Raspberry Pi - The credit card computer and it's applications.

Raspberry Pi B-Model

What is a Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is the credit card sized computer being released on mass sale this month by the Raspberry Pi foundation which is not a corporate enterprise but in fact a charity.

The Raspberry Pi is a single board computer (prepare for nerd speak) based around a Broadcom BCM2835 Soc with an ARM1176JZF-S 700MHz processor. The device also comes with VideoCore IV GPU and a small 256MB of RAM. All of this is one unit being sold in the UK for around £22 fully loaded.

With that sort of spec it's clearly not going to be used for Windows applications any time soon. The device runs off of a SD card that has a Linux OS pre-loaded onto it. It does not use a HDD (although you could always connect one if you wanted too by the GPIO) so the memory of the device is bound by the size of SD card you are using. It has video outputs of both HDMI & RCA and a raw LCD output via DSL. It is powered via a micro USB connector and overall weighs about 45g. So all in all this device may be small but it has ALOT of possibilities.

What's the purpose of the device?

The device was developed with the idea of trying to spur the new generation into being interested in electronics as well as coding computers. True this device being so basic would only be usable by someone that had an idea of what they were doing so by process of use it would encourage anyone using it to learn more about the product. However, for those of us who know how to use this to its potential there are multiple possibilities for its use. 

How can we use the device?

Now that the nerd talk is over (besides the OS list but I'll add that at the end so no worries) we can look at what uses this device can have for the average user of tech. First and foremost the easiest application for this device would be as a media centre. By connecting the device via a wireless module (or Ethernet cable is you got the B model) you can connect your RP to any local server and access all the videos, music, pictures you want and stream them through the RP to your TV via either the RCA or HDMI outputs. The RP has the capacity to run full 1080p picture in high quality meaning that all you need do is hook it up to a TV and you can access all your media on your big screen. Obviously this would go great with something such as freeNAS for your home server to host your files.

Raspberry Pi connected

Another concept of my own was to use the RP as a wrist mounted/portable PC. Due to the light weight of the device and its simplicity it would be feasible to develop the device into a portable PC that could be used at any location. The US Military have just got new Wrist PC's that are currently being tested so why not develop our own (although I think there might be some differences). By concept the RP would only require a high density power pack (5V, 3.5W output), a water resistant & shock resistant casing, a wireless module, a wrist mounted keyboard and an LCD display 

(preferably hinged to the keyboard) with a USB, RCA or HDMI input control board and you have a fully mobile PC that never leaves your side. Equally you can adapt your RP mobile PC to be accessible via your iPhone if you wanted with a program such as ISL Light OS to simply use your touch screen keyboard to navigate and utilize the RP.

These are just two of the applications that the RP could be used for and at £22 per unit it seems like a steal. There are so many possible uses for the tiny RP that the best advice anyone can give you in using the device is to do whatever you want with it. The device software and hardware can both be adapted for individual uses and at such a low price it can’t hurt to give it a go.

List of OS for Raspberry Pi

Now as promised here is the list of Linux based systems that are ported to the RP:

§ Arch Linux ARM

§ Debian 6.0 (Squeeze)

§ Fedora 17 and later releases

§ Gentoo Linux

§ Google Chrome OS

§ Puppi Linux a version of Puppy Linux for the Raspberry Pi

§ Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix

§ Raspbian (Wheezy port with faster FP support)

§ RiscOS

§ Slackware ARM (formally ARMedslack)

§ QtonPi (embedded Linux)