Unveiling the Secrets of Raspberry Pi

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The Raspberry Pi, many readers may have heard of it, but how many truly understand it?

In today’s article, we will systematically look at what this very cool little computer is and briefly introduce what you can do with it.

This article covers all current iterations of the Pi and their characteristics. Each version is slightly different, and one version may be more suitable for your needs than another!

Basics of Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a small computer about the size of a credit card.

This board has a processor, memory, and standard hardware ports, just like most computers.

The Raspberry Pi has all the functions of a computer, so you can do most of the things that a desktop computer can do, such as document editing, playing HD videos, gaming, programming, etc.

However, the processing power of the Raspberry Pi is not as strong as that of a desktop computer, but because it is much cheaper, it is a small computer that you can tinker with freely. If you accidentally break one, it won’t cost you a fortune to replace it.

In daily life, many tasks do not require a high-performance computer to accomplish.

At this point, the high cost-performance ratio of the Raspberry Pi shines through, such as running as a home NAS (Network Attached Storage), web server, media center, TorrentBox, etc.

Operating System

The main operating system of the Raspberry Pi is Raspbian, which is based on Debian. This is a Linux distribution, and if you are used to using Windows computers, you may find it a bit different, but I believe that as long as you take your time to get familiar with it, you will definitely love it.

Although Raspbian is the main supported operating system, other operating systems can also be installed. Installable operating systems include Ubuntu Mate, Ubuntu Core, OSMC, RISC OS, Windows 10 IoT, etc.

If you are looking for Raspberry Pi projects, you can check out our community where there are many cool Raspberry Pi projects.

There are many models of Raspberry Pi, and we will talk about their features one by one next.

Raspberry Pi A+

The Raspberry Pi A+ is a low-spec and low-cost version of the Pi. This version has only one USB port, lower power consumption, no Ethernet port, and only 256MB of memory. The latest version has 512MB of memory.

This version of the Pi is more suitable for projects that do not require significant processing power, and it has a lighter weight and smaller size.

You can do many things with this board, such as robotics, remote-controlled planes, remote-controlled cars, and embedded projects.

For example, it can serve as the brain of a robot, a touchscreen car dashboard, a motion-sensing camera, etc.

Raspberry Pi B+ and B

The Raspberry Pi B+ and B are older versions of the Pi, now replaced by the Pi 2.

The B+ version features a single-core CPU, 4 USB ports, and a microSD card slot, with lower power consumption.

This model has improved upon the previous B model, which only had two USB ports, with higher power consumption and a full-size SD card slot.

The B+ model is still available for purchase but will gradually be replaced by better Pi versions.

Raspberry Pi 2

The Raspberry Pi 2 is the second generation of the Pi. This Pi, along with the B+ version, is one of the most popular versions.

The Pi 2 is the successor to the B+ and features a 900MHz quad-core CPU and 1GB of memory. Other specifications remain consistent with the previous generation.

Here are its features:

40-pin GPIO expansion
4x USB 2.0 ports
Stereo output and composite video port
HDMI port
CSI (Camera Serial Interface) and DSI (Display Serial Interface) ports
Micro SD card slot
Micro USB power

This version of the Pi has now been replaced by more powerful Pi 3 and 4 models.

Raspberry Pi 3 & 3 B+

The Raspberry Pi 3 is the second new version of the Pi, outperforming the second version in performance and functionality. This version offers some additional features that make using the Pi easier.

This version of the Pi comes with a new CPU, clocked at 1.2GHz and 64-bit, but only 32-bit operating systems can be installed on the Pi 3.

The Pi 3 also features onboard Wi-Fi (802.11n) and Bluetooth 4.1. Additionally, there are more USB ports. These new features allow us to do some really cool things.

The other components of the board remain essentially unchanged.

Here are the new features:

Broadcom BCM2387 chipset
1.2GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU
Integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1

The Raspberry Pi 3B+ is still available for purchase, featuring some minor upgrades but not as many as the new Raspberry Pi 4.

Raspberry Pi 4

The Raspberry Pi 4 is the latest version in the Raspberry Pi family and is the best board to date. It has undergone numerous hardware upgrades, making it far superior to its predecessors.

This version features a 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A72, which is a significant improvement over previous generations.

This Raspberry Pi also offers multiple memory options. For example, you can choose the classic 1GB version, as well as 2GB, 4GB, and the newer 8GB version.

More improvements make this board highly attractive to both enthusiasts and regular users. The 4GB version makes it a very viable desktop computer alternative.

Here are all the new features in the Raspberry Pi 4:

1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A72 CPU (approximately 3 times the performance).
1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB LPDDR4 SDRAM.
Full Gigabit Ethernet
Dual-band 802.11ac wireless networking
Bluetooth 5.0
Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports
Support for dual displays up to 4K resolution.
VideoCore VI graphics, supporting OpenGL ES 3.x.
Hardware decoding for 4Kp60 HEVC video
Fully compatible with earlier Raspberry Pi products

How about using the Raspberry Pi as a daily driver? You can check out this article—“Unplugging the MacBook Pro, using the 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 for a day, this is how it feels”

Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero W

The Raspberry Pi Zero is currently the smallest and cheapest Pi.

This board is priced at 66 yuan and incorporates the basic functions of the Pi on a super small board.

Although this Pi cannot handle a lot of processing tasks, it is perfect for embedded projects. It is also very suitable for projects that do not require a lot of processing power or memory, just like the Pi A+.

Here is a summary of the Zero’s features:

1GHz single-core CPU
512MB memory
Mini HDMI
Micro USB interface
Micro USB power
Micro SD card interface
40-pin header compatible with HAT
Reset header

The Raspberry Pi Zero W features wireless capabilities, which is very convenient on such a small board, enabling fun projects using WiFi and Bluetooth.

Now you can still buy the Raspberry Pi 3B+, which has some minor upgrades but not as many as the new Raspberry Pi 4.

Raspberry Pi 400 and Raspberry Pi Pico

Of course, in addition to the classic models above, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has also released two new products.

▼ Raspberry Pi Pico

Click to read👆

▼ Raspberry Pi 400

Click to read👆

I hope this article helps everyone understand what the Raspberry Pi is, what you can do with it, and which Raspberry Pi is more suitable for you.

If you have any thoughts or corrections regarding the article, feel free to leave a comment below!

Original link:

https://www.labno3.com/2021/02/25/what-is-a-raspberry-pi-computer/

Disclaimer:This article’s material comes from the internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author. If there are any copyright issues, please contact me for deletion.

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