The Raspberry Pi 3 is a low budget computer that can be used in various ways including in a budget desktop PC, low-res gaming console, cell phone and in hundreds of other similar projects.
It comes with ports through which input/output (I/O) devices can be connected. The Pi was originally designed to make programming accessible to all students, but since its release, it has gained much popularity and resulted to have influenced fields like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Robotics.
The Raspberry Pi 3 B is the latest version of the Raspberry Pi 3, and its specifications are:
- Chipset: Broadcom BCM2387
- Structure: 64 Bit CPU 2GHz Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53
- Wireless: 11 b/g/n Wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.1
- Memory: 1GB RAM
- Ports: 4 x USB ports, Micro SD port, HDMI
- Audio/Video: 4 pole Stereo output and Composite video port
- Camera: CSI camera port
- Display: DSI display port
- Power: Micro USB power source
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7 interesting things about Raspberry Pi 3
The Raspberry Pi offers a lot of amazing and exciting functionalities. Following are some interesting facts you must know that might entice you to own your very own Raspberry Pi:
The Raspberry Pi can operate on various operating systems
After you buy a Raspberry Pi 3, the next step would be to install the OS on it. The NOOBS (New Out Of the Box OS) installer helps with this.
There is a wide range of operating systems that the Pi can function with Windows, Ubuntu and supports various programming languages like Raspbian, Python, LibreElec and more.
One can learn many programming languages on the Pi
As Raspberry Pi supports many languages, Scratch (a visual programming tool) can be imported to it that can further accelerate learning of programming concepts for beginners.
One of the main reasons the microcomputer was invented was because the founders wanted the low-cost computer to be available to beginners and facilitate learning of coding and software development.
Here’s how the Pi got its name
Raspberry Pi’s founder, Eben Upton, says ‘Raspberry’ serves as a reference to the early microcomputers that were traditionally named after fruits and ‘Pi’ is short for ‘Python’, because initially the Pi was intended to make use of only this programming language.
The Pi 3 is just a really stable motherboard
Raspberry Pi 3 comes with many ports through which the input/output devices can be connected. Thus, the Pi can be carried everywhere easily like schools, colleges and offices. It is recommended that the microcomputer is kept inside a case, to keep it safe from any external damage.
You can do amazing small-scale projects on the Pi
The Raspberry Pi has dramatically revolutionised the field of IoT. The Pi board allows one to connect many sensors and actuators. The information from the sensors can be further processed by a program the user writes, and the actuators can perform corresponding actions accordingly.
You can get innovative as there are interesting add-ons in the market compatible with Pi, which would further accentuate your experience on the Pi. Some of these include:
- AlaMode: Used to interface Raspberry Pi to other micro-controllers
- RaZberry: Home automation made simpler with Z-wave hardware
- PiFace Digital I/O interface: Help manage all of the sensors connected to the Pi
Apart from these physical add-ons, there are various apps on the Google Play Store like IP Webcam, VNC Player, that help connect your mobile’s hardware like the camera and monitor screen to the Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi 3 can run classic console games of PS1, NES
Using emulators like RetroPie, RecalBox, Lakka, the Raspberry Pi enables one to play classic games on it. This budget computer can handle older games with less demanding graphics with ease, but the recent titles will make it lag.
There are various operating systems available to help use the game emulator that amplifies the gaming experience to a great extent. For step-by-step instructions to convert your Raspberry Pi into a gaming console, check out this article.
Setting up the Pi is a piece of cake
The Raspberry Pi can be connected to input-output devices like the mouse and keyboard via the available USB ports. To connect it to a display screen like a monitor or TV you’ll need to use a VGA to HDMI converter.
Once you have all your I/O in order, connect the power supply cord to it and voila! The Raspberry Pi turns on, and if NOOBS is on the SD card, installation of the specific OS of your choice can be done quickly.
This plug and play facility truly makes it easy for people of all age groups and fields of study to make the maximum use of its functionalities.
Further, the sensors and actuators can be attached to the Pi’s board by use of breadboard jumper wires. You can also make use of an external breadboard in case there are many such devices to be connected to the Pi.
These functionalities have greatly influenced domains like Cloud, IoT, Robotics and the Pi has made it so easy for all to indulge in these trends since it is low-cost, mobile solution which is also so easy to use.
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These facts make buying the Raspberry Pi 3 quite compelling, don’t you think?
You can buy a Raspberry Pi 3 B from Amazon along with the power adaptor, heat sink, case and micro SD card with NOOBS pre-installed for $37.50.