Everyone knows that Arduino and Raspberry Pi are two development boards familiar to electronic engineers and embedded engineers.
Both Arduino and Raspberry Pi have their own positioning, and there are significant differences in their performance. However, recently, Arduino has launched the Portenta X8 and Max Carrier, pre-installed with a Linux operating system, which brings its performance close to that of Raspberry Pi.
So, as a beginner, should one choose Arduino or Raspberry Pi?
Background
Arduino was born in Italy. Its inventor, Massimo Banzi, and co-founders came up with the idea in a bar, and thus named it after the bar. Banzi, a teacher at the Interaction Design Institute, wanted to create a simple hardware prototyping tool for students at the design institute, and Arduino was born.
The image above is of an Arduino development board, source: https://www.arduino.cc.
Raspberry Pi was invented in the UK. Its inventor, Eben Upton, and his colleagues at the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory designed this inexpensive and easily modifiable computer development board to better attract students and improve their computer skills, aiming to enhance students’ hands-on abilities.
The image above is of a Raspberry Pi, source: http://www.adafruit.com.
As teaching tools, both Arduino and Raspberry Pi are very suitable for beginners. However, upon closer analysis, they still have quite distinct differences.
Arduino is essentially a microcontroller, like a certain module in a computer, which can only be used to solve a single problem.
On the other hand, Raspberry Pi is a type of microprocessor. As a microprocessor, Raspberry Pi is like a fully functional mini-computer.
By carefully analyzing the hardware and software differences between these two development boards, one can clearly feel the differences in their practical applications.
Hardware and Software
First, let’s take a look at the parameter comparison of the two products!
Although in terms of appearance, Raspberry Pi and Arduino are similar in size and very lightweight, the provided parameter configurations show that there are still very significant differences between the two.
The main frequency speed and memory capacity of Raspberry Pi 2 are far superior to those of Arduino. Raspberry Pi can be seen as a fully independent computer, capable of directly running Linux and Windows 10 operating systems, supporting WIFI connections and multitasking. Although its performance still lags behind a real PC, the data shows that it has completely outperformed Arduino in all aspects.
Raspberry Pi’s powerful computing capabilities, combined with the Linux or Windows system it runs, not only allows it to connect with other electronic components but also enables development in popular programming languages such as Python, Java, and C/C++. Therefore, when it comes to developing features that require high computing power, such as artificial intelligence and facial recognition, Raspberry Pi is a more suitable choice.
In terms of software applications, Raspberry Pi indeed has a slight edge, while in terms of hardware connections, it becomes Arduino’s stronghold.
Compared to Raspberry Pi, Arduino has a very clear advantage in the ease of use of various sensors or chips. Arduino can read sensors without any additional hardware support. As shown in the image below, the LED board displaying patterns can be directly connected to Arduino without any conversion.
Additionally, Arduino has a very good programming environment, allowing for direct code writing, and Arduino can execute commands. In contrast, Raspberry Pi requires the installation of an operating system and a code library to control GPIO pins (hardware connections) before it can control hardware. What takes Raspberry Pi hours to accomplish can be easily done with just a few lines of code on Arduino.
Arduino is not designed to run operating systems and software, so it can be used with sensors and hardware as soon as they are plugged in. On the other hand, Raspberry Pi requires the installation of matching drivers and programming before it can control hardware.
New Possibilities of Strong Collaboration
Raspberry Pi excels in software execution, but Arduino is equally impressive in hardware projects; neither is superior to the other, and they can even complement each other.
In practical applications, Raspberry Pi acts as the brain of the project, responsible for issuing and distributing commands. Meanwhile, Arduino serves as the hands or muscles of the project, directly responsible for operating the sensors. Their combination achieves better results.
Arduino is suitable for driving hardware, accepting sensor models, and other hardware control tasks. Raspberry Pi acts as a control center, guiding Arduino to switch hardware while simultaneously executing other tasks.
There is no superiority between Arduino and Raspberry Pi; both have their irreplaceable advantages and characteristics.
Conclusion
Arduino is easier to operate, making it more suitable for beginners or for hardware-related projects that focus more on sensor usage.
As for Raspberry Pi, it is more suitable for those with a certain programming foundation, as it relies on various software ecosystems for projects.
Source
Qiyisiwei