- Rich (The Pi Hut Product Manager)
It's no secret that the Pi 5 will require some form of cooling if you intend to make the most of its impressive performance, but how you do that depends on your project, desk space, noise tolerance and sometimes even the devices you plan to use with it.
We've got some bodacious solutions to keep your Raspberry Pi 5 well away from throttling temps, covering every user and project. Let's take a look at our favourites...
Jason and the team at FLIRC have been making awesome cases for the Raspberry Pi for years now. They've always been a firm favourite with our customers thanks to the minimalist design, silent operation and impressive thermal performance.
The FLIRC Raspberry Pi 5 case maintains that reputation. Not a lot has changed because...why change what works? The latest version uses the same style and thermal approach, but adds a handy section for the Pi 5 power button. It's the GOAT!
Best for: Pi-hole, OctoPrint, Plex servers and other always-on desktop projects that need to be silent and don't require access to the GPIO pins.
Best known for their Argon ONE line of cases (we're eagerly anticipating a Raspberry Pi 5 Argon ONE), Joseph and the Argon Forty crew are veterans of Raspberry Pi case design.
The NEO case for the Raspberry Pi 4 was a hot contender for FLIRC's crown as king of the minimal metal cases, and now they're back with a Pi 5 version.
The NEO 5 goes even further this time, with a 30mm PWM blower fan and cooling fins, decent ventilation/exhausts, covered SD access and a power button section. Whilst not quite as clean and minimal as FLIRC's offering, it does have a little something for everyone.
Best for: Desktop power users who want the backup of a fan when pushing things to the max, and occasional access to the GPIO/CSI/DSI for projects.
Arguably the coolest cooler for the Raspberry Pi 4 has now been remodelled for Raspberry Pi 5.
Just like previous versions, it looks like a mini version of something you'd slap on your gaming PC. The copper pipes suck heat away from the Pi 5's CPU and pass it to the aluminium fins, which dissipate the heat with the help of the included 4-pin LED PWM fan (lovely, lovely blinky!)
The cooler also makes use of the dedicated JST fan header on the Raspberry Pi 5, keeping all your GPIO pins free.
Best for: Ridiculously good cooling and simply awesome looks...with absolutely no consideration for space or practicality! It's one to display, not hide away.
Another brand that's been with us for many years is KKSB. Anton has always tempted us with his posh all-metal cases, and his team are back with a range of great-looking options for the Raspberry Pi 5.
We really like this spacious HAT case they've come up with. The tall body offers lots of room for maximum airflow whilst also allowing the use of a HAT with your Pi 5, all wrapped up in swish black metal.
Being able to remove the side panels is one of the best parts, because HATs sometimes have connectors coming out of here, there and everywhere! Those with a 3D printer could even design custom side panels to match their HAT - neat.
Best for: HATs, of course!
All these tasty cases and coolers are great n' all, but what if you're doing your own thang?
Those of you making your own enclosures - be it for an arcade cabinet, cluster rig or something else that will steal hours of sleep from you - might need a more DIY option.
For these projects and more, we have a super-simple 40mm PWM fan and heatsink set. Chuck the heatsinks on your board, fit the fan however and wherever you like, and have it your way.
Best for: Custom projects and enclosures.
So you like the look of the Raspberry Pi Active Cooler but you're not down with following the crowd, plus ACDC convinced you that everything looks better in black...
We like giving you lots of options here at The Pi Hut, so here's an alternative. This Active Cooling Heatsink from Waveshare has a similar setup to the official cooler - using a fan to shove cool air through the heatsink's fins, taking heat well away from the CPU.
It uses a standard radial fan rather than a blower, however uses the same 4-pin JST connection for the Raspberry Pi 5 fan header - meaning software control, free GPIO pins and silent running when temps are low.
Best for: Simple, effective, low-profile cooling...and rock n' roll fans.
Another hugely popular case for the previous Raspberry Pi 4 was our Aluminium Armour range - a case-go-heatsink that was difficult to beat when it came to silent cooling.
Whilst we continue to work on our own Pi 5 Armour range with lots of snazzy colours, 52Pi have provided their own take on this popular rugged heatsink-case design.
The format is familiar - a chunky sandwich of metal with access to all ports and pins (almost, no RTC or UART access) with a handy cut-out for your DSI/CSI cable. Simple, effective and solid.
Best for: Hardcore silent cooling. Fans of the no-nonsense rugged industrial look.
Whilst you've probably already seen the official offerings for Raspberry Pi 5, they need to be mentioned here because...they're actually really good this time!
After a lot of feedback from users on earlier cases, our chirpy chip-making chums from Cambridge got to work and addressed...well...pretty much everything!
The Raspberry Pi 5 case looks good (if white and red is your thing), does a great job of cooling, keeps noise to a minimum and has a bunch of handy little features that really make a difference - the included heatsink, removable HAT section, added vents and even the ability to stack with spacers.
The Raspberry Pi Active Cooler is no loser either. This hunky chunk of metal, combined with the high-quality blower fan, laughs in the face of the BCM2712 and asks for more heat...MORE! We make a cool cover for it too, because we do fun stuff like that.
Best for: Keeping it on brand. The everything user. Beginners who don't know what they want from a case yet. Those who want to matchy matchy colours with the official keyboard/mouse.
You can bet your last GPIO pin that, if it exists for the Raspberry Pi 5 and we can get our hands on it, we'll stock it!
This isn't our entire selection either, just the ones we're really in to right now. There's already lots more to choose from in the store.
Keep an eye on our Raspberry Pi New Products section for more Raspberry Pi 5 goodies in the future, and be sure to sign up for our emails to be the first to know when they're available.
]]>But what about the little things people aren't shouting about? Sure those headline features are the reason we want the latest board, but there are a bunch smaller changes, improvements and other little interesting things that we noticed people weren't talking about.
So on with our somewhat-baity-entitled article - the little Raspberry Pi 5 features you didn't notice...
For those of us who owned a number of Raspberry Pi 4 boards, one issue we all faced was figuring out how much RAM each one had, well, at a quick glace at least anyway.
At first we relied on the manufacturing codes on the RAM chips themselves, but they kept changing. You could always run some commands to find out, but that involved booting up the board.
Those clever sorts at Raspberry Pi came up with a nice simple solution for Raspberry Pi 5 - marking it on the front of the board with a small component!
It only took 12 years of begging, but we finally have a power button on a Raspberry Pi board! YES, Raspberry Pi 5 finally delivers the goods, no more pulling cables out every time you want to turn your board off.
It's even better than you thought though - you can add your own button!
The 2.54mm pads underneath the RTC battery connector allow you to solder a 2-pin header (or just solder wires directly) to connect your own wired button - great for using a Pi inside a custom gaming a cabinet or enclosure.
"This is my Raspberry Pi 5. There are many like it, but this one is mine".
Whilst we will all eventually receive a Raspberry Pi 5 that looks, feels and functions in the same way...it's more unique than you may first realise.
Every single Raspberry Pi 5 is given a unique identification number, laser-etched on to the board (and found in some other places...shh). It helps with traceability and other fun stuff like that, but we just think it's pretty cool that technically every single board is completely unique!
If you take a look at the underside of your Raspberry Pi 5, you'll notice something a little different to previous generations...
The underside of the GPIO pins are now flush...kind of - they're a lot more flush than before anyway! It's all part of some snazzy manufacturing improvements the fine folks at Sony have been working on.
The weird result of this change is the need to add some small metal tabs/stands on the underside of the board, as the GPIO pins no longer protrude and provide protection to the components under the board.
...OK, maybe we've been in the Pi game a bit too long, but we thought this was interesting!
Did you spot it? Probably not, because according to Raspberry Pi, a very low percentage of owners used the audio jack on previous generations of Pi.
Like Kate Winslet in one of the sad final scenes from Titanic, Raspberry Pi let Jack go. They've removed the 3.5mm audio connector and used that space to give us other cool stuff - you know, like the power button or...the power button. Hey, did we mention the power button?
The jack is dead. Long live the power button!
The very first Raspberry Pi had no mounting holes - so cruel. A couple of versions later, two seemingly randomly placed holes were added, making for some very awkward panel mounting.
Then the original B+ board then came out, bringing with it four sensibly-placed mounting holes and we were all giddy with the beautiful symmetry and common sense.
Would you just look at us now - Raspberry Pi 5 has no less than SIX holes for your mounting pleasure. You get the standard four HAT-holes, and now two extras for mounting chunky heat-removing devices such as the Raspberry Pi Active Cooler. Ace.
Hiding down there in the shadow of the new fancy CSI/DSI connectors is a couple of small pads with 'VID' next to them.
This one's for the old schoolers. You've seen the Micro-HDMI ports but that's far too hippy-dippy for you - you want to keep it real, back to basics, OG...
These pads allow you to connect a composite video display, the kind of relic usually associated with old TVs and ancient headrest monitors worthy of a feature in early-2000s Pimp my Ride.
We like that Raspberry Pi have maintained the composite connection, carrying over the simple 2-pin pads from the older Raspberry Pi Zero board where we've seen some nice examples.
This one's about the new 27W USB-C power supply that Raspberry Pi are offering to go with your Raspberry Pi 5.
Sure, it'll do the business and can feed your hungry Raspberry Pi 5 the full 5V 5A it (might) need when running at full whack, so it's the perfect match for your new board.
What some might not realise is that this power supply has Power Delivery (PD) technology, meaning it can power a lot of other PD-compatible devices in your home, with standard modes offering 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2.25A and 15V/1.8A.
Whereas previous Raspberry Pi power supplies could be repurposed as a really-frustratingly-slow-overnight 5V phone charger, the new 27W PSU can charge a PD-ready laptop and other higher-voltage PD devices too!
On to another accessory. A little feature of the new Raspberry Pi 5 case that you may not have clocked is the ability to stack them for a Raspberry Pi 5 cluster or similar project.
Yes we know we're initially limiting sales to one per customer but we really like this feature!
We haven't got our hands on one yet so we can't tell you exactly which fixings and standoffs to buy for this, but we're pretty sure stacking involves M2.5 standoffs and screws.
We'll likely be making an updated version of our hugely popular laser-cut cluster case, however in the meantime, here's a neat option using the official hardware on offer.
Found another cool hardware or software feature? Let us know in the comments section below (feel free to mention that power button again).
]]>So, what to make? Luckily the overall shape, size and function hasn't changed since the previous versions of the Zero, so pretty much all existing projects can be made with the latest Zero 2.
The superb combination of the Zero's small size, quad-core processing power, low power consumption, 40 GPIO pins, display output, USB connectivity and camera connector means the Zero 2 has an abundance of well-documented projects for you to try!
Here's some of our favourite projects you can try this weekend with the Raspberry Pi Zero 2.
Advertisements on websites and streaming services aren't so bad if the content/ad ratio is sensible...but this is rarely the case! Luckily you can turn your Raspberry Pi Zero 2 into a network-level ad-blocker, for free, in less than an hour!
Pi-hole blocks ads, trackers and anything else you want at network level. This means no blockers being installed on every PC or browser and having to manage settings separately. This can help with privacy, network speed, safe surfing and above all - annoyance!
You'll need to be comfortable with logging into your router and changing a few settings, but Pi-hole do a great job of documenting the install process and settings over on their documentation website. It won't stop YouTube ads, but with the right settings you can stop them on 4OD and ITV Player.
The best part is that it can be run wirelessly and doesn't need a lot of resources, which makes the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 a superb hardware option for the project.
The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 has a small camera connector at one end which can directly accept a ZeroCam camera or one of the Official Raspberry Pi Camera Modules when used with an adapter cable.
Without doubt, one of the most relevant Raspberry Pi camera projects during COVID-riddled 2021 was to make a webcam for those awkward work and family video calls - especially as USB webcams were like gold dust through most of the year.
Our favourite example of this has to be Jeff Geerling's HQ Camera webcam. Jeff uses one of our mounting plates with a Raspberry Pi HQ Camera to make a great-quality DIY Raspberry Pi Zero webcam.
(Support for the various video conferencing services with the Raspberry Pi can change from time to time, but most major platforms are supported depending on the software you use).
Hacking is normally associated with shady characters tapping away at keyboards in darkened rooms, sometimes for evil deeds, sometimes for the greater good of mankind. It's also used as a way to learn about multiple computing elements from network security to Linux commands.
Whatever your view on hacking, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 can be used as a practical, low-cost hardware option for certain hacking methods. One project that really caught our eye is Pwnagotchi.
Pwnagotchi uses the Raspberry Pi Zero's built-in Wi-Fi to 'sniff out' crackable WPA key material. It 'eats' handshakes (the packets of information transmitted between client devices and access points) over time, and provides the resulting information/files which can be used to crack a Wi-Fi network key.
"But why?" I hear you ask? The developer says "to give hackers an excuse to learn about reinforcement learning and Wi-Fi networking—and have a reason to get out for more walks.". See? It's about learning...
Clever techy stuff aside, the project's popularity could also be be attributed to the fun faces that the developer implemented, which are shown on 2.13" ePaper displays.
Many of you are proud owners of 3D Printers AND actually have the time to make cool stuff with them! We're very jealous of you.
Envy aside, something we see a lot of our customers making with the Raspberry Pi Zero are 3D printer monitoring projects - combining a Raspberry Pi Zero with a camera module and streaming the output over the built-in Wi-Fi, allowing you to keep an eye on your print from the comfort of your sofa.
A simple fun project here is a time-lapse of your print, using the raspistill commands via a terminal session. You can also use popular Raspberry Pi 3D printing software such as OctoPrint which has built-in support for camera modules, or other streaming options such as MotionEyeOS.
If there's one thing I enjoy after a hard day in The Pi Hut office, it's spending time with my family playing computer games!
We've seen the original Zero used in gaming emulators and the GPI case for years, but there were naturally some limitations on the original single-core CPU when compared to the grunt that the 1.5GHz quad-core Raspberry Pi 4 could provide.
With the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 now full of 1GHz quad-core swagger, it's going to be able to run a longer list of emulators and games than ever before.
So what are you waiting for? Download RetroPie, find yourself some legitimate game ROMs and give it a spin. You can play many games with just a keyboard, but you may want to invest in a USB controller too (you'll also need a USB shim to connect it to the Zero 2).
Home automation with the Raspberry Pi has become a popular project thanks to the somewhat questionable privacy and hardware costs on popular mainstream services (we won't name names...they're probably watching us right now!)
Those of us not willing to give the 'big two' access to all of our secrets, sounds and smells have turned to DIY options that can run on a Raspberry Pi, such as Home Assistant and openHAB.
The cool thing here is that not only can a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 be used as a central hub for these services, but it can also manage hardware too. Add something like a relay HAT and you can control power to other (high-power) devices with a simple change of a GPIO pin status.
The Zero has always been a strong candidate for Raspberry Pi robotics projects thanks to the small size and low power consumption. With just a handful of affordable parts you can make a pretty decent robot with your Zero, and it's superb for learning how to code (and to engage the uninitiated who assume coding is boring)!
All Raspberry Pi robots need some essential key components: A motor driver, motors, wheels/tracks and power. You may also want to add a sensor to help it see where it's going.
Whilst we sell many different options in the store for you to combine, those new to robotics might prefer a Raspberry Pi robotics kit with compatible components, superb tutorials and a snazzy box to use as a chassis!
Being The Pi Hut's resident geek and 'product guy', I'm always genuinely interested to see what our customers are making, especially when it comes to the Raspberry Pi and the new Raspberry Pi Zero 2.
Show us your cool makes on whatever platform you use most - we're most active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We sometimes feature community projects on our product pages, so please do share your uber-cool makes!
- Rich (The Pi Hut Product Manager)
Thanks to the latest Zero using the same form factor as previous generations, the majority of our Raspberry Pi Zero add-ons and accessories are compatible with the new board (bar a few cases).
But what do you need to get your Raspberry Pi Zero 2 up, running and ready to code? What are the best accessories and 'clever little bits and bobs' that make project building easier and more convenient?
With way too many cool things in the store to choose from, here's our list of the top 10 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 Add-ons & Accessories!
Whilst this isn't strictly a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 accessory, it is packed with them!
Our Zero 2 starter kit provides you with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 board, premium case, official power supply, mini-HDMI cable and our essentials tin full of all the handy adapters and headers you'll need.
The kit also saves you money on buying the parts individually, so it's a win for convenience and a win for your wallet!
If there's a few absolute must-have's for the Raspberry Pi Zero 2, it's adapters and headers!
Adapters are essential for converting that little micro-USB (data) port for use with standard USB peripherals like a keyboard & mouse or even USB flash drives. You may also want to convert the Mini-HDMI port to full HDMI to make use of any HDMI cables you already own.
GPIO header pins are also essential if you want to get your hands dirty with LEDs and circuits, allowing you to easily connect jumper wires to a breadboard from your Zero.
Our Essential Raspberry Pi Zero Kit includes all of these essential adapters and headers in a super-swish metal tin (which you can use for storage too...your Zero 2 will even fit inside!)
There's barely any room left on the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 PCB now that Raspberry Pi have packed in the 'sandwich' RP3A0 (which packages the CPU and RAM together to save space)...so we couldn't have expected them to add a power switch as well.
Fear not - we have a cable for that! Our micro-USB on/off switch cable is one of those handy little extras that makes life a lot easier when you're in the thick of it at 3AM prototyping a project on a work night. This simple switch removes power completely when needed - saving you from having to pulling out cables every time (it should reduce wear on your Zero 2's power port too).
Just like previous models and the Raspberry Pi 4, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 comes with no less than 40 GPIO pins for you to play with - enough for even the most buttony of projects!
The only drawback of this wonderful abundance of pointy stuff is trying to figure out which one is which when wiring up a project. One false move could cause the magic blue smoke to appear!
Our solution? We came up with these nifty colour-coded GPIO headers as a compass to guide your pin counting. Red is 5V, Yellow is 3.3V, Black is GND and Blue is DNC - everything else is an IO pin. Simple, clever and affordable!
With the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 using silicon from the Raspberry Pi 3, it's going to run a little hotter than previous models of the Zero. You won't be able to cook a really tiny egg on it, but some cooling support certainly wouldn't be a bad idea for busy projects.
To keep your Zero 2 looking cool and actually cool, we designed a self-adhesive heatsink that you can slap on the RP3AO sandwich chip in a matter of seconds, helping release heat from the CPU more efficiently. Available in no less than 7 colours!
Did you know you can make a pretty decent DIY Raspberry Pi webcam out of a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 and a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera?
Jeff Geerling shows you how in this excellent video where he combines a Zero with a HQ Camera and one of our affordable mounting plates. With the Zero 2 offering even better (quad-core) CPU performance, we think this is up there with one of the best Raspberry Pi Zero 2 projects you can make!
The ZeroCam is a super-small camera for your Raspberry Pi Zero 2 which, unlike the standard Raspberry Pi Camera Modules, doesn't require any adapters as the cable is designed for the Zero's smaller camera connector.
Despite its tiny footprint, the ZeroCam has a 5MP resolution and can shoot 1080p video at 30FPS (or 60 FPS at 720p). It uses the same commands as the official camera module too, making it easy to use.
We have a range of versions available too - from standard to fisheye to night vision!
Imagine a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 case with great looks, excellent cooling performance and as tough as a semi-professional wrestler. Imagine no longer because it's already here - the FLIRC Zero!
The stylish main body of the case is made from a single piece of aluminium which connects to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2's CPU to silently extract heat away and through the metal body.
Two lids options are included - one for GPIO access and another completely sealed. Your SD card is securely hidden inside the case away from would-be thieves and sticky fingers!
At some point you're probably going to need to write a new operating system to your Raspberry Pi Zero 2s Micro-SD card. This could be to try a new OS or simply as a clean n' fresh copy of Raspberry Pi OS after a major release.
Not all of us have fancy laptops with integrated card readers, so our compact and affordable USB card reader is a must-have for most Zero 2 users. Notice how the SD slots inside the reader to allow it's incredibly small size!
If there's one thing the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 was born for, it's robotics! Small, light, low-power and with enough processing power for advanced robots - the Zero 2 is just screaming to be turned into the next C-3PO.
The CamJam Robotics EduKit provides all of the parts needed to create a small robot with your Zero, which will teach you lots about Python at the same time.
There are hundreds of other Raspberry Pi Zero 2 compatible parts and accessories in the store, and we're constantly adding more every week. Be sure to check out our Raspberry Pi Zero Accessories & Add-ons section and consider signing up for our email newsletter (below) to be the first to know when great new gear is added to the store.
