use for the system. This can very from a basic install for a
general use computer to a custom set of software to complete specific function
or application. You can plug it into a TV or computer monitor and add a mouse,
keyboard, wireless or use it as a server.This brings me to one of the key
features of the Raspberry Pi (And other embedded systems) The GPIO (General
Purpose Input/Output) headers. This is where you can attach all manner of
electronic sensors, switches/relays, LEDs, motor controllers, etc. With some
basic understanding of electronic circuit design, and some basic programming
skills, one can create any manner of electronic project, all supported by a tiny
computer which could be accessed remotely, configured to operate independency,
or used to serve or record data. The other key feature of the Raspberry Pi is
the cost, at a mere $35 USD (B+ model) its hard to pass up when you need a
simple computer. The low price make it great for early childhood education in
computer science, while not blowing the budget on replacements when they become
destroyed due to innocent experimentation gone awry. In fact, education was one
of the main design principles when the Raspberry Pi was invented.
Most do-it-yourselfers flock to the Raspberry Pi for its simple, robust, and
wallet friendly price. There are more powerful credit card size computers on the
market, like the Beagle Bone Black or Banana Pi, but they cost a bit more money.
Raspberry Pi as an stand-alone computer
As a stand-alone computer system, the Raspberry Pi is at a bit of a
disadvantage, The amount of system memory is low for full-blown computer.
However with some careful use of resources, you could use it as a basic PC to
browse the web, check email, chat, or other simple tasks. Anything more then
that and the Raspberry Pi will start to slow down and preform sub-par. The
Raspberry Pi can be over-clocked to achieve faster performance, however you will
have to take measures to keep the system cool to prevent burning out the CPU or
other circuits. (I added after market heat-sinks to the CPU and power
controller.)
There are many uses for the Raspberry Pi as a server
The Raspberry Pi can function as a server computer as well. Once the software is
configured, and its connected to a network, the keyboard, mouse, and monitor can
be removed. The Raspberry Pi will continue to serve request until it is powered
down or encounters in error. The Raspberry Pi can shine as a server because it
doesn’t need to load up a Graphical User Interface, which eats up memory. The
server software just listens for requests on the network and provides a
response. You could access you Pi remotely using a common network tool called
SSH (Secure SHell). Once you connect using SSH you can interact with the system
just like you had logged on the machine itself.
The price is right
Raspberry Pi’s are at the low end of low cost computers, and the numbers of
entries in this race is only growing. The Raspberry Pi foundation is responsible
for bringing this platform of small computers into the fore front. There were
others at first, like the Arduino [http://www.arduino.cc/], but the Raspberry Pi
has developed the market by making their product affordable and easy to use. I
imagine setting up a classroom of Raspberry Pi’s to teach basic programming to
children just became affordable again.
The Hardware
So as of now there are several models of Raspberry PI’s:
UPDATE - On Febuary 2, 2015 the Raspberry Pi Foundation released the latest
model of their micro-computer, the Raspberry Pi 2 B+. (I have one on order now)
Model
CPU/clock
Memory
GPIO
USB Ports
Ethernet
Power
Price
A
ARM A6k/700 MHz
256 MB
26
1
No
1.5 Watts
$25.00
A+
ARM A6k/700 MHz
256 MB
40
1
No
1.0 Watts
$20.00
B
ARM A6k/700 MHz
512 MB
26
2Yes
3.5 Watts
$35.00
B+
ARM A6k/700 MHz
512MB
40
4
Yes
3.0 Watts
$35.00
RasPi 2
ARM A7 Quad core/900MHz
1 GB
40
4
Yes
3.5 Watts
$35.00
Conclusion
The Raspberry Pi movement is less then 2 years old (at the time of writing) and
is only going to grow. There are many problems that the Raspberry Pi can solve,
with a bit of do-it-yourself know-how, you can custom build a computer system to
address your particular needs. By educating the next generation in computer
science, we ensure our children are competitive in the ever-changing workforce
of the future. The Raspberry Pi’s low cost and ease of use, ensures that future.
I look forward to the next models of Raspberry Pi’s with great anticipation. Now
for a nice quick start video about the Raspberry Pi.
Some useful references: