Raspberry Pi’s decision to list on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) has been hailed as a major seal of approval for both the UK’s tech sector.

Russ Shaw CBE, founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates, believes the move is a prime example of “homegrown tech success” and will continue to position the country as a leading tech economy.

“Raspberry Pi choosing London as its listing destination is a major vote of confidence in the LSE,” Shaw said.

Raspberry Pi confirmed the move on 15 May, and estimates its total addressable market is around £17 billion (around $21.2 billion), representing a “substantial opportunity” to capitalize on and sustain its “strong growth trajectory”.

The firm cited its strong track record of revenue growth and profitability, with the CEO of Raspberry Pi Eben Upton drawing attention to the potential this IPO creates in generating further innovation.

“This IPO brings the opportunity to double down on their outstanding work to enable young people to realize their potential through the power of computing,” Upton said.

“In an ever more connected world, the market for Raspberry Pi's high-performance, low-cost computing platforms continues to expand. We have the technology roadmap to play an increasingly significant role, and we are excited to embark on the next stage of our growth," he added. 

Raspberry Pi is looking for a valuation of £500 million according to reports, which will form the basis of a range of investments and forward-looking growth plans in the business. 

It plans to grow unit profit by introducing more product variants designed to “better serve” the needs of its customers, as well as focus on in-house semiconductor design. 

Raspberry Pi has also set its sights set on bringing products into a wider range of education settings, “further penetrating” the design consultancy sector while building out its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) credentials. 

As Shaw mentioned, Raspberry Pi’s IPO could play a critical role in keeping the UK’s tech industry relevant. 

“To retain the capital’s crown as one of the world’s leading tech ecosystems, it is vital that our home-grown tech success stories choose to scale and grow here too,” Shaw said.

“Raspberry Pi has rightly been a mainstay on the British tech scene for many years, encouraging children and young people to engage with the boundless potential of programming from the comfort of their own homes,” he added.  

Raspberry Pi is a hallmark of British tech 

After first hitting the market in 2012, Raspberry Pi has maintained its position in the tech landscape primarily as an educational tool designed with the intention of helping young people learn to code.

Raspberry Pi has gained a lot of popularity in emulation by allowing users to replicate older computers and machines, and its popularity has only grown - since it began trading, it has sold over 60 million products, with 7.4 million sold in 2023 according to the firms ‘Intention to Float’ document.

The firm released its most recent iteration of the product last year, Raspberry Pi 5, which is between two and three-times more powerful than previous versions. 

Prior to this recent decision to go public, Raspberry Pi had a minority stake acquired by Arm in a move aimed at garnering the firm a better position in the Internet of Things (IoT) market. 

Arm has acquired a minority stake in Raspberry Pi in a bid to entice Internet of Things (IOT) developers. 

Neither organization is yet to confirm the size or value of the stake. However, the deal builds on an existing partnership between the two firms that dates back to 2008. 

Arm CPUs have featured in all Raspberry Pi products to date, including the recently-launched Raspberry Pi 5.

Paul Williamson, SVP of Arm's IoT business said the aim of the deal is to consolidate its position with the IoT developer community and drive the creation of IoT solutions.

“Arm and Raspberry Pi share a vision to make computing accessible for all, by lowering barriers to innovation so that anyone, anywhere can learn, experience and create new IoT solutions," he said. 

"With the rapid growth of edge and endpoint AI applications, platforms like those from Raspberry Pi, built on Arm, are critical to driving the adoption of high-performance IoT devices globally by enabling developers to innovate faster and more easily."

Raspberry Pi has evolved somewhat from its early days supplying a device for hobbyists and children, and now counts a growing number of industrial and commercial firms among its customers. 

The devices' low power consumption makes them particularly popular in mobile and IoT devices.

“Arm technology has always been central to the platforms we create, and this investment is an important milestone in our longstanding partnership," says Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi.

"Using Arm technology as the foundation of our current and future products offers us access to the compute performance, energy efficiency and extensive software ecosystem we need, as we continue to remove barriers to entry for everyone, from students and enthusiasts, to professional developers deploying commercial IoT systems at scale.”

Raspberry Pi slices are going fast

The deal follows similar minority investments earlier this year from Sony, which manufactures many boards under contract for Raspberry Pi at a facility in Wales, as well as from Lansdowne Partners and Ezrah Charitable Trust.

Last month, the company said it was considering floating on the London Stock Exchange with a £409 million valuation. The move follows a postponed float in 2021 due to poor listing conditions and global chip shortages.

While Raspberry Pi has used Arm chips in its devices from the get go, there has been rumbling speculation that this might change. 

Five years ago, the company signed up to the RISC-V Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to promoting the free and open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture. 

It's becoming highly popular, with a group of chip firms including Qualcomm, Nordic Semiconductor, and Robert Bosch, forming a company to commercialize the architecture earlier this summer and encourage hardware development in the automotive sector, mobile and IoT sectors. 

However, Raspberry Pi's deal with Arm makes a move to RISC-V highly unlikely any time soon, and gives Arm more credibility in its claims that RISC-V doesn't represent a significant threat.

The Raspberry Pi 5, the latest iteration of the highly popular microcomputer, is officially set to launch in October with its most powerful components ever.

In an announcement, Raspberry Pi’s designers revealed that the new model is more than two times more powerful than its predecessor, offering users a much faster device with vastly superior performance. 

Eben Upton, CEO at Raspberry Pi, said “virtually every aspect” of the new model has been upgraded ahead of the launch and will offer a “no-compromises user experience”. 

In addition, the new device will be the first of its kind to feature chips designed in-house by the company. 

“Today, we’re delighted to announce the launch of Raspberry Pi 5, coming at the end of October,” he said. 

“Raspberry Pi 5 comes with new features, it’s over twice as fast as its predecessor, and it’s the first Raspberry Pi computer to feature silicon designed in-house here in Cambridge.”

Raspberry Pi 5: Performance and features

The Raspberry Pi 5 will come equipped with a 2.4GHz quad-core, 64-bit Arm Cortex A-76 CPU, which marks a significant boost compared to the previous iteration. 

The Raspberry Pi 4 initially came armed with a Broadcom BCM2711 SoC with 1.5 GHz capabilities. Later versions, however, offered up to 1.8 GHz.  

With an 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU, the latest version offers far greater graphics capabilities compared to its predecessor, the company said. 

The device also boasts dual HDMI ports capable of 4K display output up to 60 frames per second, complete with support for HDR. 

USB bandwidth has received a significant boost in the new Raspberry Pi, featuring two USB 3.0 ports to support faster transfer speeds, as well as two USB 2.0 ports and gigabit ethernet ports. 

Bluetooth 5.0 support and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) capabilities have also been added.

A complete list of features outlined by Raspberry Pi can be found below:

• 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU
• VideoCore VII GPU, supporting OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2
• Dual 4Kp60 HDMI® display output
• 4Kp60 HEVC decoder
• Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi®
• Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
• High-speed microSD card interface with SDR104 mode support
• 2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
• 2 × USB 2.0 ports
• Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support (this requires separate PoE+ HAT)
• 2 × 4-lane MIPI camera/display transceivers
• PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals
• Raspberry Pi standard 40-pin GPIO header
• Real-time clock
• Power button

Raspberry Pi 5: Pricing, release date, and shipping

While an exact release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, the company said the new device will be coming “at the end of October”. 

The new models will also be “ring-fenced”, as Raspberry Pi put it, meaning they will be restricted to single-unit sales. This, Upton said, will ensure users “get the first bite of the cherry”.  

Raspberry Pi will also likely be looking to avoid a repeat of the stock issues it suffered with the launch of Raspberry Pi 4. Supply chain problems caused a bottleneck in production that resulted in lengthy shortages. 

At the peak of this shortage, the company faced a backlog of nearly 2,000 devices, most of which were its 8GB version. The issue prompted a wave of scalping online which further compounded the issue. 

Pricing for the new model is set at $60 for the 4GB variant, the company revealed, while the 8GB version will cost $80. 

This does represent a marginal price increase compared to the previous iteration, which started at $55 for the 4GB version and $75 for the 8GB version.

Raspberry Pi 5: Operating system and accessories

To use the Raspberry Pi 5, customers will be reliant on the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS, known as ‘Bookform’. 

Similarly, in terms of accessories, the new version will include a new case. It won’t, however, be compatible with the old Raspberry Pi 4, meaning customers will have to purchase a new one, which the company said is “designed to help you get the most” out of the latest device. 

This new case is priced at $10 and offers a “host of new usability and thermal-management features”, including an integrated 2.79 (max) CFM. 

The integrated fan uses fluid dynamic bearings which the company said were specifically selected for “low noise and an extended operating lifetime”. 

“We’ve lengthened the case, and tweaked the retention features, to make it possible to insert the Raspberry Pi 5 board without removing the SD card,” the company said. 

“And by removing the top of the case, it is now possible to stack multiple cases, as well as to mount HATs on top of the fan, using spacers and GPIO header extensions.”

Sony’s semiconductor arm has announced a “strategic investment” in Raspberry Pi - a move that will see users given access to its edge AI platform Aitrios.

The minority stake investment, details of which remain undisclosed, “cements the relationship” between the two companies and will provide a development platform for Sony Semiconductor Solutions’ (SSS) AI devices to Raspberry Pi’s global user base, the company said. 

This means Raspberry Pi users will be able to leverage Sony’s Aitrios edge computing AI platform to develop a range of AI-based visual sensing applications. 

 “Our goal is to provide new value to a variety of industries and support them in solving issues using our innovative edge AI sensing technology built around image sensors,” said Terushi Shimizu, president and CEO at SSS. 

 “We are very pleased to be partnering with Raspberry Pi to bring out Aitrios platform - which supports the development of unique and diverse solutions utilizing our edge AI devices - to the Raspberry Pi user and developer community, and provide a unique development experience.” 

Eben Upton, CEO at Raspberry Pi, said the partnership builds on longstanding ties between the two companies and will help Sony embed AI products within the firm’s developer ecosystem.  

“This transaction will allow us to expand our partnership, bringing Sony Semiconductor Solutions’ line of AI products to the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, and helping users to build exciting new machine learning (ML) applications at the edge,” he said in a statement. 

What is Sony Aitrios?

Aitrios is an edge AI sensing platform developed by Sony and launched in 2021. 

The platform runs directly on chips, which Sony says provides users with a range of benefits in developing machine learning and AI applications and creates “synergy between edge and cloud”. 

Since its launch, Sony has positioned Aitrios as a go-to platform for developers creating AI camera-driven and edge sensing solutions. 

Aitrios use-cases cited by Sony span a number of sectors, including surveillance, security, retail, logistics, and manufacturing. 

The platform could be used to develop solutions aimed at detecting vehicle license plates or monitoring footfall in retail venues, for example. 

Capitalizing on AI hype

This partnership with Raspberry Pi could signal a move from Sony to capitalize on recent excitement in the AI space. 

Developers have already been experimenting with generative AI systems such as ChatGPT on Raspberry Pi 4 devices, for example. 

Long-term, Upton told CNBC that he envisages the partnership helping young developers learn how computers work in their modern form, rather than how they did 30 years ago. 

He added that Raspberry Pi has been used for ML development for some time now, and that the Sony partnership will allow this to evolve further.

The Raspberry Pi 4 device is largely compatible with several AI and ML frameworks, such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, making it a go-to device for both hobbyists and students experimenting with ML applications. 

However, when speaking to CNBC Upton noted that while the company has traditionally appealed to hobbyists, its popularity among enterprises has been growing steadily. 

Around 70% of its sales now come from commercial clients looking to embed products within consumer devices or general operations. 

When Raspberry Pi went on general sale ten years ago, the bare bones, low-cost computer harked back to the past while looking towards the future. The idea was that large numbers of users would learn how to program computers once more, evoking memories of the era of the BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum and a myriad other machines on which millions of people cut their coding teeth.

But while many Raspberry Pi users have done just that, the computer has proven fruitful in other ways. The various versions of the small single-board computers have formed the heart of many projects, from magic mirrors and weather stations to robots and orreries. But an ability to emulate vintage computers and consoles has arguably caught users' imaginations the most.

The free software library RetroPie, for example, lets people relive the Amstrad CPC, Dragon 32, Commodore 64, Master System, Neo Geo, Oric, TRS-80 and Vectrex among many, many other machines. Raspberry Pi has also effectively become a near-perfect Amiga thanks to the distro Amibian.

Recently, however, our heads were turned by a new tool created by Jarosław “Jaromaz” Mazurkiewicz called MacintoshPi. This open-source project allows users to run full-screen versions of Apple's Mac OS 7, Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9 (operating systems released between 1991 and 2001) and it does so complete with sound, an active internet connection and modem emulation.

A growing love

Jaromaz is an IT team leader for EuroLinux, a company building a Polish clone of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution. Hailing from Poland, he first came across Apple's computers in 1998. By that time, the company had only been selling its wares in the country for seven years. “Before 1992, Eastern Bloc laws restricted the flow of Western technology so, during my childhood, we only had access to ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Atari and Commodore computers,” he tells IT Pro’s sister publication, PC Pro.

Although some Polish schools snapped up Macintosh Classic computers when they became available, Windows PCs dominated. “My youthful memories are associated with Windows 3.1/95/98/ME and Red Hat Linux,” says Jaromaz.

Yet when working in the Polish editorial office of PC Magazine, he was able to see Macintosh computers close up. “Mac OS systems were being used for the typesetting of newspaper titles and I used to watch these people working,” he says. “Sometimes they provided me with Apple computers for testing.”

It was a while before he reacquainted himself with Macs, however. “In 2015, I built a hackintosh with OS X Yosemite for testing purposes because I'd seen the Retina screens in Polish Apple Reseller showrooms and the resolution and readability of the fonts fascinated me,” Jaromaz explains.

“The hackintosh convinced me of the Apple system itself – its attention to detail, cleanliness and visual perfection. Shortly after that, I purchased my first MacBook Pro with Retina screen and I also installed the Basilisk II emulator to begin serious, long tests of Mac OS 7.5.5.

“I was surprised at how many programs and games worked seamlessly with the emulator and I knew many of them from the PC I owned in my youth, although some were brand new to me. This gave me the chance to explore the most interesting Mac OS titles retroactively.”

It was then that he fell in love with Mac OS 7.5.5. “It's so friendly, intuitive, elegant and easy to use,” Jaromaz says. He dreamed of running the operating system with the original Macintosh Classic case.

“But as a software, not hardware specialist, I didn't want to buy older and expensive hardware only to worry that it would have a short lifespan,” he explains. “I believed a system emulated on a modern ARM board would successfully replace the original hardware and create a solution.”

Introducing MacintoshPi

At first, Jaromaz looked to run the early Macintosh emulator collection Mini vMac on an iPad before finding that it didn't allow the use of internet resources and handled the keyboard incorrectly. He then compiled Basilisk II in Xcode on his MacBook (“a version of the macemu/iOS branch by user Jesús A. Álvarez”) and found that it worked on his iPad mini.

When he bought a Macintosh Classic II case on eBay, though, he discovered that the iPad mini's screen was too small, while standard iPads were too large and wouldn't fit in the case. “Apple also requires self-made software to be signed once a week which makes it very difficult to use.” The MacintoshPi project duly began.

Some six years on and it's finally available. What's more, it's already attracting a lot of attention. MacintoshPi builds on top of the Basilisk II emulator, allowing Mac OS 7 and 8 to run. It also uses the open-source SheepShaver emulator that dates back to 1998 to run Mac OS 9, making for a rather versatile retro Macintosh package.

To install it, users need either a Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3 or Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (it won't work on the original model and it's not compatible with Raspberry Pi 4 Model B at the moment). “Right from the beginning, the goal was Raspberry Pi 3B+,” Jaromaz says. That's because he was able to draw inspiration from another project called BMC64.

“Raspberry Pi 3B+ is the best board for BMC64 – the fastest, low-level, bare-metal Commodore 64 emulator for Raspberry Pi,” he explains. Created by Randy Rossi and based on another Commodore 64 emulator called VICE, BMC64 offers true 50Hz/60Hz smooth scrolling and low latency between input and video/audio. “Randy optimised it for Raspberry Pi and omitted Linux entirely, hence the bare-metal,” says Jaromaz, adding that he wanted to follow the same path.

“It contains minimal and imperceptible latency and joysticks can be connected directly to the Raspberry Pi's GPIO, eliminating the additional latency of the USB interface.” It became a model for how Jaromaz wanted MacintoshPi to work. For good measure, he ended up including a dual-boot option that supports the Commodore emulator. It can mimic a Commodore 128 and Commodore PET too.

Hard work

To get MacintoshPi up and running, you simply need to compile and run a single script atop the legacy version of Raspberry Pi OS Lite. If you use the full legacy version of Raspberry Pi OS, you'd need to switch to the command line or set system start to CLI, but the process is neatly explained on Jaromaz's GitHub.

Getting the packages compiled and installed takes about two hours but the results are stunning. MacintoshPi bypasses the X.org manager and background tasks are reduced to a bare minimum (“the full resources of Raspberry Pi can be used,” Jaromaz enthuses).

MacintoshPi therefore boots and runs very quickly – if you put a Raspberry Pi running MacintoshPi next to a vintage Mac running the operating system, you'd be hard pressed to notice any difference. But the task has not been an easy one, as you can imagine, especially given the scope of the developer's ambition.

“After compiling emulators under the Raspberry Pi, I encountered a number of problems,” he says. “I was able to solve some of them after my experiences with these emulators acquired on MacBook and on iPads, but some required more work – searching for answers on forums or on non-existent sites using the Internet Archive.”

The work was complex. “I had problems with building the correct images, with configuring system images for internet support, with appropriate configs for emulators, the correct options for compiling emulators and, separately, SDL2, because SDL2 from a package won't work in emulation,” he continues.

“There were problems with performance, with the correct compilation of NetDriver, with versions of libraries (because they have to be legacy), with mouse movement delay and with sound.” You sense he could go on, but he has managed to go into battle and beat each and every issue. Indeed, you could replace a broken vintage Macintosh motherboard with MacintoshPi (connected to a replacement display) and carry on as before.

And that's what Jaromaz has done. After restoring the yellowing case of his Macintosh Classic II using a solution that's 18% hydrogen peroxide, and appropriate light exposure, he fitted a 10.1in Waveshare 11870 1,024 x 600 LCD display designed to support Raspberry Pi. With the screen turned upside down so that the wires were out of the way, he added a Logitech MK295 Silent Wireless keyboard/mouse combo, which proved attractive because they use a single Bluetooth dongle. He also added a couple of speakers to the Raspberry Pi's analog audio/jack input and a splitter, then popped them inside the case.

Up and running

But what happens at startup? “A very important part of the project is the MacintoshPi Launcher, which overwrites configuration files for the emulator and Raspberry Pi itself, reboots the Raspberry Pi already at a resolution equal to that of the emulated system, and launches the actual emulator with Mac OS, as soon as the Raspberry Pi OS boots,” Jaromaz explains.

“When starting Mac OS, the launcher – based on the resolution and selected system version – matches the appropriate startup chime (guessing, as it were, which Macintosh version the sound should come from) and plays that sound.”

When Mac OS is launched at the same resolution as a Linux system, there is no need for resolution translation and no associated mouse lag. “For example, in the emulation of Macintosh Classic at its standard 512x342 resolution, mouse lag does not occur at all, which would unfortunately be the case if the resolution on the Raspberry Pi OS was set to, for example, 1,920 x 1080,” he added.

“When you turn off the Raspberry Pi and restart it, it will still automatically boot the emulated Apple system. Only by exiting Mac OS and running a command such as **mac pios** or **mac cmd** would the Raspberry Pi OS (graphical or CLI version) be restored to automatic startup upon power-up.”

While that means it's possible to flick between operating systems, the main attraction is the vintage Mac OSes. MacintoshPi is perfectly capable of running games such as Lemmings, Age of Empires, Chessmaster 6000, Panzer General, Tetris and more across the three Mac operating systems. It will also fire up Netscape Navigator and Outlook Express and allow users to enjoy Telnet, Internet Relay Chat and Bulletin Board Systems via the Virtual Modem. Steve Jobs would be proud!

“Modem emulation is an interesting feature of this project,” says Jaromaz. “I applied the tcpser software used previously to Telnet BBSes within the VICE emulator, but the method of use seemed too complicated. Since I wanted modem emulation to work on emulated Mac OS systems as well, I decided to redirect the **tcpser** input to virtual device **/dev/tnt0**. Then the data can be read from another virtual device **/dev/tnt1**, which becomes a virtual serial port in the system.”

It's also possible to connect a real CD-ROM drive – a matter of specifying a path to the drive in the configuration file. CDEmu software allows any CD/DVD image to be plugged in and they'll be handled automatically.

“After connecting the image with **cdload image.toast** command, a virtual CD drive will appear on the desktop of the emulated Mac OS,”Jaromaz says. “Basilisk II and SheepShaver let you connect a floppy drive too, but I'm not sure how it would be mounted on Raspberry Pi.

“A workaround is to use the **dd** command and create an **disk.img** image of the floppy drive. Such an image can be plugged directly into MacintoshPi with a command such as **mac os7 disk.img**. After booting, a virtual floppy drive with the contents of **disk.img** image will appear on the desktop of the emulated Mac OS.”

Tapping into nostalgia

Of course, going to such lengths isn't for everyone. Some people merely want a quick burst of nostalgia or to get old software to run in the fastest possible time. If you're among this group, you can go to https://system7.app or https://macos8.app in a browser to enjoy another, recent Mac-related project called Infinite Mac which is also based on Basilisk II. As its creator, Mihai Parparita says: “It's a golden age of emulation.” And, if you're keen to relive the days of retro computing, the scene has never been so well supported.

“Nostalgia does play a big part in this – the opportunity to go back to the days of our youth,” says Jaromaz. “It's a chance to recall the software we used in our childhood and bring back those memories. But it also taps into curiosity. It's much better to read and understand biographies of famous figures associated with Apple Computer Inc, for example, knowing how the systems worked and looked at the time. Oh, and it's really great fun.”