If you can't find what you're looking for (either for the Zero 2 or any other part you need), pop us a message over on our support portal and we'll do everything we can to accommodate your needs.
- Rich (The Pi Hut Product Manager)
Whilst the new default programming language (MicroPython) isn't difficult for existing Python users to grasp, this change to the coding norm added a certain level of excitement to the Pico's release - combined with the new shape, pin layout and (of course) the very accessible low price!
All of this led to the design of a new flavour of HATs, add-on and accessories for the latest Raspberry in the family. They've always been popular basket fillers for our customers so it's no surprise that we've seen strong demand for our latest range of Raspberry Pi Pico goodies.
With such a great selection it's been extra-tricky to pick favourites, however, after some debate in the office here's the list of our Top 10 Raspberry Pi Pico Add-ons & Accessories!
Hold on there fellow maker - how are you going to enjoy all the juicy gear in this list if your Pico is lying naked with no pins or cable?!
Don't worry, we've got your back. You loved our Essential Raspberry Pi Zero Kit so it only seemed right for us to come up with a Raspberry Pi Pico version.
The Essential Raspberry Pi Pico Kit is, as the name suggests, essential! It includes a selection of different pin headers to solder to your Pico, along with a USB cable for programming and a few extras like rubber feet and a USB shim for direct-connecting a Pico to your USB port. It comes in a nice little tin too!
We included this little 1.8" Pico display in one of our recent new product emails and it sold out almost immediately - a clear favourite for our customers, and a quick glance will explain why.
With a sub-tenner price tag and no soldering required, this tiny LCD Pico add-on just screams "fun weekend project" (assuming you get a pass from your partner of course!).
With 65K colours, a simple SPI interface and example code, this Pico add-on is right up there with the best of them.
The Pico might be small but it's still capable of complex projects with lots of moving parts. A GPIO pin is a GPIO pin after all - it's how you use them and other components that make the difference.
Enter the Robotics Board for Raspberry Pi Pico. This powerful yet affordable robotics board is a great foundation for an impressive Raspberry Pi Pico robot project. This powerhouse allows your Pico to drive 4 motors (or 2 stepper motors) and 8 servos - with full forward, reverse and stop control!
What better companion for the low-power Raspberry Pi Pico than a low-power display?
This is Waveshare's 2.13" E-Paper Display for the Pico, an add-on we anticipated considering the huge popularity of their similar 2.13" E-Paper pHAT for the Pi Zero.
This is a seriously low-power display, running around <0.01uA (almost no power) in standby mode. It won't play videos though - it's an E-Paper display, which means you send an image to the screen and it'll stay there using almost no power at all until you refresh it with a new image. Cool!
This one isn't an add-on board but it will make tinkering with the Pico a LOT easier.
The Breadboard for Pico is a simple yet genius idea from MonkMakes. They took the off-the-shelf breadboard design and had a custom version created with the Raspberry Pi Pico's pin numbers running up the lanes.
No more pin counting and no more magic blue smoke from mixing up 3.3V, 5V and GND! Smart idea!
The Maker Pi Pico Base is the unicorn of Raspberry Pi Pico accessories! This thing has it all, and it doesn't want all of your pocket money for it either.
Onboard you'll find GPIO indicator LEDs, 3 programmable pushbuttons, an RGB LED, buzzer, stereo 3.5mm audio jack, micro-SD card slot, ESP-01 socket, 6 Grove ports and more! There's even room on the back to write your name to make it yours.
Tons of features, excellent documentation and still less than the price of two pints in a London pub - it's a winner! There's also a version with a Pico pre-soldered into it!
Now here's a cool add-on for your Pico that will be the envy of your friends, family and even your pet cat Dave - the Pico RGB Keypad Base.
It's a 4x4 squishy RGB-illuminated keypad hooked up to a set of headers for your Pico to push into, giving you everything you need to make an awesomesauce USB macro keypad or midi controller (and lots of other things!).
Program the button's addressable LEDs to change colour based on your inputs or other variables and create the ultimate keypad sidekick!
Existing owners of impressive Raspberry Pi HAT collections may find this Pico accessory interesting with its potential to inject new life into your old add-on boards.
The Raspberry Pi Pico HAT Expansion allows you to use traditional 'Model B' Raspberry Pi HATs with the Pico, giving you a chance to try your new MicroPython or C/C++ skills with boards intended for the traditional Raspberry Pi and Python.
The Pico pins are broken out to male headers for you as well, giving you lots of project prototyping options. Handy!
A unique entry for this list, the Electronic Clock for Raspberry Pi Pico allows you to create a programmable clock with your Pico!
Complete with the sleek casing and a USB cable, this interesting Pico clock project includes a high precision RTC, photosensor, buzzer, buttons and features multiple functions including an accurate electronic clock, temperature display, auto-brightness adjustment, alarm and custom button configuration.
Last but by no means least is our favourite book for the Raspberry Pi Pico. In fact it's currently the only book we offer for the Pico, but it's our go-to Pico manual because it's just so clear and helpful.
This colourful and easy-to-read Pico bible will help all levels of maker get to grips with the latest Raspberry Pi. Covering the Pico's hardware as well as the MicroPython programming language, the book shows you how to code simple projects with wiring diagrams, tips and more!
An essential read for any Pico owner at any experience level.
We're tirelessly sniffing out all of the latest and greatest Raspberry Pi Pico accessories every single week, so just keep an eye on our growing Raspberry Pi Pico section for more!
If you can't find what you're looking for (either for the Pico or any other part you need), pop us a message over on our support portal and we'll do everything we can to accommodate your needs.
- Rich (The Pi Hut Product Manager)
]]>To celebrate this new range in the store, the nice folks at Akasa have provided THREE Gem Pro cases for us to give away!
You have a number of ways to enter the giveaway competition and multiple methods can be used for additional entries - see below.
The competition ends at 9AM on 22/11/2020 (UK time).
]]>
Whilst the Raspberry Pi 400 kit has almost everything you need in one box, there are still lots of excellent accessories to make using your Pi400 even more enjoyable/convenient!
Here’s our top 10 accessories for the Raspberry Pi400.
If you’re taking your Raspberry Pi 400 to a coding club, round a friend's house or simply want to keep it clean whilst not in use, our stylish sleeve is a great way to keep your Pi400 dust-free and add a level of protection.
Our new wireless mouse has been tested for compatibility with the Raspberry Pi and is a great way to reduce cable clutter when using your new Pi400.
With a matching white colour, three DPI settings, on/off switch and an included AA battery, our wireless optical mouse is the ideal upgrade for your Raspberry Pi 400 experience.
With the GPIO pins at the rear of the Pi400, attaching a HAT isn’t possible directly (or at least, it wouldn’t be very usable!). Our GPIO cable has a female socket at one end for connecting to your Pi400, and a male socket at the other end to pop your HAT into.
The orientation of the cable means you can display HATs at the perfect angle just behind your keyboard.
Our on/off switch cable is already highly popular with our customers as an affordable and convenient power control add-on for the Raspberry Pi 4 – and it’s equally as useful for the Raspberry Pi 400.
The Pi400 has a power switch (the F10 key), however for those who prefer to completely power off devices in the home, our on/off USB-C switch cable is a convenient option!
Your new Raspberry Pi 400 includes a ‘Kensington style’ security lock mounting section at the rear. It’s great for public or educational environments where security precautions are necessary. It can also be used in the home as an addition to your own security measures.
We have affordable locks in key lock or combination lock formats.
As the Pi400 is powerful enough to take over as your home computer or even a media centre, you may find that you need some additional file/media storage over time. You may also wish to boot from USB – a popular option amongst Raspberry Pi users.
For both of these scenarios we offer quality SanDisk Ultra USB Flash Drives.
The only thing missing from the Raspberry Pi 400 kit is a monitor. If you want to go up a level with your Pi400, our touch screen monitor is an epic way to have the most awesome Raspberry Pi setup available!
HANNspree spent time developing the drivers for this monitor to have native Raspberry Pi support – simply plug in a HDMI cable and connect the Pi to the monitor via the included USB cable and you’ll have full touch control out of the box!
Is a monitor an accessory or an essential? We're not sure, but if touchscreens aren’t your thing or you’re looking for a more affordable Raspberry Pi 400 monitor, our HANNspree 21.5” Full-HD monitor is the ideal choice.
The monitor features a 1920x1080 Full-HD 1080P panel, low-power LED backlights, built in speakers and a tilt mount.
If you bought a Raspberry Pi 400 kit, you will have already received an official micro-HDMI cable in the box. If you want to run a dual-screen setup using both of the Pi400 Micro-HDMI ports, you’ll need a second cable.
The good news is that we sell these cables on their own, so you can have a matching set of quality Raspberry Pi HDMI cables running your Pi400 dual-screen setup.
Just like the Raspberry Pi 4, the Pi400 offers full Gigabit Ethernet, allowing you to take advantage of the best possible connection speeds from your network.
Why settle for the ugly grey Ethernet cable your router came with when you can add a white RJ45 cable to match and compliment the look of your Pi400? A simple accessory, but one that completes the setup nicely!
]]>Whilst The Pi400 maintains similar features and performance to the Raspberry Pi 4, and very much borrows it’s ‘clicky parts’ from the existing Raspberry Pi keyboard, having the working parts hidden away isn’t something we’re used to seeing from the clever folks at Raspberry Pi.
Whilst this removes a lot of the distraction for many news users setting out on a new coding journey, many of us seasoned Raspberry Pi users are eager to see what’s going on under the hood!
What does the PCB look like? How big is that heatsink? Where are the components? What new parts does it use? Can the keyboard be hacked?
We decided to tear down our early sample unit to find out! We grabbed our posh iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit and started taking it to pieces…
Raspberry Pi 400 Teardown
This first thing to do was to open up the casing. This was very easy, simply using the thin plastic prying tools from the iFixit kit. The casing cracked open without much resistance:
Opening the keyboard casing instantly revealed the mother of all heatsinks! Yes, that big metal plate is the heatsink!
No wonder Raspberry Pi decided it was safe to clock up the Pi400 to 1.8GHz (a considerable boost on the 1.5GHz clock on the Raspberry Pi 4):
Teasing us with patches of that familiar green colour was the PCB hiding underneath. We had to dig deeper!
We disconnected the keyboard ribbon cable and removed the screws from the heatsink with the sturdy iFixit driver:
With the heatsink removed, all that was left was the Raspberry Pi 400 PCB and the lower casing section.
