FEATURE DISTRIBUTION
NEW RASPBERRY PI HAS THE POWER Sven Pannewitz, product manager, Reichelt Elektronik looks at the new Raspberry Pi 3B + model
T
he Raspberry Pi is deemed by most to be the King of mini-computers. Since
the product first launched in 2012, more than 12.5 million mini-computers have been sold to date, stealing 3rd place on the list of best selling computers. Only PCs and Macs have higher sales. But that’s just the start of the success
story. The new Raspberry Pi 3B + model was recently launched, much to the delight of Raspberry Pi fans, with even more processor power than before. The Raspberry Pi has dozens of
expansion options, allowing makers to create unique projects. The diverse range of accessories that can be used in conjunction with it is hugely popular amongst the constantly growing community too. At reichelt, sales figures show just how
popular the Raspberry Pi is becoming. The market is not saturated by any means yet, on the contrary, more and more people are buying models of the mini-computer. The types of projects makers and hobbyists are developing is also changing as well. With the rise of smarter gadgets and devices for the home and workplace, the projects makers are choosing to create are getting smarter too, especially in home automation. This is thanks to the versatility of the Raspberry Pi and how it can be used effectively in so many different ways. Whether it’s creating a retro games console or upgrading some old speakers to making a smart security camera or smart door bell. The brand new Raspberry Pi 3 B+
continues the success story of the popular single-board computers and has a few new surprises too. It may be smaller than a credit card but it packs performance. More and more demands are being
made of these mini-computers – these new features respond to these demands and open up even more possibilities.
Key upgrades at a glance:
• Cortex-A53 CPU with 4 cores, 1.4GHz and 64-bit
• 1024 MB DDR2 memory • 40 pins, 26 GPIO • 4x USB 2.0 • Audio and HDMI socket • LAN RJ45 10/100/1000 (up to 300 Mbit) •WLAN 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2.4 + 5.0 GHz) • Bluetooth 4.2
10 MAY 2018 | ELECTRONICS
Figure 1: Power over Ethernet
POWER SUPPLY VIA ETHERNET Arguably the most notable difference is the power supply. With the help of a new shield, the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is now POE (Power of Ethernet) capable. POE essentially refers to any system that passes power and data over a combined pair of Ethernet cables, acting as one cable. These enabled devices can connect to a power source and a network through a single cable instead of two. It also means installations costs are
reduced as it is quick and easy to set up because you can use the existing network cable. It’s easy to maintain too. There are two types of POE systems:
active and passive. Active systems where the power is only turned on when a compatible device is connected and detected. Passive systems however keep the power on continuously. So, the Raspberry Pi 3B+ no longer
requires a power supply or power connection to be near it. It’s powered by the LAN cable meaning you can save the power supply and power cable.
Figure 2: RaspPi 3B+
EVERYTHING IS FASTER The first thing that stands out about the new model is the increased CPU performance to a clock of 1.4GHz (to compare, the 3B model is 1.2GHz). This development shows the capability of these mini-computers for more creative and varied use. With the 1.4GHz quad-core Broadcom
2837B0 64-bit ARMv8 processor, the latest Raspberry Pi is a high-performance single-board computer. It has unbeatable Gigabit LAN connection and WiFi over b/g/n/ac delivers faster data transmission. New connectivity features are also
available: in addition to the WiFi standards b/g/n already integrated in the predecessor, the new model also has WiFi ac – this enables particularly fast transmission, which is useful for data transmissions in real-time, for example. The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ supports
transmission of 10,100 and 1,000Mbit, putting it in the same league as Gigabit LAN development boards, transferring up to 300Mbit per second via USB 2.0. If you use the freely available operating
systems online such as Raspbian or OpenELEC, you can easily use the single- board computer for spreadsheets and word processing or use it for surfing the Internet, playing games and for playing HD videos. Four USB ports allow a keyboard, mouse, monitor or other powerful USB devices to be connected. In addition, the Raspberry Pi 3B + has a
camera and display interface, HDMI, and audio. With the 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM RAM, nothing stands in the way of complex and demanding projects. Both the Raspberry Pi 3B+ and the
predecessor version (3B) are particularly suitable for the education sector for software programming, but they are also finding increasing applications in industry. If you connect the mini-computer to you’re a router, you can easily monitor, control and programme it via a PC or notebook. So it is possible to control lighting via smartphone or a sound system for example – and makers are no longer restricted by power supply connections and multiple cables.
Reichelt Elektronik
www.reichelt.com e:
info@reichelt.de
/ ELECTRONICS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