And that, we have to say, is more than enough for us.

I received a question this month from somebody who's having problems upgrading his Raspberry Pi 400 to the latest operating system (OS) version. He’d tried to follow several websites advising on the steps needed, but had ended up with a Pi that kept giving configuration errors when trying to do stuff via the command line, and where the mouse had become very sluggish and kept overshooting when using the Raspberry Pi Desktop. He wondered what the best course of action would be.

The first thing to say is not to feel bad about being in this situation. I’ve been there myself, including the sluggish mouse thing which sometimes seems to happen when trying to upgrade from Buster (version 10) to Bullseye (version 11).

Unfortunately, there’s only really one sure-fire way to recover from this and that’s to re-image the SD card in your Pi and start again from scratch. I know that’s a real pain, especially if you have lots of software installed on the machine, but it’s the only option when your Raspberry Pi goes haywire like this. Otherwise, if you try to upgrade in-situ you’ll just end up with a shedload of things that won’t work properly and broken dependencies. You’ll also have lots of pain when you try to do future updates.

For all that people complain about Windows Update, and to a lesser degree the update process on a Mac, in my experience Unixy type systems just can’t compete. I always laugh when people say things like “I wish Windows had apt-get available”. Yes, it’s fine for small regular incremental updates within one major OS version, but if you leave too big a gap between these updates, or try to upgrade to a newer base version, then you’re often lining yourself up for a world of pain. People will tell you to just edit this word in a config file and it’ll all work perfectly, but I’m here to tell you that so often it won’t.

If you find yourself in this position, I’d very strongly recommend starting over. It’s a bit like how Windows was a decade or two back – it was always best in those days to completely reinstall the operating system every year or two, to keep things running fast and smoothly. Windows is a lot better now, and will usually avoid getting itself into a mess, but the various flavours of Unix haven’t quite caught up.

So, my advice would be to download the latest copy of the Raspberry Pi Imager. Please don’t use New Out Of the Box Software (NOOBS), which was the previous SD card-based installer. NOOBS is no longer supported and the Imager is so much better.

Another top tip is to make sure you’re using a decent microSD card for this. If the one you’re currently using is a no-name brand, or was labelled something good like SanDisk but suspiciously cheap when you bought it, or if the card has previously had lots of wear and tear – perhaps sitting inside something like a security camera – then chuck it in the bin and buy a new one. SD cards aren’t expensive, but make sure that you are buying from a reliable source as there are so many fakes around these days. Even on websites like Amazon you need to ensure that the seller, which isn’t always Amazon, is reputable. Early Raspberry Pis had limitations on what size cards could be used, but the Pi 400 doesn’t. Still, unless you’ll be using the machine for massive documents, video editing or audio work then a 16GB or 32GB card is probably ideal.

From within the Raspberry Pi Imager you get a choice of operating systems that you can download. The default is a 32-bit copy of Debian with the Raspberry Pi Desktop software installed. It’s a good choice for many people, but perhaps not the best one for the reader’s Raspberry Pi 400. If you click on the “Raspberry Pi OS (other)” you’ll see several options. The main 32-bit OS is available in both “lite” and “full” options, and there are also things like 64-bit versions and legacy versions (which are basically Buster rather than Bullseye). The 64-bit versions are fairly new, having only come out of beta this year, and they have advantages for some applications, but for most users, right now, I’d recommend sticking with the 32-bit OS versions. That advice will probably change in the future, but you’re less likely to run into problems for the moment.

The Raspberry Pi 400 is the “Pi 4 built into a keyboard” model, and it’s the one that people often use as a lightweight desktop replacement. For this reason, I’d recommend ignoring the default OS recommended by the Raspberry Pi Imager and instead selecting “Raspberry Pi OS Full (32 bit)”. The full version includes the various recommended applications (including the LibreOffice suite and Claws Mail) as well as a bigger range of packages that will be useful when installing other software. The full installation is much better suited to a Pi that’s going to be used in a desktop environment.

There’s an option within the Raspberry Pi Imager to preset things like your wireless network details (click on the small cog to access this), but I’ve found that it doesn’t always work so I normally ignore it – you still get the chance to set the Wi-Fi and other stuff up on the initial boot of the machine. On the initial boot, it will also go off and grab the latest updates because the files the Imager uses aren’t always up to date.

Once you’re up and running, it will be like having a new machine. You might also find that Bullseye seems a bit faster than Buster – that’s true with new machines like the Raspberry Pi 400, which is built on the Pi 4 platform, but you might not notice any speed increase with some older Pis.

My final bit of advice is to keep the OS updated regularly. If you only switch the machine on once every six months then you’ll find you might have missed several updates, and it’s in cases like that where things can start to go horribly wrong again. Regular updating is the key to a happy Raspberry Pi.

Raspberry Pi has launched the Pico W - its first microcontroller to use Raspberry Pi-built silicon and the first to support wireless connectivity.

The RP2040 chip is designed to power the next generation of Pico boards, according to the Cambridge-based firm, offering 2.4GHz 802.11n wireless connectivity, delivered through Infineon’s CYW43439 wireless chip.

The CYW43439 chip supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Classic, and Bluetooth Low-Energy. Raspberry Pi said it has not enabled Bluetooth on the Pico W, “but may do so in the future”.

The 802.11n Wi-Fi standard is relatively old for today’s networking technology - it can be seen as ‘Wi-Fi 4’ while the world is now moving to Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E - but Raspberry Pi markets the Pico series as an internet of things (IoT) platform, suitable for a number of different projects.

The company said the fast cores, large memory, and flexible interfacing make its RP2040 chip ideal for IoT applications like a balloon tracker, robotics, and machine learning with gesture-recognising devices, for example.

The company also regards it as an ‘experimental’ alternative for design engineers looking for functional hardware amid the global semiconductor shortage - a shortage which has “vastly accelerated [RP2040] adoption,” it said.

The new Raspberry Pi Pico W is out now and costs $6 (£5), which is about one dollar or one British pound sterling more than its predecessor. It retains complete pin compatibility with the original Raspberry Pi Pico and delivers wireless connectivity for the first time.

Raspberry Pi has also released The Pico H and Pico WH for $5 (£4.15) and $7 (£5.81) respectively. These two are almost exactly the same as the original Pico and Pico W, but will appeal to those wanting to start working immediately. Both come with pre-populated pin headers, eliminating the need for at-home soldering, and a new 3-pin debug connector.

The Raspberry Pi Pico H and Pico W are both available today, while the Pico WH is expected to release in August.

The Pico platform is developed for in the C and MicroPython languages and both have new tools starting today to help them begin working on Raspberry Pi projects with network support.

The latest version of the Pico SDK is available for C developers and the updated UF2 image is available for MicroPython developers too.

The network stack is built around IwIP and uses libcyw43 to communicate with the wireless chip. Use of libcyw43 is usually free for non-commercial use but Raspberry Pi said that developers can enjoy a free commercial use license when building for Pico, or any product based on RP2040 ir CYW43439.

On 29 February 2012, a new, tiny British-designed computer costing just £22 went on general sale, promising to help children learn how to code. Within minutes, the first batch of Raspberry Pi devices had sold out and the brains behind it realised they had a major hit on their hands. Even so, few would perhaps have predicted how much of a success it would be. Having sold 100,000 units on the first day, it surpassed eight million sales just four years later. At that point, it’d beaten the Amstrad PCW as the best-selling British computer. Today, more than 40 million boards have been sold.

Far from being a flash in the pan, the Raspberry Pi is on to its fourth main model. There are two smaller versions – Zero and Pico – and a unit called the Raspberry Pi 400 that harks back to the days when computers were placed in the same case as the keyboard. In some respects, that’s brought the Raspberry Pi full circle. A lot of the motivation for creating the low-cost machine lay in the legendary BBC Micro, the computer responsible for introducing an entire generation of British schoolchildren to the delights of Basic programming. What the Raspberry Pi has also done, though, is revitalise some of those old machines. Although most retro enthusiasts concentrate on getting the most out of the original computers, some are hell-bent on taking things further.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is one of the latest models of the ten year-old microcomputer

The Raspberry Pi has enabled people to emulate old machines but also expand on their capabilities. “I’d never consider throwing away a retro computer, but before the Raspberry Pi option came about, I can see how people would think about doing just that,” says tech enthusiast Stephen Williams. A year or so ago, Stephen bought a broken Commodore 64 that couldn’t be fixed using spare parts. He decided instead to tear the machine apart. His actions weren’t born from frustration or a desire for destruction, but to resurrect the machine using a Pi board. He isn’t alone in such an endeavour, with the affordable computer long having become intrinsically linked with the flourishing retro scene.

In Stephen’s case, the Commodore 64’s motherboard was replaced by a Raspberry Pi computer, with Lego used to keep the device, wires and ports in the right place. He then connected an Arduino Micro to the Raspberry Pi, which allowed the original C64 keyboard to be used. “I’ve repaired or future-proofed a lot of old computers but it’s great to know that, if a board is really done-for, you could feasibly rig up a Raspberry Pi inside the casing,” he says. “It keeps the nostalgic look and feel of the original machine but it also lets you do modern things such as run a decent media player or play YouTube videos. It was inevitable Raspberry Pi would move into the retro space.”

Using emulators

Pivotal to this movement was the development of emulators such as PiMAME (now PiPlay), one of the first to be released for Raspberry Pi in January 2013. Since then, lots of software packages have emerged including RetroPie, Lakka and RetroArch. By allowing the tiny machine to behave like other computer systems, enthusiasts have been able to mimic almost any classic machine they wish, from the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 to consoles such as the SNES and Mega Drive.

Stephen used RetroPie for his Commodore 64 build, which ensured it looked and behaved just like the original. “The emulators are fantastic,” he says. “The loading times are quick and they are so convenient.” Using Raspberry Pi also means modern monitors and game controllers can be plugged into the HDMI and USB ports. “You can even have network access,” he adds.

The prevalence of emulators means Raspberry Pi forms the basis of many homemade retro video game consoles – one of the easiest and most popular projects since it only really involves installing a bunch of emulators, getting hold of gaming ROMs and connecting a gamepad.

Some people have also created large Pi-powered arcade cabinets while others, including Michael Pick, have gone the other way, in his case devising the “World’s Smallest Gaming PC” that’s tinier than a can of Coca-Cola. He followed that with the “World’s Smallest iMac” using a Raspberry Pi 4 inside a 3D-printed case containing a 7in screen, while an image called iRaspbian provided the look of macOS. The possibilities, it seems, are only limited to people’s imagination.

The Raspberry Pi can be used to emulate machines from a bygone era

“One of the best things about using Raspberry Pi is that it’s open source and there’s a lot of information available online,” says retro maker Gautier Serodon. “Many communities have set up around Raspberry Pi as well so it’s easy to ask questions and find any answer. It’s very, very cool.”

Gautier tapped into such knowledge when he was giving a Minitel terminal a makeover. Unlike Stephen, who aimed to evoke memories of the Commodore 64 by making his version almost indistinguishable from the original in both how it looked and operated, Gautier wanted to combine the old with the new. “I wanted to turn an old, unnecessary item into something useful,” he continues.