It’s odd to see a Raspberry Pi this shape – almost resembling an enormous Compute Module 3:
Not expecting the teardown to be this easy (just a few gentle persuasions from a few plastic prys and a screwdriver), we extended our fun by inspecting the components on the PCB, comparing them to those on the Raspberry Pi 4.
As you can imagine, almost all of them were identical, however there a few we hadn’t seen on a Raspberry Pi 4 previously (these are perhaps related to the keyboard element:
The CPU and RAM chips were the first recognisable components, laying next to each other as always:
The next component to catch our eye was this ‘BOURNS SM51625L’. The internet tells us this is a telecom transformer. Thank you Internet!
Next was another familiar part – the USB controller chip:
The WiFi chip doesn’t have the nice mirrored casing of the Raspberry Pi 4 – probably not necessary for this unit:
The GPIO section, as expected, is using an angled header setup to allow the pins to be accessible from the rear of the keyboard:
The next component is a ‘Holtek HT45R0072’ which is a dedicated MCU, connecting the keyboard of the unit to one of the 4 ports of the built-in USB hub (we found some detailed info here on this):
The Ethernet controller was next, another Raspberry Pi 4 component we’ve seen before:
The usual power management and related components/circuity was the last set of notable 'things' we discovered:
So that’s what the guts of a Raspberry Pi 400 looks like – a nice simple construction, a whopping great heatsink and the usual brains of the operation hiding deep inside.
If you’d like to buy your own, we have the Raspberry Pi 400 Personal Computer Kits and standalone Pi400 keyboards in the store available to buy.
Important Note: Please don’t copy us – we did this so you don’t have to! You will invalidate your warranty if you open your Pi400 keyboard, and you don’t want that now do you?!
]]>Like many successful projects, Raspberry Pi was born out of frustration.
Founder Eben Upton found that students were arriving at Cambridge University, ready to learn about computer coding, with very little knowledge compared to years previously.
If we look at a timeline of computers, the 1980s saw a boom thanks to new ready-made and more-affordable home computer offerings such as the Sinclair ZX80. Over the next 20 years or so, computers became increasingly complicated and much more capable, to the point that by the mid 2000’s there were more consumers than coders.
As the need to understand how to code and program became less important for consumers, students were coming to University to learn computer coding with a lack of intrinsic knowledge, enthusiasm, and understanding of basic computing.
Students had limited options for getting to grips with coding in a cheap, practical and accessible way. That first exciting spark was lost, which is when founder Eben Upton decided to do something about it.
Founders knew what the problem was – the challenge came in finding the solution.
Creating a relatively powerful computer, accessible for beginners and at a realistic price point for youngsters and students wasn’t going to be easy.
So they went to the drawing board, and in 2006 the first prototype was born.
Whilst Windows Vista development completed in 2006, it wasn’t a complete flop for the computing world – the original Raspberry Pi prototype was born in February of the same year and would go on to be a worldwide success.
Of course the first prototype was nothing like the first public release of the Raspberry Pi, which hit the shelves (and quickly sold out) in February 2012. However the concept was the same: a single board computer which was cheap to manufacture and sell, easy to use and ultimately the tool to get students enthused about computer programming once again.
The prototype underwent several years of honing and perfecting, bringing down the cost and the size of the board whilst improving usability, connectivity and overall performance.
In 2009, The Raspberry Pi Foundation was born, and with funding from this charitable body and other trustees, the Raspberry Pi creators were able to pursue their project.
In 2011, the first prototype was revealed by the BBC. Hype for such a small powerful computer were only increased by this announcement. This meant that by 2012, when the final product launch came about in February with the help of a BBC video, there were over 100,000 ordered on its first day.
The famous remark that they planned to sell ‘no more than 1,000‘ meant that founders had to pull in the help of licenced electronic distributors Premier Farnell and RS Components, who assisted in manufacture and distribution.
The Raspberry Pi 1 Model B offered the following headline features:
The enormous success of the first model was not only due to young enthusiasts, but passionate hobbyists who saw the Raspberry Pi as their favourite new toy – cheap and durable, with the ability to be used for a whole range of computing projects. In fact, 4 out of 5 of sales were from older tech enthusiasts.
One of the most appealing things about the Raspberry Pi is the ultimate control it gives the user. Its carefully crafted components are capable of dealing with a number of different inputs, outputs and additional hardware.
The Raspberry Pi also offers users a wide choice of programming languages and operating systems to use in their projects, adding to the attraction of the cred-card sized computer.
Since the initial launch, new Raspberry Pi models have continuously improved performance and efficiency alongside adding new/improved features, whilst also maintaining its low price. This lead to a huge following of computer coding enthusiasts, young and old, keen to push each model to the limit.
Now fast forward a few years...
Here are a few stats to emphasise how fast the rise of Raspberry Pi has been:
To satisfy a huge audience with varying project needs, budgets and coding capabilities, the Raspberry Pi 4 originally came in three RAM versions:
Amazingly the Raspberry Pi Foundation managed to maintain the same $35 price tag for the lower memory boards, with a slightly higher price tag for those wanting more performance. However, with this comes more capabilities and scope than any other model.
The Raspberry Pi is incredibly versatile and packs enough power to support a huge range of projects, including:
...and much more!
You can check out some of The Pi Hut’s latest Raspberry Pi projects for inspiration:
There’s no official say on when the next Raspberry Pi will be released. For now, the various models on the market provide a huge range of scope for enthusiasts to continue challenging themselves with bigger and better projects.
Whenever the next model is developed, there will, as ever, be a strong following of programmers ready to test its capabilities and build on what is already a dedicated community brought together by one thing – their shared love for all things Raspberry Pi.
]]>It’s also one of the quickest and easiest retro gaming emulators to install on the Raspberry Pi as it’s included in NOOBS – the easy operating system installation manager from the Raspberry Pi Foundation (which is preloaded on to our Raspberry Pi Retro Gaming Kit micro SD cards).
Lakka also runs on other models of Raspberry Pi, however the Raspberry Pi 4 offers the best performance and will play a greater number of demanding games.
This guide will show you every step to set up a Lakka retro gaming system on a Raspberry Pi.
Guess What! Most of these items are available in our great Raspberry Pi Retro Gaming Kit!
If you have bought one of our superb Raspberry Pi Retro gaming Kits, go to method 1.
If you have a blank SD card and need to manually write the Lakka image, jump to method 2.
Our Raspberry Pi Retro Gaming Kits come with a micro SD card which has the 'NOOBS' easy operating system installer preloaded on to it. It's the easiest and quickest way to get Lakka up and running on your Raspberry Pi!
Insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi, connect your screen and keyboard, then plug the power in. After booting you'll see the following screen:Initially just two operating systems will be listed, however once connected to WiFi (press 'w' and connect to your network) or an Ethernet internet connection, a full list of operating systems will show - including Lakka.
Use the arrow key to highlight Lakka, then press Enter to select it:Now press 'i' to install Lakka. A warning will show - select 'Yes' to continue:Lakka will now install. It can hang for a minute or two once it hits 100% - just let it run:Eventually you'll see the following confirmation. Press Enter to continue, which will reboot your Raspberry Pi and boot into Lakka. Done!
If you have a blank or spare SD card you would like to use for your Lakka operating system, this section is for you.
This guide is based on using a Windows 10 PC to set up the SD card. We’re using the following free software:
Go to the Lakka website and download the latest Raspberry Pi 4 image:
https://www.lakka.tv/get/windows/rpi4/
The downloaded file is a .gz file and needs extracting before we can write it to the SD card.
Right-click the downloaded file and select ‘7-Zip > Extract Here’:
Whether your SD card is brand new or one you’ve used before, it’s good practice to wipe it clean before installing a new image.
Open SD Formatter and select your SD card drive. Careful – make sure you select the correct SD drive number!
Leave the settings as they are (quick format) and select ‘Format’. It should take no longer than a minute.
Open Win32DiskImager and select the blue folder icon. Select the Lakka image you previously extracted with 7-Zip.
Make sure the device is set to the drive number of your SD card. Leave all other settings unchanged. When you’re ready, select ‘Write’.
This could take anything up to 5 minutes. Once it’s finished, safely remove the SD card from your PC.
Put the SD card into your Raspberry Pi, then attach your keyboard and screen.
Next, plug the power supply in and turn the Raspberry Pi on.
The Lakka image will perform some one-time setup actions the first time it boots. It may restart during this process:Let the setup complete until you see the following screen (or something very similar):
If you don't have a wired internet connection available near your Raspberry Pi, setting up WiFi will allow you to download Lakka updates as well as transfer ROMs from your PC to your Raspberry Pi.
In the Settings menu, Select the Wi-Fi option:Lakka works with your Raspberry Pi’s internal Wi-Fi straight out of the box, and will scan for networks as soon as you select this option.
Find your network SSID, hit enter, enter your password and hit enter again.
Wait a few moments and the word ‘Online’ should appear next to your network.
Lakka already includes a huge range of emulators, so all you need to do is add game ROMs.
ROMs are game files – each game has its own ROM file. Lakka prefers these to be zipped files.
We can’t tell you where to find ROM files due to the huge number of copyright laws surrounding them. However, you may be able to find information on Google...
Once you have ROM files you’ll need to move them from your PC to your Raspberry Pi. We will do this over our network which we find is the easiest and quickest method.
Before we proceed you’ll need to enable SSH in Lakka.
In the Settings menu, navigate to ‘Services’ and then turn on SSH by moving the slider.
Identify Lakka IP Address
You’ll need to know the IP address of your Raspberry Pi. You can find this in the main menu under 'Information > Network Information':Make a note of the IP address (I.e. 192.168.x.x):
Open FileZilla.
On the left is your PC’s folder structure. Along the top of the screen you will see a number of fields:
Select ‘Quickconnect’. You may have to say ‘OK’ to a ‘unknown host key’ warning which is normal.
FileZilla will now show your PC directories on the left and Raspberry Pi directories on the right.
As you can see from the image below, we have our zipped ROMs saved in a directory on our PC’s C:/ drive, and have created a ‘MegaDrive’ directory within the ‘roms’ directory on the Raspberry Pi:(all ROMs must be in the roms folder, but you can add subfolders to organise them how you like. We recommend adding a subfolder for each console emulator).
To move the ROMs simply drag them over to the Raspberry Pi directory. Within a few seconds the ROMs will have moved over. It’s as easy as that!
