RaspberryPiBoard

R-Pi Hub - Experimental Wiki Homepage (In Progress)




 * Please note that the Raspberry Pi wiki pages on this site are a community work, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is not responsible for content on these pages


 * Please note that the Raspberry Pi isn't released yet - this page is a community work in progress in preparation for the launch

The Raspberry Pi is an ultra-low-cost (~15GBP or 25USD) credit-card sized Linux computer for teaching computer programming to children. It is developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which is a UK registered charity (Registration Number 1129409). The foundation exists to promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing.

We expect this computer to have many other applications both in the developed and the developing world.


 * Products are RoHS and CE compliant. Please contact Raspberry Pi for details regarding WEEE in your country.
 * For Raspberry Pi frequently asked questions (FAQ) see FAQ.
 * forum thread about Rpi events & attendances http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum/general-discussion/conferences-and-other-public-appearances
 * You've just got your new Raspberry Pi device - what now? See beginners guides.
 * Estimated availability (as of 31st December 2011) is end January 2012 for the first batch of 10 000. On 31st December 2011 at 22:00, the Foundation auctioned the first two of ten beta boards on a seven-day auction.  The following eight were auctioned on the following days. Initially, there will be shipping from the UK and possibly the US, but will probably expand with local distributors by the second quarter of 2012.

Hardware

 * main article: Rpi Hardware

The first product is about the size of a credit card, and is designed to plug into a TV or be combined with a touch screen for a low cost tablet. It comes in two tastes, A and B, with B having more features. The expected price is 25$ for model A, and 35$ for model B. The GPIO pins on each board allow the use of optional expansion boards.

Software

 * main article: Rpi Software

The Raspberry Pi is a fully capable ARM computer, so it should be able to run about everything compiled for ARM (within specifications) with little or no modification. (some more explanation needed, for example how it uses the sd card and distribution and GPU blob etc. keep it short, long in the main article)

Accessories & Peripherals

 * Verified pheripherals: RaspberryPiBoardVerifiedPeripherals

Case

 * Main article: Rpi Cases

A protective case is an often-cited required accessory. Cases are likely to be offered both directly from Raspberry Pi and from 3rd party companies such as Special Computing. But given the small form factor and power requirements, you could easily put it in about everything: Rpi case thread

Power Adapters
Most power adaptors for modern cell phones will do (look for the microUSB connector)
 * See also Power Ratings
 * Power supply Warning: Cheap knock-offs usually cannot cope with the power demand of the Rpi, so watch out!

Screens

 * Main article: Rpi Screens

The Broadcom BCM2835 only provides HDMI output and composite output (the yellow plug on your tv). While the HDMI output is easily converted to DVI using a passive adaptor, it cannot be converted to VGA.
 * Even HDMI to DVI and then DVI to VGA won't work, as there is no analog signal needed for VGA.

Storage
about the SD card & external HDD's

Expansion boards

 * main page: Rpi expansion boards

It is planned that expansion boards will be offered both by Raspberry Pi Foundation and by 3rd parties during 2012.


 * The first expansion board, nicknamed Gertboard after Gert van Loo, the developer of the Gerboard and one of the principal Hardware Engineers for Raspberry Pi, was announced on 17th December 2011:


 * On 2nd January 2012, CJE/4D announced that they have a real-time clock (RTC) expansion board in the works:

Low-level peripherals

 * Main article: Rpi Low-level peripherals

If you want your board to DO something, like driving a motor, reading a sensor or communicating with another device, on a low (hardware) level, try reading the article. A simpler solution could be a Rpi Gertboard, which provides much of the electronics to do just that. The board brings out the GPIO pins, next to UART,SPI,I2C and the 5v and 3v3 rail in a 2x13 50mil expansion header. The MIPI CSI-2 interface is brought out to unpopulated pads.
 * The MIPI interface is used for camera's.

Manual
A manual is currently in production by members of the Computing At School working group. This began on the 13 October 2011 and is due to be ready for early March 2012. The manual is aimed at the project's target audience, children, so that they can take their "First steps in Computing Science".

For the first release (~January/February 2012), there will mostly likely be very minimal documentation. A 'schools' release is due in June/July 2012.

Shipping
Raspberry Pi will ship worldwide to the best of their ability (ie subject to UK export and local import laws).

Countries that may block the import due to their local laws include China (products imported or re-imported into China require a CCC certificate). This author is unaware if development boards such as the Raspberry Pi require a CCC certificate.

Countries that are currently subject to UK (including EU and UN) export restrictions include North Korea, Iran, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Zimbabwe. A full list and further details are provided at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1084100244

Raspberry Pi devices will ship from the UK (and possibly US) and Raspberry Pi will be looking to sign up distribution partners in due course.

The Raspberry Pi team have stated that they'll charge P&P at cost and are currently planning to use Royal Mail for shipping.

To get an idea of postage charges, take a look at the Royal Mail website: [http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder ] Look for a package just bigger then 85mm x 55mm x 30mm, weight about 55 grams.

As an example: New Zealand, small package 100grams, air mail 5 days : £2.05 for postage. Add around £3 for packaging and you are looking in the region of £5 for postage and packaging.

Articles, Conferences, Links

 * Articles & Links page (not frequently updated)
 * Educational links (not frequently updated)
 * Conferences (R.Pi Forum thread)

Thanks

 * The layout for this page is based on the excellent BeagleBoard page on this site. (Before it was cut to pieces)
 * Some of the text on this page has been adapted from contributions made by the contributors to the BeagleBoard page on this site.