For those unaware, Minitel was a French online network that launched in 1982. Effectively France’s precursor to the world wide web, it offered banking, email, train booking, telephone directory and adult chatroom services, but the plug was pulled in 2012, rendering the terminals useless.

Having bought a Minitel 1B, a terminal made in 1982 by Telic Alcatel, Gautier got to work. He stripped the terminal of its insides, inserted a 10.4in LCD panel into the case and introduced a Raspberry Pi 4 computer. He also used an Arduino Pro Micro to retrofit and emulate the clicky AZERTY keyboard and now he uses the device to take notes during his engineering classes.

Levelling up

Such an approach is common, but using Raspberry Pi boards to breathe new life into an existing computer is only part of the story. An even bigger achievement is to mod a retro machine that can remain compatible with original peripherals.

Jeroen Domburg, for instance, created a working Nintendo Game Boy using a Raspberry Pi Zero W and a custom 4-layer PCB in place of the handheld console’s motherboard. Yet it was still capable of running games from original Game Boy cartridges. It could also play non-Game Boy titles via Pi-based emulators run from custom-made carts.

What made this build even more impressive was that you would never know this was a mod by looking at the device. The Game Boy appeared as if it hadn’t even been touched, not least because the project used the original LCD screen, buttons, case and link port.

The iconic Nintendo Game Boy was first released in 1989

It’s a great example of how Raspberry Pi can enhance a retro machine. “Most of us grew up in a world where we either had or longed for particular consoles and computers and a lot of us wanted them to do more,” Jeroen says. “Now we’re all grown up, we finally have the means to turn those youth dreams into reality and some of us decide to indulge in that.”

What Raspberry Pi does, he says, is allow people to slip on an enhanced pair of rose-tinted specs. “Nostalgia tends to work as a filter,” he says. “We remember how impressed we were with the graphics and sound of these machines from the 1980s and 1990s but we forget the long loading times, bad disks, noisy RF modulators and so on – possibly because we didn’t know better at the time.

“Back then, they were things you would just live with but now we have much faster technology, those limitations become limiting. Retro mods get rid of those limitations. They make the hardware fit our memories more. All of the best retrofits tend to work best when they still make the machines work as intended but better.”

He points to RaSCSI as proof: a virtual SCSI device emulator that can mount virtual CD-ROMs and hard drives on vintage Macs. He also namechecks PiStorm, which is an adapter powered by Raspberry Pi that provides a low-cost accelerator for a Commodore Amiga. All users need to do is remove the Motorola 6800 processor from an Amiga 500, 500Plus or 2000, replace it with the PiStorm add-on and connect it to a Raspberry Pi containing a Kickstart ROM on the microSD card.

Advances such as these make life easier but that doesn’t mean we should shun the clunkier aspects of past tech. Although Jeroen would prefer to consign floppy disks to the past, some people still love them. Indeed, Scott Baker created a floppy disk controller for his Raspberry Pi 4. It allows him to read from and write to 5.25in floppy disks.

“Most people who are eager to re-experience some of the products they used in their youth prefer to use period-accurate equipment,” he says. “But there are two issues that make that difficult. First, actual vintage equipment can be very expensive and in some cases difficult to find. Second, vintage equipment often suffers from component failure.

“Electrolytic capacitors, for example, are notoriously for failing. Backup batteries sometimes leak and destroy circuit boards. Even ICs sometimes fail and replacement components may not always be available. Raspberry Pi is cheap and capable and it also offers other capabilities such as built-in Ethernet. It can help to bridge the gap between new and old.”

Scratching an itch

But could Raspberry Pi actually replace an entire retro machine from scratch? I suspect you already know the answer. Stephen’s Commodore 64 still used original components (the case and keyboard) but Billy Nesteroulis’ recreated Amiga 600 was produced from all-new parts. He emulated the 16-bit Commodore computer on a Raspberry Pi 4 and fitted it inside a full-size, 3D-printed replica case fitted with a specially designed Cherry MX keyboard.

By using the Ambibian 1.5 Extended Edition distro, which includes Raspbian Buster V10 OS, this build also expanded the Amiga 600’s capabilities. It can make use of a modern browser, the VLC media player and Qmmp audio player as well as LibreOffice Writer. At the same time, it’s powerful enough to run games and the iconic pixel-art software Deluxe Paint.

Billy’s project produces an Amiga 600 that works well in the modern day, providing an alternative route to scouring eBay for used models that may still require some work to get them going. In that sense, Raspberry Pi can continue the legacy of machines that would otherwise become lost to time. If it wasn’t for the Raspberry Pi, for instance, very few of us would get to tinker with a SOL-20 – an obscure machine that appeared on the cover of Popular Electronics magazine in July 1976.

According to maker Michael Gardi, just 12,000 of these were ever made but he decided to create a full-sized replica based around a Raspberry Pi 4 running an 8080 emulator. Looking just like the images in the magazine, it supports a virtual tape drive and video output. “It had more in common with the Altair 8800s and IMSAI 8080s of the day than it did with the Apple and Commodore computers that would soon follow,” Gardi says.

In his view, taking old machines and recreating them using a Pi is educational. “I’m interested in shining a light on some of these historically significant machines that were the stepping stone to the personal computing world we live in today,” he explains.

He points to the SOL-20’s importance to Apple’s legacy, for example, explaining that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had arrived at the first annual Personal Computer Festival with their Apple I in a cigar box believing their computer to be better than the competition.

“There was just one thing nagging at Jobs: the SOL-20,” says Gardi. “Jobs was confident his product had the best circuitry but the SOL-20 was better looking. It’s a funny coincidence that the Apple II also looked more like a professional machine with a built-in keyboard and power supply.”

Gardi loves replicated old computers and he once used a Raspberry Pi in a scaled-down replica of a DEC VT100. Detailing such creations at mikesmakes.ca, it’s proof of the Pi’s worth to the retro community.

“Raspberry Pis are well suited to making retro productions because of their low cost and high performance,” Michael says. “They also have numerous GPIO pin for external hardware, many available HATs and Python built into Raspberry Pi OS.

“Creating the reproductions has tremendous educational value and I believe the devices of old and their designers deserve to be remembered and honoured. I’m sure the purists out there would disagree, but retro computers that make use of Raspberry Pis are just as interesting and nostalgic as the original machines, especially if obtaining an original is next to impossible.”

Raspberry Pi has announced the release of the first stable 64-bit version of Raspberry Pi OS after almost two years of development and beta testing.

The Debian-based operating system was first unveiled in 2020 alongside the 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 and even though 64-bit processor architectures go back to 2016's Raspberry Pi 3, the previous Raspbian OS was favoured due to backwards compatibility for older devices on 32-bit architectures.

The decision to move to a 64-bit operating systems was largely driven by forward-looking compatibility concerns, said Gordon Hollingworth, director of software engineering at Raspberry Pi.

"Compatibility is a key concern: many closed-source applications are only available for arm64, and open-source ones aren’t fully optimised for the armhf port," he said.

Armhf port is a Debian port for arm processors that has support for the floating point unit - a feature useful for critical accuracy requirements in computing and digital signal processing.

Hollingworth went on to say there are some performance benefits to the arm64 instructions set but these, at the moment, are only visible in benchmarking tests. That said, the assumption is that these performance increases will be more evident in real-world applications in the future.

A theoretical concern is that 32-bit architectures only allow the Raspberry Pi to address 4GB of memory. The Raspberry Pi 4 shipped with 8GB back in 2020 and so a 32-bit design would not be optimal to leverage the extra hardware's capabilities.

The Raspberry Pi 4 has been able to access the full 8GB of its memory despite running on a 32-bit operating system since launch, using the Arm Large Physical Address Extension (LPAE), but processes are limited to a maximum of 3GB of memory. Raspberry Pi reserves the top 1GB of the virtual address for the kernel.

Hollingworth noted that very few applications for the Raspberry Pi require the full 8GB of memory in a single process, with Chromium being the most memory-intensive using one process per tab.

"But some use cases will benefit from being able to allocate the entire memory of an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 from a single process," he added.

Those looking to use their Rasberry Pi as media units will run into a stumbling block when trying to access streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ as the 64-bit version of Chromium, installed by default, has no version of the WidevineCDM library. Users will have to flicker between the 32-bit versions for streaming and back to 64-bit again after watching through terminal commands.

Software is eating the world, and the developers who build it have been called ‘the new kingmakers’ – but creating a truly engaged dev team is about much more than just finding people who are able to hammer out code. The best development organisations are made up of brilliant, passionate individuals for whom programming isn’t just a job, but a craft.

In this episode of the IT Pro Podcast, we’re joined by Eben Upton, founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, to discuss whether old devs can learn new tricks, how Raspberry Pi’s development team has grown beyond his expectations, and why the best developers are the ones that make your decisions for you.

Footnotes

• Software developers versus software engineers
• How to become a software developer
• Raspberry Pi: Top projects to try yourself
• What is the Raspberry Pi Pico?
• Raspberry Pi 400 review: The ultimate portable Pi
• IT Pro Live: One year of Raspberry Pi 4
• The ultimate guide to becoming a programmer
• The IT Pro Podcast: Picking a programming language
• The IT Pro Podcast: Why everyone should be using TypeScript
• What is open source?
• 7 skills you need to become a front-end developer
• Retrain to be a software developer to future-proof your career

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The Raspberry Pi Pico is the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s first microcontroller-class product, built on the new RP2040 chip and priced at a modest $4 (£2.91).

While standard Raspberry Pi computers, such as the Raspberry Pi 400, take the form of a single board computer which contains a system on chip (SoC), the Pico is a microcontroller, meaning the computer is embedded on a single semiconductor integrated circuit chip.

The Pico is programmable in C and MicroPython, and is aimed at developers looking for a standalone board for deep-embedded development, or those seeking a companion to their existing Raspberry Pi computers. It’s also designed for people taking their first steps with microcontroller hardware.

What is RP2040?

To develop its first microcontroller computer, the Raspberry Pi Foundation first built the RP2040, a low-cost and high-performance silicon chip with flexible digital interfaces.

It includes a dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ processor, 264KB of on-chip RAM and support for up to 16MB off-chip Flash memory, direct memory access (DMA) controller, as well as a rich set of peripherals. The chip is also augmented with the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s unique programmable I/O (PIO) subsystem.

Everything is crammed into a 7x7nm package containing two square millimetres of 40nm silicon.

The foundation claims the chip’s power and memory is built with power users in mind and is ideal for machine learning applications. Users can find a version of the TensorFlow Lite Micro library on Github for a starting point on using the microcontroller for machine learning. More content is set to be available over the coming months.

How is the Raspberry Pi Pico built?

The Raspberry Pi Pico takes the RP2040 chip and pairs it with 2MB of Flash memory, as well as a power supply chip supporting input voltages from 1.8 - 5.5V. This chip allows users to power their boards from a range of sources, including two or three AA batteries in series, or even a single lithium-ion cell.

The microcontroller hosts a single push button, which can be used to enter USB mass-storage mode at boot time, as well as a general input, and a single LED. The RP2040 chip is accessible, too, with 26 of the 30 I/O pins exposed, as well as three of the four analogue inputs. The Pico is designed in such a way that it can be soldered directly onto a carrier board, with volume customers able to buy pre-fixed units.