Now the ROMs are in place, we need to tell Lakka to scan the directory for new content.
Navigate to the ‘Import Content’ menu item, then select ‘Scan Directory’.Select the correct directory for your new ROMs, then select ‘Scan this directory’:Lakka then scans any found ROMs against a database. This identifies which console it works with, then adds the game under the console icon in your main menu.
(Note: Lakka only shows console icons on the main menu if you have ROMs scanned for that console)You’re almost ready to play!
You can use your keyboard with games, but game controllers are much more practical (and fun!).
Our Raspberry Pi Retro Gaming Kit comes with two controllers, however we also have a range of great retro gaming controllers in the store!
Plug your controller into one of the Raspberry Pi USB ports (you don’t need to turn off your Raspberry Pi for this).
You’ll see a message pop-up in the corner of the screen showing which controller it thinks has been connected:Lakka has a clever feature which tries to identify which controller you’re using, but this isn’t always perfect so you may need to perform some setup.
If your controller has been accurately detected – great! If not, read on.
Navigate to Settings > Input:Scroll to the bottom and select ‘User 1 Binds’. You’ll see some information on the controller which has been detected:Select the ‘User 1 Bind all’ option. This starts a process which gives you 5 seconds to hit each button that it requests on screen:Follow the prompts, ignoring any buttons your controller doesn’t have. Your controller will now be mapped:Don’t forget that some consoles/games will require controllers with more buttons than others. Trying to use something like a SNES style controller with a PS1 game may not be possible.
Lakka can be as simple or advanced as you want it to be. This guide will get you started but there are lots of customisations and features to play with once you get settled.
We recommend having a good read of the Lakka documentation. The documentation is clear and detailed, and here is just a handful of features to look in to once you’re ready:
However, if your Pi 4 is powered up, run the command free -h in a terminal window to quickly see the total memory available (the number will be close, i.e. you might see 1.8GB for a 2GB Raspberry Pi 4).
There's a simple check to see which Raspberry Pi 4 Model B version is sitting on the desk in front of you. The Raspberry Pi 4 is currently available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB variants.
If you look closely at the RAM chip (don't worry, there will be pictures below!) you will see one of three codes printed on it. Simply match up the code to the data below and you're away!
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (1GB): [No longer sold]
OR
]]>
Step 1 – Unpack your case, you'll find a top layer, base layer and a small packet containing screws, allen key and thermal pads.
Step 2 – At the time of writing, you'll find two thermal pads; one thick, one thin. It's important that these are placed correctly so we've labelled them in the below image.
You'll need to cut the pads down to size and when ready, peel off the paper backing and stick to the correct pillar on your case.
Step 3 –
Note - It's really important that your Raspberry Pi is fully unplugged during this installation, as otherwise you risk shorting a component on the metal case and damaging your Raspberry Pi.
Unplugged? It's now safe to peel back the protective film on the thermal pad and place your Raspberry Pi into the case (upside down)
Step 4 – Place the base layer on top and use the allen key/screws provided to secure the case. All done!
]]>
Read on to find out how to:
If you’re looking for a way to make a universal retro game console that doesn’t break the bank, then Raspberry Pi is the way to go. Raspberry Pi 3 is the best model to work with as you can build a nice emulation system with this model.
Note: An emulator is software that has been programmed to behave in the same way as older video game systems. For this reason, you can use it to run ROM files through your Raspberry Pi, as many modern computer processing systems lack a slot to read the data required for old video game cartridges.
Incorporating the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ along with RetroPie can help you to play thousands of old retro games, including:
RetroPie is a software package for Raspberry Pi; based on a Raspbian OS, it combines tools / utilities that will allow you to quickly and easily run retro game ROMs and vintage gaming emulators. Users can use it as a software library in order to emulate retro video games on the Raspberry Pi computer. Retro Pie is seen as the most popular emulation system for Raspberry Pi due to its user-friendly interface.
Everything is set up, so you’ll be able to navigate and do everything you need to do on the Raspberry Pi form a controller. It’s robust, too, as it can handle the likes of PS4 and XBOX one. Older, retro styled game controllers can be used with or without analogue sticks, wireless connectivity to name but a few.
With a Raspberry Pi and camera module (find our guide to Raspberry Pi Camera projects here), enthusiasts can set about creating a stop motion camera. The simplicity of stop motion is no challenge for Raspberry Pi’s, Although, it is a time consuming process, yes, it is achievable. It’s achieved through Python programming language.
You will also need:
Stop motion Raspberry Pi projects can be great for those looking to expand their skillset for a longer project. You can modify your camera to keep taking photos repeatedly on loop each time the button is pressed. This is then stored in a new folder to turn into a stop motion video.
A raspberry PI robot is an incredibly popular avenue to go down, as you can find simple projects or beginners and work your way up and put your expertise into practice on more complex powerful projects as time goes on. For now, though, we will run through the pointers of operating an obstacle avoiding robots.
Obstacle avoiding robots are simple as they use infrared modules that can be easily connected to your Raspberry PI via the GPIO input and output pins.
A python based robot; when correctly implemented this robot will be able to navigate freely while avoiding obstacles. It achieves this through the use of two infrared sensor modules. Capable of detecting objects up to a 5/ 6cm radius, it works as follows:
Using a Raspberry Pi to introduce someone to computing and robotics is incredibly popular. In fact, one of the main reasons why Raspberry Pi has become so popular is due to the fact that young computer enthusiasts have found the perfect device with which to conduct projects of varying difficulty. The various models of Raspberry PI, including the simpler, less powerful Zero editions, to the powerhouse Raspberry Pi 4, means that no matter whether you are beginner or expert, you can find a Raspberry Pi to suit your skillset.
There are also a range of accessories readily available to help enthusiasts meet their goal of creating their first Raspberry Pi computer for example.
This Tech Republic article refers to how the Raspberry Pi paved the way for a new generation of youngsters and enthusiasts to get into computer programming from a young age, due to the practical, low cost solution that the Raspberry Pi provided back when it launched in 2012. Since then various models and versions have seen the Raspberry Pi library expand its range considerably.
For those considering using a Raspberry Pi for their first computer project, we recommend the following, official Rasperry Pi desktop kit
NOTE: All 3 models and beyond have Wifi and Bluetooth built in, however, older versions are still usable as they have ethernet cables.
The OS you choose will already have Libre office installed, which is Raspberry Pi’s version of Microsoft office.
TOP TIP: The Pi Hut have their very own Raspberry Pi comparison chart to help you stack up the numbers and decide what model to work with.
Who’d have thought we’d ever be able to run a streaming platform through a Raspberry Pi. However, it is doable! There are a fair few steps involved and you can find the full repository here, but to get you started we give a few pointers below.
This is a more advanced project as its hard to get this working as Netflix relies on DRM (Digital Rights Management).
You will need the following things:
Don’t forget: All of these Raspberry Pi accessories are available from The Pi Hut Raspberry Pi Store including bundle options!
In a nutshell, to get you going then follow these points:
TOP TIP: This article highlights some of the best Kodi repositories of 2020
To discover our range of Raspberry Pi models, Pi accessories and more, head to our store. As a leading supplier in Raspberry Pi, The Pi Hut can help you with your latest project and discovery. Head to our tutorials page to get inspired on more projects that’ll keep you busy and expand your skillset in the ever-changing and evolving world of Raspberry Pi. ]]>Just in case you are new to the world of Raspberry Pi, let’s start with a general introduction to what they’re all about. Enthusiasts remind yourselves of the capability of the brilliant Raspberry Pi. Newbies, get clued up!
A Raspberry Pi is a single board computer, used in the field of robotics and computer science. Complete with CPU, on board memory, GPIO ports and USB ports, since its release in 2012 it has become a widely popular choice for introducing youngsters to the world of programming, computer science and robotics.
Raspberry Pi’s have also provided a way for passionate enthusiasts to get creative and challenge themselves with computing and tech projects of varying levels of difficulty. In a nutshell, most electronic project that needs a computing brain? Think of Raspberry Pi.
The latest model to become widely available was the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. It’s most powerful and diverse model yet, it is now seen as the best choice for beginners and experts. It was released in June 2019, and our handy Raspberry Pi 4 blog post touches on the central features.
The Pi Hut have a solid range of Raspberry Pi accessories, starter kits, and Raspberry Pi products so you can find everything you need to get going. There are now a number of different models available, with various features including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, processors and ethernet ports.
There are a few key factors that differentiate the models from one another, including:
The best Raspberry PI will depend on the specific project, and requirements from that project. You will need to think about memory, performance and the needs and functions of the Raspberry Pi in conjunction with the projects you undertake.
It’s worth noting… There may be a fair amount of trial and error when it comes to Raspberry Pi projects! Don’t forget that it’s good to FAIL – (First Attempt in Learning).
TOP TIP: If you’re inspired to get started with Raspberry Pi, then why not check out The Pi Hut’s Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit? It comes with everything you need to get you started, including a Raspberry Pi 4, a MicroSD card, 3A, Power Supply, a model display case and a MicroHDMI cable.
You will need:
Connect your keyboard, mouse, monitor and cables. Set up you Raspberry Pi OS and install your operating system on your Raspberry Pi so you can start using it.
If you don't have it, now is the time to download NOOBS (New Out of Box Software). This software installs Raspberry Pi Operating System on you micro SD card.
Read this Make Use Of article on how it can help first time users. This is an operating system installer for use with Raspbian and a variety of other Linux systems for Raspberry Pi. If your Raspberry Pi did not come with Raspbian already installed, then NOOBS is the easiest way to do this. Its purpose is to install Raspberry Pi operating systems on your micro SD card. It doesn't matter what OS this computer runs on because it is just for copying the files across.
Select Download Zip; your computer will provide you with a choice of Raspberry Pi OS and will install them for you. Save the file to your downloads folder. Double click to launch once the zip file is complete; this compresses the folder.
At this point, copy all the files from the NOOBS folder onto the SD card. Click Control – A as this selects all the files. You can then drag these to the SD card folder. Once this is complete, you're good to eject your SD card.
At this point, insert your micro SD card into your Raspberry Pi.
Raspbian is free operating system specifically optimised for Raspberry Pi hardware. The name derives from the software it is based on Debian. Raspbian is not affiliated with the Raspberry Pi foundation, rather, it was developed by dedicated enthusiasts who decided to make it easier for beginners and exerts alike to undertake Raspberry Pi projects. With a number of basic programs and utilities already available on the operating system, the first version became available in 2012 and consisted of over 35,000 Raspbian packages.
