Raspberry Pi Hardware
Introduction
If you are into embedded systems and IoT development, I'm sure you've heard people say that the Raspberry Pi is the next step once you have a good grounding with Arduino. This statement is not far from the truth - as I can testify to that!
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In this tutorial, we will be looking at the Raspberry Pi ecosystem. We will learn about what they are, who makes them, how we can use them, and what they can be used for. Whether you are a fan of embedded systems and IoT or want to learn about the Pi because it sounds cool, this tutorial series has you covered.
What is Raspberry Pi
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Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers (SBCs) developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in association with Broadcom. The Raspberry Pi project was originally started to promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools.
Currently, There are various Raspberry Pi boards of different sizes and specs to tailor to different needs ranging from being used as a desktop computer to media streaming, learning how to program, robotics and IoT development, etc. the list goes on.
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The Raspberry Pi has always been known as a processor-based single-board computer platform, but with their invention of the RP2040 microcontroller in 2020 and the Raspberry Pi Pico board, the Raspberry Pi has you covered irrespective of your project requirement.
Raspberry Pi Boards
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In this tutorial series, we will be working mainly with the latest in the Raspberry Pi SBC line-up which is the Raspberry Pi 5, but we will look briefly at other boards available.
Below are some of the boards made by Raspberry Pi and their specifications (more details on the Raspberry Pi website)
Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+
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Raspberry Pi Model B+ is the final revision of the original Raspberry Pi. It replaced the Model B in July 2014 and was superseded by Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.
Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+
Pi1B+ Specifications:
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CPU: 700MHz Broadcom BCM2835 CPU
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GPU: Dual Core VideoCore IV® Multimedia Co-Processor
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Memory: 1 GB
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Video Input: CSI Camera Port
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GPIO Pins: 40
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On-board Storage: MicroSD
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Audio/Display Output: HDMI, DSI Display Port, Component over 3.5mm
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USB Port: 4 x USB Ports (USB 2.0)
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On-board Network: 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet
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Power Source: 5V MicroUSB
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
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​The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is an upgrade to the original Raspberry Pi Zero
boating speed of about 5x that of the original Pi Zero. This little guy is
perfect for a range of smart home applications and other IoT projects. Its
tiny form factor and impressive power make it an ideal computer for your projects.
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
Pi Zero2 W Specifications:
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1GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A53 CPU
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512MB SDRAM
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2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN
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Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), onboard antenna
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Mini HDMI port and micro USB On-The-Go (OTG) port
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microSD card slot
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CSI-2 camera connector
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HAT-compatible 40-pin header footprint (unpopulated)
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H.264, MPEG-4 decode (1080p30); H.264 encode (1080p30)
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OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0 graphics
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Micro USB power
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Composite video and reset pins via solder test points
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65mm x 30mm
Raspberry Pi Pico/W
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The Raspberry Pi Pico is the latest first in the Raspberry Pi microcontroller-based
boards. The Raspberry Pi Pico W is the Pico version with wireless Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity features.
(L) Raspberry Pi Pico - (R) Rapberry Pi Pico W
Pi Pico Specifications:
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21mm x 51mm form factor.
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RP2040 microcontroller chip designed by Raspberry Pi in the UK.
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Dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor, flexible clock running up to 133MHz.
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264KB on-chip SRAM
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2MB on-board QSPI Flash
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26 multifunction GPIO pins, including 3 analog pins.
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2 x UART, 2 x SPI controllers, 2x I2C controllers, 16 x PWM channels.
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1 x USB 1.1 controller and PHY, with host and device support.
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8 x Programmable I/O (PIO) state machines for custom peripheral support.
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Supported input power 1.8-5.5V DC.
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The castellated module allows soldering directly to carrier boards.
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Drag-and-drop programming using mass storage over USB.
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Accurate on-chip clock.
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Temperature sensor.
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Check out our detailed tutorial on Raspberry Pi Pico
Raspberry Pi 5
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Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest model in the Raspberry Pi SBC lineup. With 2–3× the speed of the previous generation, and featuring silicon designed in‑house for the best possible performance, redefining the Raspberry Pi experience. It comes with an I/O-controller designed in-house, a power button, and an RTC chip, among other things. The Pi 5 is the desired board for this course.
Raspberry Pi 5
Pi 5 Specifications:
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Broadcom BCM2712 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, with cryptography extensions, 512KB per-core L2 caches and a 2MB shared L3 cache
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VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2
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Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output with HDR support
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4Kp60 HEVC decoder
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LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM (2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB)
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Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi®
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Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
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microSD card slot, with support for high-speed SDR104 mode
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2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
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2 × USB 2.0 ports
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Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support (requires separate PoE+ HAT)
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2 × 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers
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PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals (requires separate M.2 HAT or other adapter)
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5V/5A DC power via USB-C, with Power Delivery support
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Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin header
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Real-time clock (RTC), powered from external battery
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Power button
Raspberry Pi 5 Accessories
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1. Power Supply
The Raspberry Pi 5 can be powered through the Type-C USB port on the board using either a battery pack or a power plug. The recommended power rating is 25-30 Watt or 5V/5Amps.
Official 27W USB Type-C Power Supply for Raspberry Pi
2. Active cooler
The Raspberry Pi Active Cooler for Raspberry Pi 5 is a dedicated clip-on cooling solution for Raspberry Pi 5. It combines an aluminium heatsink with a temperature-controlled blower fan to keep your Raspberry Pi 5 at a comfortable operating temperature, even under heavy loads.
Raspberry Pi 5 Active cooler
2. Raspberry Pi 5 Case
The Raspberry Pi Case for Raspberry Pi 5 is a clip-together four-part enclosure with an active cooling fan. It keeps your Raspberry Pi 5 at a comfortable operating temperature even under heavy load.
Raspberry Pi 5 Case