Why a microcontroller?

The Raspberry Pi Pico is the first microcontroller board developed by the foundation and is the first device to use a silicon chip built by the in-house team. The decision to launch this model as a microcontroller helps to nullify a number of limitations of the conventional Raspberry Pi computer.

For instance, even the lowest power variant, the Raspberry Pi Zero, consumes power in the order of 100 milliwatts. Raspberry Pi also doesn’t support analogue input on its own.

Finally, it’s possible to run ‘bare metal’ software on Raspberry Pi, but software running under a general-purpose operating system, such as Linux, isn’t well-suited to low-latency control of individual I/O (input/ouput) pins.

Hobbyists and industrial applications normally pair a Raspberry Pi with a microcontroller, so it makes perfect sense for the Raspberry Pi Foundation to develop its own. In these pairings, the Raspberry Pi takes care of heavy-duty computation, network access, and storage, while the microcontroller handles analogue input and low-latency I/O. These additions also provide a low-power standby mode.

What can the Raspberry Pi Pico be used for?

With its debut microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has developed plenty of support documentation, spearheaded by scientist and hacker Alasdair Allan and his engineering team. This material contains plenty of simple and easy-to-understand examples of how both beginners and experienced users can make the best possible use of their Raspberry Pi Pico.

The beginners’ book gives users an introduction to the MicroPython programming language, as well as a walkthrough on how to connect hardware to the microcontroller. It’s designed to get users developing their own electromechanical projects, including burglar alarms, temperature gauges, and reaction games, among others.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has also offered details around existing projects developed using the RP2040. These include the Pico Tracker, a port of the high altitude balloon tracker developed by Dave Akerman, enhanced with temperature and pressure sensors. This also includes landing prediction algorithms. The Hub 75 Panel, meanwhile, allows users to control a 32 x 32 RGB LED panel through MicroPython. This takes advantage of the Pico’s programmable IO, that lets you output data fast enough for smooth animations.

Full Raspberry Pi Pico specifications

• RP2040 microcontroller with 2MByte Flash
  
• Micro-USB B port for power and data (and for reprogramming the Flash)
  
• Exposes 26 multi-function 3.3V General Purpose I/O (GPIO)
• 23 GPIO are digital-only and 3 are ADC capable
• Can be surface mounted as a module
  
• 3-pin ARM Serial Wire Debug (SWD) port
  
• Various options for easily powering the unit from micro-USB, external supplies or batteries
  
• High quality, low cost, high availability
  
• Comprehensive SDK, software examples and documentation

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has expanded its support for its rapidly growing base of industrial customers by launching a programme that matches firms with design partners to work on deployments.

With business customers now representing nearly half of its sales, the foundation has launched a resources section on its website curated specifically for businesses, in addition to launching the Raspberry Pi Approved Design Partners scheme.

The website section serves as a hub providing all the guidance and information that businesses deploying Raspberry Pi devices, or aspiring to do so, should need. It includes advice for using the single-board computer across business deployments, including links to datasheets, all the required compliance documentation, and software.

“The industrial market for Raspberry Pi has grown over the years, and now represents around 44% of our annual total sales,” said the Raspberry Pi Foundation's principal hardware engineer, Roger Thornton.

“We’ve seen this borne out with new releases of Raspberry Pi products: typically sales of a consumer product drop off once a new product is released, but we still see incredible sales of older models of Raspberry Pi. Our inference is that these are destined for embedded applications, where changing to the latest model is not practical.”

The organisation is also hoping to reassure business customers of the Raspberry Pi’s longevity with a product lifetime guarantee until at least 2026. Product lifetimes rarely end, too, with users still able to purchase the Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+, for example, which was first released in 2014.

The foundation’s new Approved Design Partners programme, meanwhile, will match business customers seeking to design Raspberry Pi systems into their products with design consultancies. This scheme will launch with a select set of designers with a proven record for integrating Raspberry Pi into industrial systems, expanding to include more partners over the coming years.

“If you have a product or a piece of work that uses Raspberry Pi, and you need technical assistance, Raspberry Pi Approved Design Partners have the capacity to provide you with effective help,” Thornton added. “All our Design Partners have been through a rigorous application process, and we will monitor them regularly for quality and ability.”

The foundation’s six initial design partners are Ignys Ltd, EDA Technology, Kunst Engineering, Hallsten Innovations, OnLogic, and AVID Technologie, and all six can be contacted directly through the Raspberry Pi site.

The Raspberry Pi Sense Hat is a versatile add-on, with sensors for temperature, humidity, pressure, orientation and direction, and there are numerous examples of how it can be used online. The European Space Agency has even sent two of them to the International Space Station for conducting experiments in weightless environments.

Here at IT Pro, we're a little more down to earth. To showcase the Sense Hat's capabilities, we'll focus on three of those sensors – temperature, humidity and pressure – to build a greenhouse-monitoring system. With winter on the way and gardeners moving vulnerable plants under cover, it makes sense to have a way of keeping an eye on conditions without having to go out and check a thermometer.

We'll therefore take a reading every 15 minutes and upload the data to a web server so it can be checked from the comfort of a centrally heated home. We'll also make use of the LED matrix mounted on the Sense Hat's top surface to give visual feedback should temperatures stray outside of a defined range. That way, if you mount the Pi so it's visible from the house, you can see at a glance if you need to go out and turn on a heater or open a window, even if you haven't checked the server.

Naturally, you need a power source wherever you position your Pi plus Sense Hat. If you're going to use it in an outbuilding, you should also make sure it isn't going to get wet. You don't need Wi-Fi if you only want to record your measurements onto the SD card, but you will if you want to upload them to the server, so make sure your network signal carries far enough, or use a booster. If you don't have a greenhouse, you could use the same technique to monitor the temperature of, say, a nursery, a vivarium housing reptiles or even just your office.

Install the Hat and set up your Pi

The Sense Hat works with Raspberry Pi 2 Model B and later, so if you've upgraded and have an old Pi hanging around, this is a great way to give it a useful second life. For this project, we're using a Raspberry Pi Zero WH, with built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and a pre-soldered GPIO header. We won't be using Bluetooth, but Wi-Fi and GPIO are essential; if you're using a Zero without pins, either buy a header and solder it on or, if you don't have a soldering iron, check out Pimoroni's solderless header.

You'll need the "Male + Female + Installation Jig", which, at £7, is pricier than the male pins alone (to which the Sense Hat attaches), but is still cheaper than an iron, flux and just the pins you need. We've used it ourselves and, although the first few taps with a hammer are a breath-holding experience, it's easier than you might imagine.

Sense Hat ships with four standoffs. Having unplugged your Pi from the mains, screw the standoffs into the holes on the corners of your Pi (if you're using a Pi Zero, hold your Pi so the side with all of the chips on it is facing you and the GPIO pins are at the top. Screw the standoffs to the top left and both of the right holes, leaving the bottom-left hole vacant). Now mount the Sense Hat by pressing it onto the GPIO pins, with the LED matrix facing you and the female GPIO sockets again at the top.

When it's properly seated, use the remaining four screws (two on the Zero) to secure the Sense Hat to the standoffs. On the Zero, you'll notice that only the top two standoffs align with holes on the Sense Hat, so screw these into place. The third standoff you attached to the Pi will sit beneath the Hat, supporting it without being physically attached.

Download the Pi imager from this link, then insert a microSD card into your PC and click "Choose OS". Select "Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit)", click "Choose SD Card" and select the card you've inserted. Finally, click "Write". This wipes the microSD card and installs the OS. When it's finished, open Windows Notepad and enter the following, replacing the parts in angled brackets as appropriate. Note that the country code for the United Kingdom is GB, not UK.

Save this file in the root of the microSD card as wpa_supplicant.conf (be careful: unless you change the "Save as file type" dropdown to "All files (*.*)" on the Notepad save dialog, it will add .txt to the filename and your Pi won't be able to connect to your network. Close the file, create a text file with no contents and save it as ssh. Make sure it has no extension by again choosing "All files (*.*)" from the "Save as file type" dropdown.

Eject your microSD card, insert it into the Pi, connect to power and wait for it to boot. Its first boot may take a little longer than subsequent boots, so leave it a couple of minutes, then check your router's DHCP table to see when it's connected to the network. Make a note of its IP address, then open a Windows command prompt and type:

If your Pi's IP address isn't 192.168.1.88, adapt the command as appropriate. When asked if you want to authorise the connection, type yes, press Enter and, when asked for a password, type raspberry and press Enter again.

Your first job is to change the default password, so type passwd and press Enter, then type in the existing password and your new password when requested. Make sure your Pi is running the most up-to-date software by entering these two commands, pressing Enter after each one.

Finally, it's time to install the Sense Hat software with:

Next, to simplify the process of logging in remotely, set a meaningful hostname, which you can use in place of the IP address, so it won't matter if your router issues a different address in the future. Type the following and press Enter:

Key down to option 2 and press Enter, then select Hostname. Choose any name you like. We're running nine Pis on our network, each of which we've given a name beginning pi to differentiate them from PCs and Macs, so we've used pisense for this device. In future, we can connect to it from Windows command prompt with:

You don't need to add .local when setting it up, but you'll need to use it with the ssh command.

Finally, let's enable VNC so we can interact with the GUI remotely, rather than working solely in the text-based environment. Return to the config homescreen and this time key down to Interfacing Options (the fifth entry). Press Enter, key down to VNC and press Enter again. Confirm that you want to enable it. When it finishes installing the VNC extensions, quit the config routine and let the Pi reboot.

While it's doing so, download VNC Viewer on your PC. When the Pi has finished booting, launch VNC Viewer and, in the address bar, type "pisense.local" (swapping "pisense" for whatever hostname you specified) and press Enter. Enter "pi" as the username, and whatever password you specified during the setup process to log in.

Interacting with Sense Hat

We're going to control the Sense Hat and read its data using Python, and we'll use cron to automate the collection at regular intervals and upload it to the server.

Click the raspberry on the taskbar and launch Geany Programmer's Editor from the Programming submenu. Enter the following code, which we'll explain in detail below:

It's important that you maintain left margin indents in the code as Python uses these to define subroutines. For example, the indented section between if temp and elif temp runs only if the condition specified on the if temp line is true, and Python knows that the point where the indent stops, at the elif line, is the end of that subroutine.

The code explained

The first few lines of code set up the operating environment. We import the time and date, which we'll write out with the data later on so that we know when each measurement was taken, we then connect to the Sense Hat itself with the following lines:

The line that immediately follows this clears the matrix display so that if it's currently showing anything (later in the code, we'll turn it red for high temperatures and blue for low), it will be switched off until we can verify that the conditions remain true.

We then write the date and time to the variables thedate and thetime. Notice that we've formatted each variable in the brackets at the end of the line, and we've chosen to use year-month-date for the date as this makes the data easier to sort should we choose to import it into a spreadsheet. If you want to format the date differently, you can choose from a wide range of variables:

The same is true of recording the time. We have chosen to use the 24-hour clock, but you could swap our %H for %I to use the 12 hour clock, and append %p at the end of the string to add AM or PM as appropriate. For a full list of variables, check out W3 Schools' comprehensive explanation.