Download the relevant software and files. This includes:
Extract all files to the desktop.
Insert the SD card into the card reader, and plug this into the USB port.
You’ll now need to format the SD card. Find the SD card on your computer and format it; don’t alter any options!
Open win32diskimager. Browse for the image file of Raspbian OS – this will have been extracted from the downloaded file. Click open, and click write. Be patient at this point! It might take a while.
At this point your operating system is installed on your Raspberry Pi.
There are now various models of the Raspberry Pi board available since its initial launch in 2012. Nowadays, the Raspberry Pi 4 board is considered the perfect beginner board. However, it's design, although easy to use for beginners is also great for experienced users.
Let's look at the stats below.
Need some advice on what to create? Go for one of the above, otherwise this article has some fantastic ideas of what to do for your first Raspberry Pi project.
Not sure of how to start? There are plenty of Raspberry Pi beginner projects plenty of projects for all levels of capabilities of computing and programming with Raspberry Pi. That's the beauty of it! With trial and error, and a little discovery, you can soon see yourself become an expert. So, to get on board, get to grips with your Raspberry Pi and get brainstorming!
For more information on all things Raspberry Pi, as well as help with set up and Raspberry Pi projects, head to our blog on the Pi Hut. Otherwise, check out our entire range of products and accessories from our Raspberry Pi store here.
]]>There’s about 3 weeks of shopping time left, so we thought we’d help our fellow last-minute shoppers with a Christmas buying guide. Don't forget to place your orders by 20th December for Christmas delivery in the UK!
If you’ve got a coder, hacker or geek in the family to buy for this festive season, here’s a great selection of gift options to make you more popular than ol' St. Nick himself.
Jump to section:
If you’re reading a Christmas list which includes “Raspberry Pi” then you’re already winning – a Raspberry Pi makes a fantastic gift for prospective programmers. They’ll love you (or santa…) forever!
However, if you’re not a maker yourself you might be wondering what to buy? Don’t panic – we’ve selected a few great options to help you buy for these beginners.
There’s no better way to begin the exciting journey into programming than with a Raspberry Pi starter kit.
The kit comes with everything you need to get stuck in with the Raspberry Pi – a fantastic all-in-one gift idea!
Due to its enormous popularity, the Raspberry Pi has become the go-to board for learning how to code. It has attracted a huge following of makers meaning help is just a simple search away. There’s also thousands of great accessories, add-ons and components to keep making new exciting projects with.
If your loved one already has a Raspberry Pi, the EduKit range - 3 separate kits covering different areas of electronics – offers everything they need to start using electrical components with the Raspberry Pi.
Each kit contains all parts required to complete the easy-to-follow worksheets, which teach the user what the components are, how they work and how to use them.
The kits create small projects – from a traffic light system with the EduKit 1 to autonomous line-following robots in EduKit 3! A fantastic option for the budding maker!
This one’s a great stocking filler for younger makers. The Play Board makes working with the Raspberry Pi GPIO a lot easier for those with little hands!
Four GPIO pins are broken out into large, clear pads for using with crocodile clips. Power and ground pins are also broken out, allowing the little people to make their first simple circuits with ease.
Grab the Play Board Extras pack for matching components, and some crocodile clips to wire it all up!
We’ve all got those family members who are impossible to buy for, and we find that seasoned Raspberry Pi tinkerers fit that description well.
They’ve already got boxes full of bits, so how do you surprise them this Christmas?
Take a snow-covered seat and let us suggest some interesting and less-common accessories for the Raspberry Pi – sure to impress them more than the default socks, whisky or soap!
Fall asleep in front of the TV whilst your loved one connects it to their new Raspberry Pi TV HAT this Christmas!
This clever HAT fits on to the Raspberry Pi and can receive Digital TV broadcasts – yes, you can watch the Queen’s speech on a Raspberry Pi!
The maker in your life can enjoy creating a TV server which will allow them to stream terrestrial broadcasts to other devices on their network – smartphones, tablets and more.
Don’t worry about them getting stuck- we’ve written a detailed guide to walk them through every step.
They might have mastered using one Raspberry Pi, but has the hacker in your life used 5 at once? Why not offer them the challenge this Christmas with the Cluster HAT 2.0!
The Cluster HAT fits on top of a Raspberry Pi Model B and includes slots to attach 4 Raspberry Pi Zero boards. This then allows a curious coder to experiment with small scale computing clusters from their very own home.
Detailed guides and videos will get them up and running in no time. A cracking present for any seasoned Raspberry Pi fan!
They may have controlled LEDs and buzzers, but how about breaking into new territory with the Automation HAT!
This jack-of-all-trades add-on for the Raspberry Pi includes three relays allowing the maker to control much juicier electronics – 24V 2A to be precise (no, not mains voltages – that’s a bit too juicy!).
It also contains a ton of other features for making powerful projects such as home automation devices. It’s fully-loaded with 3x 12-bit ADCs up to 24V, 1x 12-bit ADC up to 3.3V, buffered 24V inputs, 24V tolerant sinking outputs, indicator LEDs, screw terminals and MORE!
This will keep them busy during the festive break!
Christmas is that time of year where loved ones treat each other to things they wouldn’t usually buy themselves – those special items they struggle to justify using their own hard-earned money for.
We’ve hand-picked three of our favourite luxury products for you, so you can continue working through that tub of chocolates before it's just those nasty coconut ones left...
iFixit make some of the finest maker tools on the planet, for serious makers who want quality, reliability and durability.
Treat your nerd to a posh tool set this Christmas and replace the janky old drivers they’ve been struggling with for months. They’ll appreciate the well-presented set of 64 bits made from tough 6150 steel, and the custom aluminium driver with its various grip zones for excellent control.
It’s all wrapped in a rugged case with magnetic closing, and even comes with a 150mm flex extension for those hard to reach fixings.
This isn’t just another push-on screen for the Raspberry Pi – this thing is playing in a whole different league!
The HyperPixel uses a high-speed DPI interface, allowing it to shift 5x more pixel data than the usual SPI interface that regular small Pi displays use.
The HyperPixel has an IPS screen boasting an 800x489 pixel resolution (~235 PPI) and a 60 FPS frame rate. As it’s an IPS screen, that crisp resolution is viewable from wide angles too – around an impressive 160 degrees.
The touchscreen model includes a custom-made glass cover and can be installed with a single line of code, and as it’s capacitive touch it’s capable of multi-touch!
If you’re buying for a retro gaming nut with an equal obsession for the Raspberry Pi, you need look no further than this incredible case from RetroFlag.
The GPi case holds a Raspberry Pi Zero (in the cartridge!) and effectively turns it into a hand-held console from days gone by. It includes a 2.8” IPS screen and requires just 3xAA batteries to run the entire package.
It features a speaker within the body, a headphone port, working game buttons/d-pads and working power switches with shutdown script options.
It’s simply one of the best retro gaming Raspberry Pi products available today!
If you’re looking to pad out the presents, here’s a sweet selection of stocking fillers – ten products under £10:
Blinkt: A neat 8 RGB LED add-on for the Raspberry Pi.
Status Board: A handy programmable status monitoring board for the Raspberry Pi.
Camera Module Camera Lens Set: Expand the field of view of your Raspberry Pi camera with this neat set of lenses.
Pico HAT Hacker: A labelled super-tiny GPIO breakout board for the Raspberry Pi.
Adafruit PCT2075: An upgrade on your standard temperature sensor! A precise 11-Bit Temperature Sensor with threshold alerts.
Adafruit PCB Ruler: Plastic rulers are so 1994. No maker is complete without a PCB ruler.
PiZero USB Stem: Convert your Raspberry Pi Zero or Zero W into a convenient USB dongle.
CamJam Edukit Motor Controller: One of the cheapest and simplest ways to move motors and create a robot with your Raspberry Pi. Well documented too!
Adafruit T-Cobbler Breakout kit: A convenient way to break your Raspberry Pi pins out to a breadboard, plus some soldering practice too.
ZeroView: Attach your Raspberry Pi Camera Module to a window and create a Raspberry Pi Zero CCTV project.
Merry Christmas from everyone at The Pi Hut!
]]>If you’re using your Raspberry Pi 4 for intensive applications, you may find that it gets a little toasty at times. Whilst the board is smart enough to realise this and adjust itself to compensate (throttling the CPU at around 80 degrees), we’d rather help it chill out and squeeze as much performance out of it as we can.
We thought it would be interesting to run some stress tests to see how well our new colourful XL heatsinks work with the Raspberry Pi 4 – with and without our fan case.
For our first test we went naked – no case, heatink or fan. It’s sitting on our bare wood desk with nothing else added. This is how the board is sold – so let’s see how it got on:
Result: Maximum temperature: 82 degrees
Verdict: 82 degrees is past the throttling threshold. We saw our CPU frequency drop to 1GHz during this test. A cooling solution is definitely required when pushing the Raspberry Pi 4 like this.
We wanted to see if a (XL) heatsink alone could keep our Raspberry Pi out of the throttling zone (80 degrees) during the stress test. Silent fanless cooling under these conditions isn’t going to produce the best results, however if we can keep things under 80 degrees then we’ve got a viable option.
Result: Maximum temperature: 75 degrees
Verdict: Yes – silent cooling without throttling is possible!
The case product page shows an ‘exhaust’ setup for this fan i.e. pulling air out of the case rather than pushing it in, however it’s up to the user to choose which way to mount it.
Result: Maximum temperature: 61 degrees
With heatsink: Maximum temperature: 56 degrees
Verdict: The quieter fan reduces the CPU temperature by an impressive 21 degrees when exhausting heat, and our large heatsink helps reduce it by an additional 5 degrees. A cool and quiet combo!
This is the same as test 3 however we’ve flipped the fan around to the intake configuration, sucking air into the case and straight on to the hot CPU.
Result: Maximum temperature: 57 degrees
With heatsink: Maximum temperature: 51 degrees
Verdict: Just flipping the fan over helped reduce temperature by an extra 4 degrees! The addition of our monstrous heatsink drops readings by another 6 degrees, bringing everything down to a frosty 51 degrees!
Whist this case keeps things VERY cool and has proven popular with our customers, we couldn’t ignore your feedback in the review section.
