Raspberry Pi The Complete Manual

The Raspberry Pi is one of the most exciting things to happen to computer technology in recent years. As an educational tool, this tiny PC has reignited interest in bare-metal computing in schools and homes all over the world. As a platform for opensource software, it has also inspired millions of people to try Linux – many for the first time. Most exciting of all is the potential to incorporate the device into practical projects, as demonstrated by the tutorials in this new edition of Raspberry Pi The Complete Manual. Grab your Pi and start creating!…

While the Raspberry Pi has enjoyed years of success, there’s always been a couple of things a lot of users wanted. A slightly more powerful CPU that could handle day-to-day computing, more USB ports and maybe wireless to make connecting to the network easier. The Raspberry Pi 3 solves these problems. As it uses the same board design as the Model B+, it has four USB ports, as opposed to the two that were on the original Raspberry Pi Model B. More importantly, it has a much more powerful processor and more RAM, making it ten times faster than the original Pi. The Pi 3 has also added built-in wireless capabilities, which makes connecting to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth a cinch. The new BCM2837 chip is the heart of the Raspberry…

While the Raspberry Pi Model B+ is a step up from the Model B with its four USB ports, the Model A+ is smaller than its predecessor, weighing just 23g (down from 45g) and wielding one USB port. It’s also limited to just 256MB of RAM on the SoC, compared to the 512MB enjoyed on the B+. But don’t think that all of this means that the A+ is inferior. Its 65mm length and lower weight is a clue as to how it can be used. The lack of an Ethernet port meanwhile, isn’t a weakness, rather an illustration of the fact that this Raspberry Pi is designed not for media centres and print servers, but for projects where weight is a factor. Perhaps you’ll mount it on an…

Coming in at a size smaller than a credit card, the Pi Zero is certainly impressive to behold. However, its size does not mean a scale back in performance. The Zero’s 1Ghz, Single-core CPU and 512MB RAM has this board running 40% faster than the original Pi. To achieve such a small form factor and low production costs, the creators stripped back a lot of ports we have come to expect. With only space saving micro and mini ports remaining and no Ethernet in sight, adapters of various kinds will play a vital role in more demanding projects. By ensuring every component is justified in its existence, the Pi Zero is incredibly versatile. Its capability to run full images such as Raspbian, means jumping into a project is as…

In order to get the very best experience from your Raspberry Pi, you’re going to have to get hold of a few extras on top of the actual Raspberry Pi board itself. For example, you’re going to need a keyboard and mouse with which to enter commands and navigate. While it’s possible to do projects without a keyboard and mouse attached, you’ll need them for the initial setup. An SD card is also an important purchase – it’s where the operating system lives. Perhaps you’ll need a Wi-Fi adapter, or maybe just a length of network cable. Then there’s the basic electronics side of the Raspberry Pi, what would you need to start some of the beginner electronics and control experiments? Clearly, there’s more to the Raspberry Pi than some…

While it looks daunting, setting up the Raspberry Pi for day-to-day use is actually very simple. Like a TV or a normal computer, only certain cables will fit into the specific slots, and the main job really is making sure you’ve got plugged in what you need at any one time. The Raspberry Pi itself doesn’t label much of the board. However, most good cases will do that for you anyway – if you decide to invest in one.…