In the next section, we start interacting with the Sense Hat by reading data from its sensors. We're interested in temperature, pressure and humidity, each of which we will write to an appropriately named variable. The format in each case is very similar:

We'll then print the variables onscreen. After all, there's not much point gathering them if we're not going to display them.

Now that the recordings are stored in variables, we can perform tests against them. What we're most interested in is the temperature value, so in the next section we check, first, whether the temperature is below 15˚C and, in the section below that, if it's above 3o˚C.

If either case is found to be true, we again set some variables. In the case of temperatures below 15˚C, we set the variable for b to 255 and zero out the variables r and g. If the temperature is above 30˚C, we set r to 255, and zero out g and b. It doesn't take a genius to work out that we're setting values for red, green and blue here, and that 255 relates to the intensity of each tone. Thus, if the temperature is below our minimum (15°C) we set full-on blue and, if it's above our maximum (30°C), we pick full red.

Now that we've specified our colours, we'll return to a command that we've already employed once in the code: sense.clear() . When we included it at the start of the code, we hadn't specified any colours within the brackets, so the effect was to turn off the LED array. Yet, by including the variables for r, g and b within the braces when we call it at this point, we'll instead illuminate the array with full blue if it's cold, and full red if it's hot. If the temperature sits between our specified minimum and maximum, neither of our test conditions will have been met, so no change will be made to the LED array.

As we turned it off at the start of the code, therefore, it will remain off if neither of the temperature tests results in a positive response. In this way, if the temperature was cold enough to have turned the array blue and we remedied it by turning on a heater in the greenhouse, we'd be able to see from inside the house that the temperature had risen sufficiently to protect our plants when the array extinguished itself.

Recording your observations

If all you want is a temperature-based traffic light system, you could stop at that point, but isn't it more interesting to keep a record of your readings so you can refer back? At present, the file we want to write to doesn't exist, so click the raspberry icon and pick Text Editor from the Accessories submenu. Without adding anything to the new file this creates, press Ctrl+S for the Save dialog, click Home in the sidebar and save the file as sense.csv. Close the sense.csv file and return to Geany Programmer's Editor.

The next section of code writes them to a comma-separated values (CSV) file, which we'll upload to a server using a separate routine.

We start by telling Python that we're going to work with a CSV file, and specify that the file in question is called sense.csv, which is stored in our home directory. Having specified the name and location of the file we want to write to, we list the variables we want to write. As you can see, these are the date, time, temperature, pressure and humidity readings. Each variable will be separated by a comma, resulting in a file that can be opened and read just as easily in a plain text editor as it can in Excel.

The fourth line opens the file whose name is stored in the variable thetime, and the a switch tells Python that we want to append our data to the end of what already exists. The next two lines are indented as they tell the Pi what to do with the open file.

That's the end of the code. Press Ctrl+S to save it and call it sense.py. To run it manually, open a Terminal window by clicking the Terminal icon on the Pi's taskbar (or select Terminal from the Accessories menu), type python3 sense.py and hit Enter. You'll see the current temperature, pressure and humidity and, if either of the tests for low or high temperatures is satisfied, the LED array will light up blue or red. Behind the scenes, the measurements, plus the current date and time, will be added to the sense.csv file. You can check that this has happened by right-clicking the file and picking Text Editor from the menu to open it.

Upload and automation

The next step is to upload the CSV file to a web server so you can more easily interpret the readings. Luckily, this requires only two lines of code, so long as you have the FTP login details for your server. In Geany Programmer's Editor, create a new file and enter the following, replacing the sections in angled brackets as appropriate, while keeping everything that follows curl on a single line:

Save the file as upload.sh, again in the Home folder where it will sit alongside your existing sense.py and sense.csv files. If you want to check that you've got your FTP server address, username and password correct before relying on the code, type the curl line at the command prompt first and make sure the transfer completes successfully.

Of course, you don't want to have to manually invoke these two scripts every time you take a reading. Doing so would require you to log in to the Pi through the day and night using either ssh or VNC and, unless you accurately anticipated an extreme temperature, the traffic light system would be useless. So we'll use cron to automate the process. Shut Geany Programmer's Editor and return to the Terminal. Type the following and press Enter:

When asked which editor you'd like to use, press 1 for Nano. Key down to the bottom of the file, press Enter to move to a new line and type the following two lines of code:

Press Ctrl+O to save the file (the "O" stands for "write out", not open), then Ctrl+X to exit Nano.

The first of these two lines runs your sense.py Python routine every 15 minutes – on the hour, at quarter past, half past and quarter to. The four stars that follow the */15 mean every hour, every day, every month and every day of the week. If you only wanted to run it every 15 minutes in December, you would instead use */15 * * 12 *. If you only wanted to run it on the first of the month, it would be */15 * 1 * *. If you wanted to run it every minute of every hour, regardless of the date, use * * * * *.

On the second line, we're again invoking something every 15 minutes. In this case, it's the script that uploads the CSV file to the server. However, you'll notice that the first part of the equation is more complicated. While we ran sense.py every 15 minutes starting from minute zero of each hour, we're running upload.sh at the same interval, but offset by two minutes – so, we're telling cron to start counting at two minutes past the hour and upload at two, 17, 32 and 47 minutes past the hour. Why? That way we can be sure the data collection routine has finished running before the upload routine kicks in.

At the server end

When you upload a CSV file to a web server and try to open it in a browser, most browsers will download the file rather than displaying it, which isn't ideal as you then need to open it in a spreadsheet. It's more convenient to render the results in a browser by incorporating them into a web page. Here, there's no point reinventing the wheel – and doing so would require several further pages of explanation – so credit to the Stack Overflow contributors who have already solved this problem.

The answer here reads a specified CSV file and drops the contents into a table. Ensure you change the filename on the second line, which begins $file, to sense.csv and, if necessary, include its path relative to the domain root. You could also edit the code to use

tags rather than table cells, and perhaps import Bootstrap within your header or footer to make it mobile-responsive.

Over time, your CSV will grow considerably (at present, we're adding four new lines every hour so it will grow by almost 100 lines a day). You might, therefore, want to periodically open the file in the Pi text editor and delete the contents, or use PHP to only display, say, the five most recent entries when parsing it on the server. In the latter instance, another Stack Overflow post is likely to provide the help you need.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has unveiled an official case fan for the Raspberry Pi 4 to prevent the tiny computer from overheating.

The £4.50 fan comes with a heatsink and can be fitted into the official case that comes with the Raspberry Pi 4. The Pi 4 itself comes with a 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor.

The fan does what it is supposed to do and keeps the CPU cool. As the chip can get hot when working at full tilt, normally, the Pi 4 then throttles the speed using a feature called “sprint-and-recover” mode. This can happen when the computer is placed within a case, which can hinder airflow.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation noted that while it worked to fix problems with power optimisation in an update released last November, overheating can still occur when the computer is in use for extended periods.

In a blog post, the foundation said that to overclock indefinitely, users would either need either a passive cooling solution (like the Flirc case) or an active one like the Raspberry Pi 4 Case Fan.

“It draws air in over the USB and Ethernet connectors, passes it over a small finned heatsink attached to the processor, and exhausts it through the SD card slot. Here’s our workload running with the case fan: now the board remains well below 70C, and as expected the compile job takes the same amount of time as on the uncased board,” the organisation said.

The case fan was designed by Gordon Hollingworth who created the ducting for the device with the aid of a stack of Chinese takeout boxes and a glue gun.

The case fan costs £4.50 can be bought from suppliers found here.

The newly-released Raspberry Pi 400, along with its predecessor the Raspberry Pi 4, are the first devices in the range to support dual display outputs, but the feature wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Citrix.

Raspberry Pi has had an ongoing relationship with the enterprise software vendor for a number of years, with the company using Pis as thin-client devices to access its desktop virtualisation products. However, according to Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton, Citrix requested the company add an additional display port in order to enable more sales.

“The dual display output is very important, actually,” Upton told the IT Pro Podcast. “One thing we discovered from our engagements with corporate thin client customers with Raspberry Pi 3 is that you can only access a very small fraction of the market if you only have one display output.”

“It’s actually why the Raspberry Pi 4 has two display outputs,” he said; “because Citrix told us that their integrator partners were struggling to sell Raspberry Pi 3 into thin client accounts, because it didn’t support two displays. So now we do.”

The Pi 400 is a unique product in the company’s range, consisting of a Raspberry Pi 4 housed within the body of the official Raspberry Pi keyboard. Along with making it an all-in-one plug-and-play device, the design also allows for greater thermal efficiency, which means higher clock speeds and better performance. It’s also a self-contained unit, with the $100 kit coming with a mouse, preloaded microSD card and all the cabling needed to connect to a monitor and get up and running right away.

Raspberry Pi has some presence in the enterprise market; the company’s stripped down ‘compute module’ has proved popular for prototyping and for enterprise IoT deployments, and its partnership with Citrix has resulted in Raspberry Pis powering around a third of the seats in Denmark’s national healthcare service. It has yet to achieve mainstream success as a business device, but the organisation is hoping to change that with its latest device.

“We have a fantastic relationship with Citrix,” Upton said. “I think increasingly, you find that people who were using Windows Laptops are actually using them to access various sorts of terminal server sessions running somewhere else. There are a lot of commercial users deploying Raspberry Pi 3 or 3+ based thin-clients that are running Windows on a blade server somewhere and then remoting into the desktop. Raspberry Pi 4 continues that, and Raspberry Pi 400 continues it again.”

If you’re a long-time reader of IT Pro, you’ll know that we’re huge fans of the Raspberry Pi series. The little PC has been going from strength to strength since its launch in 2012, with new form factors including industrial compute modules and even-smaller miniature versions extending the lineup.

The company has now added another spin-off device to its range in the form of the Raspberry Pi 400 - a device which the company hopes will help it break into the business world, as well as serving its core education market.

Raspberry Pi 400 review: Design

Unusually for a Raspberry Pi device, the 400 isn’t supplied as a bare-bones board. Instead, the computer itself is hidden away inside the body of the official Raspberry Pi keyboard, with the ports exposed along the back of the casing; simply plug it in, connect it to a monitor, and you’re good to go.

This makes it more portable than ever before; with a footprint of just 286 × 122mm, a 384g weight and measuring 23mm thick, it’s small enough to slip into a bag and take on the road. While it’s still not quite as portable as a laptop, it’s the best on-the-go desktop you’ll find.

The 400 is a marked departure for the Pi family, not least because for the first time, the board itself is not accessible. All the relevant ports (including the Pi’s 40 trademark GPIO pins) are still accessible, but there’s no screws to disassemble the keyboard and get at the Pi inside. You can buy it either as just the core machine for $70, or as a full $100 kit, including the Pi 400, all the cabling and accessories you’ll need to get going, and the official Raspberry Pi starter guide.

Looks-wise, it’s an attractive enough machine, clad in the Pi’s signature red and white colour scheme – although the company told us it’s been experimenting with other colour palettes for select business customers, including a grey and black version that we‘d love to see for ourselves. The only other complaint we have about the design is that the plastic chassis feels a little cheap and rickety. This is understandable, given the company’s raison d’etre of keeping the costs low to ensure accessibility, but we’d be more than happy to pay a higher price for a sleek, machined-aluminium version that felt a bit sturdier and more elegant.