We monitor review comments on a regular basis to ensure we’re doing the right things (and remedy the wrong things), and this was one of those occasions where things needed fixing.
Many of you were impressed with the level of cooling performance of the product, however the fan noise trade-off fan noise was just too much for many of you. We wanted to fix this ASAP.
We immediately got on to our suppliers, requesting samples of similar size fans that ran at a lower RPM to find a sweet spot between cool and quiet.
We tested a number of options and eventually selected a fan which we think ticks both boxes.
We performed testing using the stress package to really cook our Raspberry Pis, and found that whilst the quieter fan runs at around 5 degrees hotter, it still only maxed out at 57 degrees – a decent 23 degrees away from the throttling threshold (your mileage may vary depending on your room temperature).
So we've made the decision to launch our v2.0 case, with what we believe to be be the better (quieter, but slightly warmer) fan option. Paired with a new, clear lid to the case. Available here
]]>The King Kong of Raspberry Pi 4, sporting a whopping 8GB of RAM and a powerful 1.8GHz (previously 1.5GHz) processor. It's also, of course, the most expensive Raspberry Pi 4 in the family.
Like all Raspberry Pi 4 versions, the 8GB option comes with the same great set of features - USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, dual micro-HDMI (4K), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C power and much more.
The only difference between this version and the other Raspberry Pi 4 options is the amount of RAM. 8GB is a huge amount of memory, catering for the most demanding projects and applications.
New users, users with less-demanding projects, or those not using a display (headless) could save money opting for a lower memory version without losing any functionality. However, buying the 8GB model could be seen as a way of future-proofing yourself as you progress to more advanced projects with the Raspberry Pi.
The 4GB version of the Raspberry Pi 4 is the sweet spot between price and features. It's priced, as you'd expect, between the 2GB and 8GB versions.
The 4GB of RAM is still more than sufficient to run game emulators and other intensive applications, however won't quite have the grunt that the 8GB board offers. If you don't see a need for 8GB of RAM, save yourself some money and grab this all-round performer.
In terms of features, you'll get the same great functionality as the other Raspberry Pi 4 boards (USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, dual micro-HDMI (4K), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C power + more) as well as the new 1.8GHz (previously 1.5GHz) processor.
The 2GB board is the cheapest option in the Raspberry Pi 4 line up.
It's a great way to grab all of the exciting new features that the Raspberry 4 offers (USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, dual micro-HDMI (4K), dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C power + more) whilst spending as little of your hard-earned cash as possible.
The 2GB of RAM is still sufficient for graphical applications, web browsing and emulation, however performance won't reach the levels of the 4GB and 8GB variants. The processor is the same powerful 1.8GHz (previously 1.5GHz) processor found on the other Raspberry Pi 4 models.
A fantastic affordable option for new users or as an upgrade from a Raspberry Pi 3 B+.
The previously discontinued 1GB board made a comeback during the supply chain issues in 2021 as mentioned here in the official news post.
The 1GB board is now the most affordable in the line-up but at the cost of even less RAM to play with. All other specs are the same as the other variants.
Realistically you'd want to opt for a higher RAM model if you plan to use the desktop regularly, however for headless/remote projects, it's ideal!
The Raspberry Pi hasn't been released in different RAM flavours previously, however we hope this article helps to explain the differences between them - and crucially - how to avoid spending more than you need to for your particular needs/projects.
Don't forget that in terms of operating systems, peripherals, software and the GPIO, these Raspberry Pis will all work in the exact same way.
It's also worth mentioning that this article covers just the Raspberry Pi 4. The Raspberry Pi 4 can be considered both the perfect beginner board whilst also being a powerful option for experienced users - however, there's now the new Raspberry Pi 5 offering even greater performance, or the previous Raspberry Pi 3, ultra-affordable Raspberry Pi Zero and the slim Model 3A+ available.
]]>The camera, display, A/V jack, POE pins, on board bluetooth and wifi have returned, but there's a tasty list of new additions to the 4. So lets have a quick run down of the exciting new tech on offer:
Previously, the Raspberry Pi has had fixed memory (the most recent 3B+ came with 1GB) however the new Raspberry Pi 4 Model B comes with three new memory options. You can either choose 1GB, 2GB or 4GB of on board memory, the latter being a big step up from previous incarnations of the board.
Previous Raspberry Pi's have always stuck to the one HDMI (or mini HDMI in the case of the Zero range), but for the first time the 4 Model B has not one, but two micro HDMI ports. This extra port means you can now run a dual screen setup, something which was impossible with previous Raspberry Pi's. If you'd like to get this setup you can dive into our latest tutorial here.
Moving to USB C means no more fumbling with working out which way round the micro USB power cable needs to be, it's just plug it in and go. There's a new range of Official Power Supplies to match the existing range of micro USB power supplies. But beware, the new 3A rating means some HATs and add on boards might not be compatible.
With the launch of the TV Hat last year, it made heavy use of the Raspberry Pi's on board H.264 video compression standards to manage encoding and decoding of TV streams, and now they've added H.265 on board to be able to handle 4K decoding as well. Along with OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics this is a big step up in the graphical processing capability of the Raspberry Pi.
Here's a short video giving an overview of XBMC media centre running flawlessly with the Raspberry Pi.
Here's another video running OpenELEC as an operating system, with XBMC. The idea behind OpenELEC is to allow people to use the Raspberry Pi as a media hub, just like a sky box or DVD player. This ones around 4 minutes long.
]]>Purpose of Raspberry Pi
The device was launched in UK and aimed at developing the programming skills since there is currently a shortage of these in the country. The Raspberry Pi was over the last six years by the foundation. The device launch coincided with the plans of the Department Of Education that aimed at adopting changes in the way computing was taught in schools by emphasizing more on programming skills. It is thus envisioned that this device will play an integral role in helping the government to launch the kind of computer classes they desire. The Raspberry Pi initiative has been praised by several stakeholders as it will help children to learn the programming fundamentals at an early age. Raspberry Pi has been taunted as the latest cutting edge education technology that has taken place in the UK.
Price
The initial Raspberry Pi was going for £22, which is equivalent to $35 although a cheaper version of £16 equivalent to $25 is expected to be released by the end of the year. This price is fixed by the charity controlling it and will not change. The computer uses the Linux operating system and can be connected to a normal computer monitor. It also has ports for attaching the mouse, the keyboard and any other additional peripherals. Raspberry Pi is equipped with an ethernet port, making it possible to connect to high-speed internet. It is hoped that the developers of this device and other relevant stakeholders will collaborate and develop additional software for it and find more uses. The computer has already gone on general sale and the market is very receptive.
Production
The first batch of Raspberry Pi of around 10,000 devices was manufactured in china and Taiwan. The foundation wished to have the Raspberry Pi manufactured in UK, but this was not possible due to a number of factors. First, in UK import duty is not payable to finished products, so the foundation would make substantial savings that would be directed to other development activities. Secondly, the Chinese manufactures had a lead time of four weeks compared to 12 weeks by UK manufacturers. The device is distributed by two UK firms RS Components and Premier Farnell. The foundation will not fund the production as the distributors will be handling the orders and liaising directly with the manufacturers. This will increase the production volume and help the project to grow faster.
Demand
The demand for Raspberry Pi has grown tremendously since its launch. After going up on sale on 29th February 2012, the first version was sold out in a matter of minutes. This was a total of 10,000 devices. The foundation has sold over 500,000 units and it is hoping to hit the one million mark by Christmas. This scientific sensation is on demand and buyers from China and North America have not been put off by the additional import charges. The popularity of this device has spread to Middle East, where a certain government is interested in availing the device to its female students to improve their future career prospects.
Author: David Anderson is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast.
]]>There are so many OS (Operating System) options out there for the Raspberry Pi, it makes choosing the right one for you a bit of a mine field!
First of all, what exactly is an OS and why do you need one?
Essentially, an OS is the software that supports a computer’s basic functions. For example, a computer needs an OS to execute scheduling tasks, control peripherals and execute applications. Some OS's that you might have heard of include Windows, Linux, Android and macOS. The Raspberry Pi doesn’t come with an OS already installed and ready to go, which leaves the choice open to you.
So, which one is the best? Well, being a Raspberry Pi beginner myself, I asked the question to our lovely Twitter followers. The answers I got were very interesting.
Most people seemed to be big supporters of Raspbian, or Raspbian Lite. This particular suggestion piqued my interest as it was noted that there is a particularly large support network available for Raspbian and Raspbian Lite users, making it the most appropriate choice for beginners. The interface of Raspbian offers instant reassurance with its familiar graphical interface lay-out and Windows Office-like apps.
It also includes games like Minecraft, a web browser, and tools to help get you started with your first venture into the programming world. One such tool is Scratch which is great for the younger and less-experienced Raspberry Pi users. It uses a much more visual approach to the programming language and on the face-of-it, is far friendlier that the seemingly hostile blinking terminal design of other languages such as Python. Lucky for you, we have micro SD cards pre-loaded with NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software) which is an operating system installation manager for the Raspberry Pi. Once you have NOOBS, you can install Raspbian as well as a number of other great operating systems, such as Pidora, LibreELEC, OSMC, RISC OS and Arch Linux. NOOBS is a great solution for beginners as it comes with a get-out-of-jail-free card when loading OS's. If you manage to "break" your OS, simply hold SHIFT during the Pi's boot sequence and you can reload your chosen OS anew!
Alternatively, if you have a micro SD card with a smaller capacity, you might consider Raspbian Lite. This is a paired back edition of Raspbian, meaning that the size of the program is much smaller and can fit onto micro SD cards with a memory capacity as low as 4GB. If you would prefer to get started with Raspbian Lite, you can buy your pre-loaded micro SD cards from our store.
The other OS mentioned a few times was Ubuntu MATE. I must confess – when I first heard the name of this OS, I thought I was being called ‘mate’. Google was quick to correct me, throwing up results for ‘Ubuntu Mate’. This OS also has a large support network for beginners and is ideal for users who want a more traditional desktop metaphor. If you already have some familiarity with Linux based operating systems, Ubuntu MATE is for you: yielding a stable, traditional Linux based desktop operating system. It includes a file manager which can connect you to your local and networked files, a text editor, calculator, archive manager, image viewer, document viewer, system monitor and, of course, a terminal.
