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Raspberry Pi

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Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi
source
NameRaspberry Pi
DeveloperRaspberry Pi Foundation
ManufacturerSony (UK), Egoman
TypeSingle-board computer
GenerationVarious
Release date29 February 2012
Unit soldOver 55 million (as of May 2023)
Websitehttps://www.raspberrypi.com/

Raspberry Pi. It is a series of small, affordable single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to promote teaching of basic computer science in schools and in developing countries. The original model became far more popular than anticipated, selling outside its target market for uses such as robotics, home automation, and as a media center. It is typically used with the Linux-based operating system Raspberry Pi OS and supports a wide array of applications and programming languages.

History

The concept was developed by a team including Eben Upton, Rob Mullins, Jack Lang, and Alan Mycroft at the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory, who were concerned about the declining number and skills of students applying to study computer science. The Raspberry Pi Foundation was formed in 2009, and after several prototype boards, the first model (later termed the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B) was released to the public in February 2012. Early manufacturing was supported by partnerships with Sony's Pencoed factory in Wales and Premier Farnell. The foundation later established a commercial entity, Raspberry Pi Ltd, to oversee hardware development, while the charitable foundation continued its educational mission. Major milestones include the launch of the Raspberry Pi Zero in 2015 and the more powerful Raspberry Pi 4 Model B in 2019.

Hardware

The hardware is built around a System on a chip (SoC) from Broadcom, which integrates a CPU, GPU, and memory. Early models used variants of the ARM11 architecture, while newer models feature ARM Cortex-A series processors. The boards include GPIO pins for interfacing with electronic components, USB ports, HDMI output for video, and support for SD card storage. The Raspberry Pi Pico introduced in 2021 marked a shift, being a microcontroller board based on the foundation's own RP2040 chip. Accessories like the official Raspberry Pi Camera Module and HATs (Hardware Attached on Top) expand functionality. Manufacturing is primarily handled by Sony in the UK and Egoman in Taiwan.

Software

The primary supported operating system is Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian), a Debian-based Linux distribution. It also supports other Linux distributions like Ubuntu, as well as non-Linux systems including RISC OS and Windows 10 IoT Core. The software ecosystem includes programming environments for Python, Scratch, C, and Java. Bundled software often includes the Chromium web browser, the LibreOffice suite, and development tools. The Raspberry Pi Imager utility is provided for writing OS images to SD cards. For the Raspberry Pi Pico, software development uses the C/C++ SDK or MicroPython.

Applications

Its low cost and versatility have led to widespread use in education, DIY projects, and industrial applications. Common uses include retro gaming emulators, media centers using software like Kodi, network-attached storage (NAS) servers, and Internet of Things (IoT) nodes. In robotics, it serves as the controller for platforms like the Pi Wars competition. It is used in weather stations, home automation systems with Home Assistant, and digital signage. Scientific applications include astrophotography control, cluster computing projects like the Iridis-Pi at the University of Southampton, and environmental monitoring.

Community and ecosystem

A large global community has formed around it, contributing to forums, magazines like The MagPi, and extensive online tutorials. Official events include Raspberry Jam community meetups. The ecosystem comprises thousands of third-party accessories from companies like Adafruit, Pimoroni, and SparkFun Electronics. The foundation runs educational initiatives like the Code Club and the annual Astro Pi challenge in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). The community also contributes to extensive wiki documentation and software repositories on GitHub.

Reception and impact

It has been widely praised for reviving interest in hobbyist computing and making computer science accessible. It received awards including the Royal Academy of Engineering's MacRobert Award in 2017. Critics have occasionally noted performance limitations or supply chain issues, especially during the global chip shortage. Its impact is seen in its adoption by industries for prototyping and embedded systems, its use in developing countries for affordable computing, and its role in projects like the BBC Micro Bit. The foundation's model of coupling a commercial entity with a charitable mission has been influential in the tech for good sector.

Category:Single-board computers Category:Computer-related introductions in 2012 Category:Open-source hardware