Raspberry Pi 400 review: Keyboard

The official Raspberry Pi keyboard, launched alongside the Raspberry Pi 4 last year, was a relatively uninspiring affair – functional, but not exactly groundbreaking. However, we’ve since learned that unit was, in fact, a back-door prototype for the Raspberry Pi 400 chassis.

Sadly, while it’s an ingenious design, the actual keyboard itself is still as underwhelming as the original. The small size leaves it feeling a little cramped compared to a full-sized laptop keyboard, and the keys themselves have a rattly, slightly hollow action to them. Thankfully, though, feedback is firm and satisfying. If you go for the kit version of the Pi 400, you’ll also get a matching official mouse – although we doubt even the geniuses at Raspberry Pi could fit a computer into that.

Raspberry Pi 400 review: Specs and hardware

As the name suggests, the beating heart of this device is essentially a Raspberry Pi 4. More specifically, it’s the top-end model, with a quad-core Arm processor and 4GB of RAM. What’s different (aside from the form factor) is that by placing vents, heatsinks and other thermal management infrastructure throughout the keyboard chassis, the Raspberry Pi engineers have managed to overclock the Pi 4 to 1.8GHz, as opposed to the 1.5GHz clock speed of the basic model.

The company claims this model benefits from an extra 20% performance thanks to its improved thermals, and we can believe it. The original Pi 4 had a tendency to run rather toasty, making aftermarket cooling something of a necessity for maximum performance, but we never experienced any thermal throttling whatsoever, even under the sizeable strain of our in-house benchmark tests.

On that subject, the engineers over at Pi HQ may actually have been low-balling it when it comes to the performance gains for the latest model. Even when tested with an external cooling fan and firmware updates to reduce throttling, the Pi 4 only managed an overall score of 13.9 in our benchmark tests. The Pi 400, meanwhile, scored a rather staggering 27 points – amazingly, that’s actually two points higher than Microsoft’s Surface Go 2.

Digging into the benchmark results a little further tells us a bit more about this Pi’s capabilities. For the image editing tests, which are designed to measure a device’s ability to handle multiple sequential workloads on a single core, it scored just two points – that’s compared to a score of five for the Pi 4. The video editing test was the most successful, with a score of 42, while a result of 26 for the multitasking test is creditable.

These tests demonstrate that while multi-tasking isn’t going to overly exert this machine, it’s not immune to some performance hiccups with single-threaded applications, and this was borne out in our actual use of the device. Performance is still not perfect; we experienced a few freezes, hangs and moments of frustrating lag. This Pi has been optimised for web apps, the company says, but some memory-heavy services still give it trouble. Slack proved to be challenging, while we couldn’t get Google Drive or the web version of WhatsApp to run successfully at all.

In some ways, the Pi is a victim of its own success here; it’s so close to being acceptably powerful for day-to-day use that the few odd stumbles it does run into feel all the more frustrating in contrast. That said, this is the closest a Raspberry Pi has come to desktop levels of horsepower. We wouldn’t be surprised to find similar scores in an entry-level Windows system – so we’re very surprised to find them here.

Raspberry Pi 400 review: Ports and features

The Pi 400 may look and feel a little different to the Pi 4, but it’s sporting the same range of ports, including twin micro HDMI ports (supporting 4K resolutions at 60fps), two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port, as well as the aforementioned GPIO pins, all of which are mounted along the rear. For connectivity, there’s a Gigabit Ethernet port, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0.

The Pi 400 still runs the company’s own Raspberry Pi OS (conveniently pre-installed on the microSD card if you purchase the complete kit), and while the OS is capable and reasonably well-rounded, it still runs into the compatibility issues that have always been the Linux ecosystem’s achilles heel. We had problems getting things like headphones and webcams to function as intended, for example, and there are still some applications which lack a satisfactory Linux-compatible equivalent.

While you may find workarounds to get your preferred software or peripherals to function, the annoying fact is that it’s nowhere near the plug-and-play experience offered by Windows or macOS – if you’re planning to use this as an everyday machine, be prepared to get real familiar with the Linux terminal. Of course, this isn’t a problem with the Pi, per se, and it’s unfair to lay blame at its feet, but it’s worth bearing in mind nonetheless.

While we’re on the subject of minor gripes, the cables that come supplied with the device are a bit stiff, which makes neat cable management challenging. This is nitpicking of the highest order, though, and if it bothers you, you can always use your own connectors.

Raspberry Pi 400 review: Verdict

The Raspberry Pi has always been more of a fun curiosity than a serious piece of business equipment. While it’s always had its niche uses in a business environment, such as powering digital signage or handling small-scale network management tasks, there were always barriers to its usefulness as a general-purpose end-user computing device for enterprise workers.

With every successive generation, however, those barriers have been eroded, and with the Pi 400, they’ve all but entirely come down, and any qualms that do remain are neatly countered by its price. Here we have a device that costs less than £100, with adequate performance for everyday tasks and a self-contained, portable form factor. Combine that with a desktop virtualisation solution like Citrix – with whom Raspberry Pi has a long-standing partnership – and you’ve got a virtually perfect option for low-cost enterprise hardware fleets.

Imagine, then, how good the Pi 400 would be if it could run a native version of Windows 10. All of the compatibility and UX quirks of Linux would be wiped away at a stroke, and you’d be left with the best entry-level computing experience in the world, bar none. Sadly, that will have to remain a dream without Microsoft’s cooperation, but as it is, this is the closest Raspberry Pi has ever come to creating the perfect all-purpose machine. It’s not quite flawless – but it’s pretty damn close.

Raspberry Pi 400 specifications

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched what it describes as its "most powerful" system-on-module (SoM) aimed at industrial applications, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (CM4).

Improving on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, which was announced back in 2017, the CM4 is based on the same specifications as the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. It packs the same 1.5GHz quad-core 64-bit Broadcom BCM2711 CPU, at least 1GB RAM, dual HDMI interfaces that support resolutions up to 4K, optional eMMC storage, and Gigabit Ethernet.

Unlike the six-month-old Raspberry Pi 4, however, the CM4 also comes with PCIe 2.0 support, ditching the USB 3.0 interface in order to enable users to connect PCIe devices.

It also features two high-density perpendicular connectors for power and I/O, as opposed to the JEDEC DDR2 SODIMM standard used on previous Compute Modules, which "significantly reduces" the overall footprint of the CM4.

The Raspberry Pi CM4 launches alongside two accessories – the Compute Module 4 I/O (CM4IO) Board and the Compute Module 4 Antenna Kit.

The former provides a ready-made development platform that lets users utilise the full interfacing capabilities of the CM4. Priced at $35 (£27), the CM4IO features two full-size HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a microSD socket, and a real-time clock with battery backup.

The Compute Module 4 Antenna Kit is aimed at those who would benefit from an external antenna, such as those putting the CM4 in a metal case. The Kit comprises a whip antenna with a bulkhead screw fixture and U.FL connector to attach to the socket on the module.

Commenting on the launch, Raspberry Pi creator Eben Upton said: "Over half of the seven million Raspberry Pi units we sell each year go into industrial and commercial applications, from digital signage to thin clients to process automation.

"Many of these applications use the familiar single-board Raspberry Pi, but for users who want a more compact or custom form factor, or on-board eMMC storage, Compute Module products provide a simple way to move from a Raspberry Pi-based prototype to volume production."

There are 32 variants of the Raspberry Pi CM4, ranging from $25 (£19) for a Lite version with no onboard storage and 1GB of RAM, to $90 (£70) for 32GB of storage, 8GB of RAM and Wi-Fi support.

The Raspberry Pi family keeps on breaking new ground, with the diminutive little machine used in everything from retro emulators to industrial projects and even space missions. So, one year on from the launch of Raspberry Pi 4, what’s next? In this Q&A session, we spoke to Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton to find out.

Carly Page

News editor, IT Pro

Carly Page is an experienced journalist with more than a decade of experience covering the technology industry. Previously editor of UK tech tabloid The INQUIRER, Carly went freelance in 2020 and has written for a number of publications including Computer Shopper, Forbes, IT Pro, the Metro and Tes.

Eben Upton

Founder & CEO, Raspberry Pi

Dr Eben Upton CBE DFBCS FREng is a founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, serves as the CEO of Raspberry Pi (Trading), its commercial and engineering subsidiary. He is the co-author, with Gareth Halfacree of the Raspberry Pi User Guide, and with Jeff Duntemann and others of Learning Computer Architecture with Raspberry Pi. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2017, appointed a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society in 2019, and elected an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge in 2020. In an earlier life, he founded two successful mobile games and middleware companies, Ideaworks 3d and Podfun, held the post of Director of Studies for Computer Science at St John's College, and wrote the Oxford Rhyming Dictionary with his father, Professor Clive Upton. He holds a BA in Physics and Engineering, a PhD in Computer Science, and an MBA, from the University of Cambridge.

If you work for a small business that's just migrated all of its servers and systems to the cloud, you should seriously consider setting up a syslog server.

A dedicated syslog server is especially useful for those businesses once heavily reliant on network logging and monitoring systems that helped to keep an eye on all the random pieces of networking hardware. Now you have migrated to the cloud, sudden hardware crashes will be difficult to diagnose and resolve.

A dedicated syslog server will provide you with a central repository for all the logs coming from your switches, firewalls, and other networking architecture, and setting one up is as simple as configuring a Raspberry Pi.

Why Raspberry Pi? This little device is in fact perfect for setting up a syslog server. These types of servers need fairly minimal computing power and memory, and the size of the Raspberry Pi means it can be easily installed, and even hidden, alongside existing switches.

While this tutorial will focus on using the Pi for this task, all the instructions from step 2 onwards will apply to any Ubuntu Server installation, so you can deploy this on a local hypervisor or in the cloud just as easily.

Setting up a dedicated syslog server

Step 1 - Install Ubuntu server on your Raspberry Pi

The Ubuntu Server is available for Raspberry Pi from the Pi 2 onwards. Instructions on how to deploy Ubuntu server to a Raspberry Pi are available on Ubuntu’s website here.

We used a 32GB microSD card, but a smaller or larger one can be used as desired, down to 8GB if your logging requirements are modest.

Follow the steps using the link above to transfer the Ubuntu image to the SD card. Once that's done, attach a monitor and keyboard to the Raspberry Pi, insert the SD card, and boot it up for the first time.

Once it has booted, a message should appear on the screen showing the IP address of the device (assuming you have a DHCP server on the network), and the default login – which should be ubuntu / ubuntu.

Step 2 - Set up users and networking

The next step for setting up a syslog server is to create a static IP address. This will allow the devices that we intend to monitor to send their logs to the syslog server.

You could assign a reserved address on your DHCP server, but this would make it dependent on that DHCP server in order to function. We want our dedicated syslog server to be entirely self-sufficient, and a static address will allow us to configure it independently of the DHCP server.