Other operating systems were mentioned, such as: RetroPi, PiCoreplayer, DietPi, Volumio, JustBoom Player – and many many more. The caveat to all of these names being thrown into the pie dish was that it really depends on what you are using your Raspberry Pi for. For example, RetroPi was suggested as the best OS for turning your Raspberry Pi into a retro gaming console, however, there are other operating systems that also perform this function, such as recalbox OS or EmulationStation. For audio based projects, Volumio was suggested as the best OS but others include RuneAudio, Max2Play and JustBoom Player.
So really, what this all boils down to is what do YOU want to DO with your Raspberry Pi? If you are just looking to get started and want a more generic OS, why not try Raspbian or Ubuntu Mate. More specialised operating systems exist for those of you that have more knowledge than a beginner, such as Arch Linux and Risc OS to name a couple.
The Raspebrry Pi is even compatible with a few more familiar operating systems such as Windows 10 IOT and Cayenne which both act as platforms for the Internet of Things. This allows you to sync multiple data devices such as sensors using your Raspberry Pi!
The list of things you could achieve with your Pi is endless and if you are already a seasoned Raspberry Pi master, then the world is quite literally your pie.
]]>The Raspberry Pi, just like any other computer you may have used, will need a few accessories for it to be fully functional and programmable.
It is essentially a mini-computer, just on a single circuit board, making it light, compact and most importantly, affordably cheap! Below is some information about what you will need to get started:
What you need
Take a look at our starter kit bundles! There are different bundles to fit all budgets, making getting started with the Raspberry Pi even easier!
There are several models of Raspberry Pi available on the market currently, however, the most current and up to date are the Raspberry Pi 3 and the Raspberry Pi Zero W. To compare the specifications of each of the Raspberry Pi models available, check out our comparison table. We would suggest, for your first Raspberry Pi venture, to invest in the Raspberry Pi 3, available here.
O.K., so a case isn’t ESSENTIAL for getting started, however, the Raspberry Pi is basically a naked circuit board. To keep your Pi safe, especially if you are buying one for children to use, we would strongly recommend getting one. There are loads of different cases available to give your Raspberry Pi that super snazzy edge, check them out here.
Just like any computer, you are going to need a mouse and a keyboard to execute tasks using your Raspberry Pi, besides, how are you meant to code without a keyboard?! If you hate being tethered to a desk, some wireless keyboard and mouse models are also supported by the Raspberry Pi 3. We have a selection of both USB and wireless mouse and keyboard models, take your pick!
Monitor & Appropriate Video Cable
HDMI capable monitors are recommended to connect to the Raspberry Pi as they carry both audio and visual capabilities in one cable, making the set-up much easier. Check out our selection of video cables here.
If your monitor doesn’t support HDMI, the Pi can also be connected to DVI monitors (with an HDMI to DVI cable), VGA monitors (with an HDMI to VGA converter) or via a composite to RCA cable using the Pi’s composite audio/video output.
If you don’t have a monitor, check out our range of screens for the Raspberry Pi.
There are many operating systems out there for the Raspberry Pi and choosing the right one for you can be confusing in the beginning. At ModMyPi, we offer a selection of pre-loaded micro SD cards with different operating systems.
NOOBS (New Out of the Box Software) is an easy installer, which includes a selection of Operating Systems, including the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Raspbian is an excellent selection for complete beginners. You can order your pre-loaded SD card here.
Power can be supplied to your Raspberry Pi via the micro USB power connector. The Raspberry Pi Foundation recommend a 5.1V 2.5A Power Supply for best results. For the right power supply for your Raspberry Pi, check our store.
Ethernet Cable or WiFi Adaptor
If you want to connect to the internet and you aren’t using a Raspberry Pi 3 or Raspberry Pi Zero W (which already have built in WiFi) then you will need to use either an Ethernet cable or a WiFi Adaptor.
]]>
Raspberry Pi 2 |
Raspberry Pi |
Raspberry Pi |
Raspberry Pi |
Raspberry Pi |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Processor Chipset |
Broadcom BCM2836 ARMv7 Quad Core Processor powered Single Board Computer running at 900 MHz |
Broadcom BCM2835 ARMv6 SoC full HD multimedia applications processor |
Broadcom BCM2835 ARMv6 SoC full HD multimedia applications processor |
Broadcom BCM2835 ARMv6 SoC full HD multimedia applications processor |
Broadcom BCM2835 ARMv6 SoC full HD multimedia applications processor |
GPU |
Videocore IV |
Videocore IV |
Videocore IV |
Videocore IV |
Videocore IV |
Processor Speed |
QUAD Core @900 MHz |
Single Core @700 MHz |
Single Core @700 MHz |
Single Core @700 MHz |
Single Core @700 MHz |
RAM |
1GB SDRAM @ 450 MHz |
512 MB SDRAM @ 400 MHz |
256 MB SDRAM @ 400 MHz |
512 MB SDRAM @ 400 MHz |
256 MB SDRAM @ 400 MHz |
Storage |
MicroSD |
MicroSD |
MicroSD |
SDCard |
SDCard |
USB 2.0 |
4x USB Ports |
4x USB Ports |
1x USB Ports |
2x USB Ports |
1x USB Ports |
Power Draw / voltage |
1.8A @ 5V |
1.8A @ 5V |
1.8A @ 5V |
1.2A @ 5V |
1.2A @ 5V |
GPIO |
40 pin |
40 pin |
40 pin |
26 pin |
26 pin |
Ethernet Port |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
]]>
UPS PIco - Uninterruptible Power Supply and I2C Control HAT Downloads
For the quickest and easiest set up, new users should please download the simple set up guide, and follow all instructions carefully. For advanced users, the full manual is available for additional commands.
UPS Pico
3D Models
Please download and trust content to enable the use of 3D models. They will not work in browser .pdf viewers.
Set Up Guides
Full Manual
Assembly Guides
Firmware
Python Scripts
]]>Each year the business has grown and each year out-growing the office space. With the addition of a 5th employee and the sheer volume of products being distributed, once again the business has to move location. This time to a big warehouse with a sectioned off office for management.
After 5 long days, we are finally settled in to our new premises! Hopefully, with enough additional space to allow for even more growth.
Here's to the future of ModMyPi!
]]>Ross Porter’s father could no longer operate his CD player to play his favourite music due to impaired mental function caused by dementia. Knowing that music was incredibly beneficial to people in his father’s position, Ross set about making a music box that could be operated simply. He used two rotary encoders fed through to a Raspberry Pi to do this. Pressing or rotating either knob starts the music going. One knob controls the volume and the other changes songs from a playlist stored on a USB drive. His final product came out as above. He’s now documented the build process and open sourced all the designs and software, designing two other cases in the process (one of which is shown below).
I think you’ll agree, this is a lovely idea and I applaud Ross for his efforts to bring music back to his father. You can see a presentation of the music box below and find out how to make your own here:
Two students from the University of Washington, Maks Surguy and Yi Fan Yin, decided to create an interactive doll’s house that could be controlled by a Playstation Move controller. To do this, they first of all designed the doll’s house, printed it out on cardboard to prototype and then laser-cut the design in plywood to give the house some stability and strength.
The Playstation Move interprets gestures and feeds them to a Raspberry Pi which then decides which gesture was used and then turns features of the doll’s house on or off accordingly. A total of seven gestures were programmed in to control;
…various functional items in the dollhouse (such as) TV, lights, fan, and shutters.
Read more over at The MagPi and watch the video below:
Using a variety of techniques, a team has developed the Expression Flower that senses when it is being smiled at and then opens up to smile back at you. Powered by a Raspberry Pi, the flower is coded using Google’s IoT platform, Android Things. There’s a camera module at the centre which reads in image data, passes it to the Pi which itself uses the ML Kit learning ‘machine’ from Google. Oh, if you wink at it, it closes up again in a bashful kind of way! The entire project, which uses 3D printing and laser-cutting, has been open sourced and documented over on Hackster.io.
]]>Janos Kiss, Otília Pasaréti and Romain Fontaine set up a pinball manufacturing company, called Team Pinball, in Cardiff a little over a year ago and have been quietly, and secretly, beavering away on their new machines. The game, based on a Mafia theme, features a 10.1″ LCD built into the back board.
Although most of the mechanical parts in the machine are standard and easily available (for easy replacement in case of breakdowns), the main ‘brain’ inside the machine is a Raspberry Pi 3!
Janos explains the electronics pictured above:
The platform is composed of a Raspberry Pi 3 and a single electronic board (R-board) with through-hole components. The Raspberry Pi 3 runs the game software and interfaces with the machine through the R-board. All the switches are direct switches, they are connected to the R-board and scanned a thousand times every second. The CPU will send responses to the solenoids in less than 3 milliseconds giving sharp feedback and a no-lag experience for the player. The game comes with full RGB LEDs which are also controlled by the CPU. A 12V PSU and a 48V transformer are used for the electronics and the solenoids respectively.
The software on the Pi is a custom Linux operating system called JOS, written in C++.
Machines are made to order by the Cardiff team and the suggested retail price of the units is £6,750, which isn’t bad considering the bespoke nature of the machines!
You can see the trailer for the machines below and read more over at Pinball News. The company’s website can be found here.
Grant Gibson was approached by Belgian beer brand Heverlee to create a fun in-bar experience. Grant remembered Sjoelen – a shuffleboard game popular across Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and thought up a free-standing apparatus to play the game and win prizes. The idea is that players slide wooden pucks down the board and try to get them through the holes beneath the back board. Apparently, it’s more challenging than it sounds!
For detection of the puck, Gibson used IR proximity sensors wired to a Raspberry Pi 3. He added a webcam and screen so that bystanders could see the reactions of the players during the game and then programmed the Pi in Python to bring it all together.
The prizes are cans of the Belgian beer in question and these are dispensed by the Pi, via 12V relays using a self-manufactured mechanism. The story of how he got to this mechanism, and the… dampness involved when it all went wrong… are covered over on his blog.
Some more making was involved in bringing the game up to a standard suitable for transporting and abuse from slightly drunk players!
You can read more about the project over on Gibson’s blog or watch the video below:
There have been lots of tutorials about how to create a Raspberry Pi wireless access point in the past, but they have become slightly out of date over time. This new one from the May 2018 issue of Maximum PC is much better than some I’ve read and goes through all the steps you’ll need to go through including installing software, configuring DNS and DHCP, configuring HostAPD, thinking about traffic shaping and making a bridge between connections. To find out how to do it, head over to PC Gamer.
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