Computers have taken the world over. From the first classroom computers to the laptops of today, computers have come a long way. Now they have become smaller than ever. The Raspberry pi is a surprisingly small (about the size of a credit card) low-cost computer that plugs into your monitor or TV. It is about as functional as your average desktop and allows people of all ages to explore computing to the fullest. The raspberry pi can be used to write simple programming languages( scratch and python), play HD videos and games, browse the internet and sustain word processing and spreadsheets.
The Raspberry pi can interact perfectly with other devices, and it has been used in a long list of digital maker projects, from music machines to weather stations to birdhouses. The Raspberry pi will soon be used by children worldwide to explore programming and basic computing.
Clusters of hundreds of Raspberry Pis can be used for testing programs destined for use in supercomputers.
ORIGINS
The earliest concepts of the raspberry pie were based on the Atmel ATmega644 microcontroller. Raspberry’s schematics and PCB layout are available to the public. The raspberry Foundation trustee Eben Upton assembled a group of teachers, academics, and other computer enthusiasts to design and create a computer that would attract and inspire children. The raspberry computer itself is inspired by Acorn’s BBC Micro, released in the early ’80s. The names for Model A, Model B, and Model B+ are direct references to the original models of the British BBC Microcomputer designed by Acron Computers. Raspberry’s first ARM prototype was mounted on a board about the size of a USB stick. Its two ends had a USB and HDMI port, respectively.
OVERALL SPECS
Over the years, the Raspberry pi has released three generations with several models. Every Pi features a Broadcom system on a chip (SoC) with an integrated ARM-compatible central processing unit (CPU) and on-chip graphics processing unit (GPU). There are currently four generations of the raspberry pi.
Before its release, the Pi’s board was displayed by ARM’s CEO Warren East at Cambridge. The purpose was to outline Google’s ideas to improve the UK’s science and technology education.
The processor speed of the raspberry pi ranges from 700 MHz to 1.4 GHz for the Pi 3 Model B+ or 1.5 GHz for the Pi 4. The standard onboard memory ranges from 256 MB to 1 GB RAM. The pi 4 can hold up to 4GB of RAM. For storing the Raspberry’s OS and program memory, Secure Digital (SD) cards in MicroSDHC form factor (SDHC on early models) are used. The raspberry pi has 1-5 USB ports on each board. It fully supports HDMI and composite feed for video output. It uses a simple 3.5mm tip-ring-sleeve jack for audio output. Lower output designs are provided by several GPIO pins, which support standard protocols like I²C. The Raspberry’s B-models have an 8P8C Ethernet port, and the Pi 3, Pi 4, and Pi Zero W have onboard Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth.
MODELS
1st
In February of 2012, the first generation of the raspberry pi (Raspberry Pi 1 Model B) was released, and soon after, a more straightforward and cheaper Model A was released. Later, in 2014 the Foundation released a new board with a better design called Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+. The new boards were around the size of credit cards and are now the standard mainline form-factor. A year later, another improved version was released called the Raspberry Pi A+ and B+. A “Compute Module” was released in April of 2014 for embedded applications. By February of 2015, The Raspberry Pi 2, which added more RAM, was released.
In November 2015, A Raspberry Pi Zero with a smaller size, a reduced input/output ratio, and general-purpose input/output (GPIO) capabilities was released. A version of the Pi Zero with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, the Raspberry Pi Zero W was launched on 28 February 2017. Again, an understanding of the Zero W with pre-soldered GPIO headers, the Raspberry Pi Zero WH, was established On 12 January 2018.
2nd
In February 2016, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B was released with a 1.2 GHz 64-bit quad-core processor, onboard 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB boot capabilities. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ was launched On Pi Day (14th of March), 2018. The Pi B+ model had a faster 1.4 GHz processor and a three-times faster gigabit Ethernet (throughput limited to ca. 300 Mbit/s by the internal USB 2.0 connection) or 2.4 / 5 GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (100 Mbit/s). The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ had other features, including Power over Ethernet (PoE) (with the add-on PoE HAT), USB boot, and network boot (an SD card was no longer required).
3rd
The latest version of the Raspberry Pi, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, was released in June 2019. It had a 1.5 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor, on-board 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, full gigabit Ethernet (throughput not limited), two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and dual monitor support (4K resolution). The Pi 4 is also powered via a USB-C port, enabling additional power to be provided to downstream peripherals when used with an appropriate PS. The Raspberry Pi 4 has a design flaw where third-party e-marked USB cables, such as those used on Apple MacBooks, incorrectly identified and refused to provide power. This is going to be corrected in a future board revision.
RECEPTION
The raspberry pi has been acclaimed worldwide. In May 2011, technology writer Glyn Moody said that the raspberry project was a “potential BBC Micro 2.0”. Saying that, It would vastly improve the technology sector, not by replacing PC compatible machines but by supplementing them. Several esteemed authors and engineers have Expressed hope that the raspberry pi will engage children with the excitement of programming.
The Centre for Computing History has strongly expressed its support for the Raspberry Pi project, describing the project as being capable of “ushering in a new era.”
The Raspberry pi has won some awards. In October 2012, the Raspberry Pi won T3’s Innovation of the Year award, and futurist Mark Pesce said that a (borrowed) Raspberry Pi was the inspiration for his ambient device project MooresCloud. In October 2012, the British Computer Society reacted to the announcement of enhanced specifications by stating, “it’s something we’ll want to sink our teeth into.”
In June 2017, Raspberry Pi won the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award. The citation for the award to the Raspberry Pi said it was “for its inexpensive credit card-sized microcomputers, which are redefining how people engage with computing, inspiring students to learn coding and computer science and providing innovative control solutions. For industry.”