Single-board computer: Raspberry Pi B+ (made in UK)
The single-board computer which is almost as small as a credit card sets itself apart with its excellent value for money. For anyone who wants to take things into their own hands, doesn't want to spend money on expensive ''finished products'' and likes to do a bit of programming, this small and versatile ARM-based miniature PC offers a broad range of possibilities with a little know-how and an accessory or two.
Thanks to the many connections available on the Raspberry Pi, e.g. HDMI, USB, LAN, audio and its fast 700-MHz ARM processor and integrated graphic unit, it can be used like a PC. The mini-PC can even be used for spreadsheets and word processing thanks to the support of a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor and one of the many operating systems like Raspbian freely available on the Internet. Surf the Internet with the user-friendly user interface with integrated browser or use the power unit, even for games. And this little guy doesn't have a problem playing HD videos either.
Features
The special strengths of the small circuit board include projects like NAS servers, media centres, Internet radio, mail servers or surveillance camera control, to name just a few of the most popular options.
You can also use the Raspberry Pi over the network: once the small all-rounder has connected to its home router, it can be easily monitored, controlled or programmed using a PC or laptop.
Its 40 I/Os, which can also be used for any accessories, are also available to carry out more obscure projects like a smartphone-controlled garage door opening system, a self-designed weather station with full Internet connection etc.
Community
Information is exchanged about projects and their feasibility via Raspberry Pi-related web forums and video portals, making it easy to get started with little effort.
Equipment
In contrast to its predecessor, the current Raspberry Pi B+ has 4 USB ports instead of 2, a microSD card slot instead of an SD card slot, 40 GPIO pins instead of 26 (where the first 26 of the 40 pins are identical to the predecessor to ensure compatibility with the existing accessories), higher audio quality and, last but not least, better energy efficiency.
Other features
• Broadcom BCM2835 700 MHz ARM1176JZFS processor with FPU and VideoCore IV dual-core GPU
• GPU offers Open GL ES 2.0, OpenGL with hardware acceleration and 1080p30 H.264 high-profile decoding
• GPU is capable of 1 GPixel/s, 1.5 GTexel/s or 24 GFLOPs with texture filtering and DMA infrastructure
• 512-MB SDRAM
• 4x USB 2.0
• 40 Pin GPIO
• Micro SD card slot
• HD 1080p video output
• Stereo audio output
• Ethernet port 10/100 BaseT RJ45
• HDMI video/audio socket
• 4-pin audio/composite video-out socket, 3.5 mm
• 15-pin MPI CSI-2 connector for Raspberry...
