So, I got a new package and a new toy to play with in the mail. Honestly I am surprised it took me this long to order myself a Raspberry Pi mini computer, When it was released, I was one of the people scrambling to try to order one immediately only to be disappointed that all of the stores that carry them were UK only.
And now I have myself a Pi. I went ahead and ordered the suped up starter pack from Amazon instead of just the bare bones Pi and case. I probably could have ordered the components separately for cheaper but I figured this would be much easier and would sort of guarantee compatibility. The kid includes a breadboard and some wires and parts to let the Pi work better with the GPIO interfaces, which is something I wanted anyway. Also it was listed as the #1 seller in it’s category so I figure it’s couldn’t be that bad of a deal.
The Kid includes the Raspberry Pi B+ board, a case and power supply, a broadboard, a breakout cable for the GPIO, some LEDs, some wires for the bread board, a set of 3 heat sinks, an 8GB Micro SD card, a USB WiFi adaprot, and an HDMI cable. I have several project ideas in mind for the Pi and my plan is that once I set up something that I am satisfied with, I can order another basic board kit and then use the parts on a new project.
I’m kind of glad I waited actually. The Pi has evolved quite a bit over time and this model, the B+ is definitely better in a few simple ways. It lacks the Composite video output that the original had, but has 4 USB ports instead of just 2. The B+ also is designed so all of the ports are on two sides instead of scattered all over the place. The basic processor and memory are essentially the same though.
The case in this kit is simple but effective, the cut outs all align properly and it snaps in pretty securely. There are also 3 heat sinks included. It was a little tricky to figure out where the smallest heat sink went since the photos online are all for the older model.
The completed set up seals up nicely. Not only does the case have holes for the major ports, it also has slits and holes for the lesser used interfaces, like the GPIO pins and the digital display port.
What surprised me the most was just how light the completed set up is. It’s a bit thicker than my phone but probably weighs half to a forth of the weight of my phone. I feel like this board could easily be attached to some sort of kite or glider if one were so inclined.
I’ve already got several Raspberry Pi related books full of projects to try and i have some ideas of my own once I get the hang of how the system works. Plus there are the projects people have done over on /r/raspberry_pi. I also am looking forward to seeing what I can come up with to combine the Raspberry Pi and Arduino boards.
Josh Miller aka “Ramen Junkie”. I write about my various hobbies here. Mostly coding, photography, and music. Sometimes I just write about life in general. I also post sometimes about toy collecting and video games at Lameazoid.com.
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