Log in from the console using the default credentials. You should first remove cloud-init, as this feature is not needed for this device:

sudo apt purge cloud-init -ysudo rm -rf /etc/cloud

Next, we’ll configure the static networking details. Use the following commands to tidy up the left over cloud-init network config and create your own.

sudo rm /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yamlsudo nano /etc/netplan/01-static.yaml

Fill in the config file as per the example below, making sure to use the IP address on your local network that you have assigned to the server, and the appropriate gateway and DNS servers for your network.

For reasons of uptime and stability in case of emergencies, you may wish to leave Google’s public DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) in place there:

network: ethernets: eth0: addresses: - 192.168.1.248/24 dhcp4: false gateway4: 192.168.1.1 nameservers: addresses: - 8.8.4.4 - 8.8.8.8 search: - workgroup version: 2

Save the file by hitting Ctrl-O and exit nano with Ctrl-X.

Next, we need to enable password-based SSH logins. This will enable remote access without setting up SSH keys at this point. This server should never handle confidential information, but you may re-enable SSH key based access later should you so choose. Use the following command to open the ssh config file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Scroll down to line 56, and change password authentication to yes as shown in the screenshot below. Save the file and exit as before.

Now restart the SSH server using:

sudo service sshd restart

Add a user for yourself and delete the default user “ubuntu”. Here, we’ve arbitrarily chosen the username “thorsten” because we’ve written a lot of tutorials and are bored with “admin”, but you should probably just use your regular username. You can add accounts for all the IT admins on your network at this point if you wish.

sudo useradd thorsten -g users -G sudo -s /bin/bashsudo userdel ubuntu

Set a password for this user with the following command:

sudo passwd thorsten

Finally, change the hostname to something more appropriate. We used “syslog” for ours.

sudo nano /etc/hostname

Save the file as before, then reboot the Pi using the following command:

sudo reboot

Once it’s booted, log back in. You can disconnect the keyboard and monitor and continue remotely via SSH from your desktop at this point, if you wish. Log in as the user you just created.

Step 3 - Setting up software

Firstly, it's a good idea to make sure the system is up to date at this point by running the following commands.

sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade -y

Now it's time to start setting up syslog server software. We will be using the rsyslog software, which is installed by default with Ubuntu server, so we do not need to install any extra packages. 

However, the default configuration disables the network functionality of the software, so we need to edit the config file to re-enable this feature.

Run the following command to edit the config file:

sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.conf

Uncomment lines 17-18 and 20-21 to enable UDP and TCP syslog reception, then save the file as before and restart the software with the following command:

sudo service rsyslog restart

Step 4 - Setting up devices and assigning log files

Next, we need to configure the software so it knows which log files it should use to save events sent to it from other devices. We’ll be creating a separate log file for each device that sends its logs to this server.

As network devices can be a bit unpredictable in the way they identify themselves in their log entries, the easiest way to determine this is to set up the device to send its logs to the syslog server and then watch the main syslog, which receives all log events not exclusively directed into other files. 

Start echoing this file to the terminal on the server by running the following command:

sudo tail -f /var/log/syslog

Now pick one of the devices that will be sending its logs to this server, and enter this server’s IP address as the remote syslog server for the device. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be setting up logging for a Synology NAS.

From the NAS admin page, we configure the remote syslog server as shown in the screenshot below. We used the default UDP setting, however this syslog server is set up for both TCP and UDP connections.

Apply the settings to your device, then go back to the syslog server terminal and examine the messages that appear in the syslog.

After the time and date, the next field is the name that the device uses when logging events. We will use this to feed those logs into a seperate file. In this case the name is “DS211J”.

First, create a subfolder for the device logs to live in:

sudo mkdir /var/log/devicessudo chown -R syslog.adm /var/log/devices

Next, we need to create a new config file for rsyslog to tell it what to do with these log entries. Use the command below to open a new file for editing.

sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.d/40-devices.conf

Each device needs a pair of lines, one to tell the syslog server what to do with the log entries from this device, and one to tell it to keep processing rules in this file. These are shown in the screenshot below. We named the new log file to match the hostname sent by the device, but the file can be named any way you wish.

Save the file and exit, then restart rsyslog so that it will read the new config file:

sudo service rsyslog restart

Now send a test message from the device to the syslog server, or wait for it to send some events on its own. The new log file will be created the first time an event matching the pattern in the config file is received. Check that the event is correctly recorded in the new file using the following command, changing the file name to match whatever you called this log file.

sudo tail /var/log/devices/ds211j.log

Additional devices can be configured in the same way.

Step 5 - Keeping things tidy

The last step is to set up a logrotate configuration for the new file. Whilst you can have one logrotate file for all your devices, it’s easier to keep track of things if you have one per device. Use the command below to open a new file for editing

sudo nano /etc/logrotate.d/ds211j

Add the following code into the file, adjusting the file name to match your new log file.

/var/log/devices/ds211j.log { rotate 5 weekly compress postrotate /usr/bin/killall -HUP syslogd endscript}

This will rotate the log files every week, compress the older ones, and keep 5 weeks worth of log files. You can set the rotation pattern that suits your needs.

Optional configuration

If you plan to have a lot of devices logging to this server, or want to keep the logs for a long time, it would be a good idea to add some dedicated storage for the log files, such as a USB memory stick. This can be formatted in FAT32 if you wish, so that it can be read on any computer system if required.

This has the added benefit of preventing the logs from filling up the root partition, which is a risk with syslog servers that handle large numbers of devices and events.

You can also set up an off-site mirror of the log files if you wish, by adding a scheduled job on the server to ship the logs to a remote system, using rsync or similar.

Our list of the best Raspberry Pi projects celebrates just a snapshot of the ingenuity and creativity that that the DIY computing community has to offer. Whether its building home automation, security systems, tools for photography, drone technology, or even basic tasks for getting into the hobby, there's something for every type hobbyist.

Through this nifty gadget, you’ll be able to learn the building blocks of coding, and from there use it as a jumping-off point for an understanding of a wide range of technologies. Topics that can be learned through a Raspberry Pi include cyber security, network tricks and even sophisticated imaging technology.

There are plenty of projects to choose from and many users have used the Raspberry Pi to explore software development, robotics, and even the dark path towards hacking. You’ll be pleased to know that the device is reasonably cheap, small, and extremely portable, so it will be great for a whole range of tasks.

Additionally, it’s very easy to get yourself set up with this device, although you will need to get to grips with Raspberry Pi's operating system Raspbian.

Create a portable security box

The portability and affordability of the Pi have made it a popular tool for red teamers (people paid to break into security systems), penetration testers and other security personnel. Because it has a built-in Ethernet port, minimal power requirements and the ability to run any Linux software, it proves ideal for sneakily integrating with target networks.

The software of choice for security operatives aiming to use the Pi in this manner is Kali, a Linux distro that's specifically built for hacking tasks. There's a purpose-built version of Kali for the Raspberry Pi, and installing it is easy by following these steps.

Once you've got Kali installed, not only can you use it in your security operations, you can also use it as a safe space to play around with new tools without risking damage to your primary machine - although, as always, you should only be hacking targets that have given you express permission.

Network performance monitor

As we work from home more frequently, it is more important than ever to be able to troubleshoot network issues. You don’t want internet outages now, and Reddit user 'Mr Canoehead' has a Raspberry Pi project that can help.

This is a network performance monitor, built on top of a Raspberry Pi 3 B+. It's designed to monitor network activity and performance by using data to create a report with critical information. It measures network speeds and bandwidth, which makes it easier to track issues as they arise.

Mr Canoehead's system runs on five networks, two of which are configured as a transparent Ethernet bridge for monitoring bandwidth between a router and the internet service provider's modem. All network testing results and bandwidth readings are written to a database, which is updated daily. The system can be set up and left on site for a while to collect network performance data that can be analysed at a later date.

Run Windows 10 IoT Core on Raspberry Pi

Fancy running an internet of things (IoT) version of Windows 10 on your Raspberry Pi? With Windows 10 IoT Core, you can run a stripped-back version of the operating system on the microcomputer.

Although it would be great to run the full version of the operating system on the Raspberry Pi Model B+, it doesn't have the processing power with just a 1GB of RAM and a 1.4GHz ARM-based processor.

So enter Windows 10 IoT Core, a basic version of Microsoft's OS that has been designed for running on less powerful platforms. It's actually a lightweight IoT app that allows you to run a single UWP app at a time. You don't need a licence unless you want to commercialise your creations and only very limited equipment is needed: a Raspberry Pi 3 and a spare microSD card, plus a separate Windows computer with a microSD card reader. You'll also need Visual Studio, a text editor, the SDKs, add-ons, and certificates.

First, you'll need to set up the memory card for the Raspberry Pi you're using. You can make this easier with the New Out Of Box Software (NOOBS) installer. Create a bootable card from a Windows PC or laptop using Microsoft's IoT Dashboard app.

You can now set up the device using the Broadcom Raspberry Pi 2 & 3 option and OS build (Windows 10 IoT Core), then specify a password, choose a Wi-Fi network and install the OS onto the Raspberry Pi-compatible memory card.

Insert this into your Raspberry Pi and then you're ready to boot your device with the latest version of Windows IoT Core.

However, users should be aware that running Windows IoT on your Raspberry Pi can open you up to severe security risks.

Set up a thermal camera with a Raspberry Pi 4

Thermal, or infrared, camera setups are expensive. Tom Shaffner discovered this when he tried to figure out how well-insulated his home was. They can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds - or almost £50 to rent one for a day. So, Tom decided to build his own.

After a bit of research, Tom found that it's possible to mount the relatively cheap MLX90640 thermal camera, manufactured by Pimoroni, onto a Raspberry Pi 4. Although it lacks a lot of the advanced features of an expensive device, the MLX90640 has a 24×32 resolution, giving each frame 768 different temperature readings and with a bit of image enlargement, the end result gets the job done nicely. Users can stream the video over a local wireless network and can hold the camera in one hand, with their phone in the other to use as a screen.

"You'll probably need a portable battery for the device and, if you're not going to stream the video over your Wi-Fi, you'll want a screen to attach to the Pi," Schaffner writes. "I went with the Wi-Fi option so I can't speak to screens, but I'd imagine any of the many Pi-specific screens would be fine for this."

His solution is partly based on several other projects that can be found on the Python library and the entire instruction set for the build and software setup can be found on GitHub. As an extra bonus, Schaffner also notes that the device could also be used as a security camera.

Learn cyber security skills with Raspberry Pi Pac-Man

Budding Pi enthusiasts and fans of retro arcade games can now learn basic cyber security skills with a Pac-Man-themed treasure hunt. By hacking your own Raspberry Pi, you can learn about running scripts and how malware works. The lessons are gained by getting Pac-Man to catch those pesky ghosts.

Given the mass switch to remote working and the need for more national cyber skills, a fun introduction to the basics could be a good way to train employees. To begin, you'll need a Raspberry Pi computer with an SD card and an internet connection. Your device will also need to be using the latest version of the Raspberry Pi's operating system, which includes the terminal.

The game is all about learning to navigate the terminal and protecting your computer. The 'ghosts' act as a virus and Pac-Man is essentially a protection tool. The aim is to hack the terminal, find the ghosts, similar to a treasure hunt. You will learn about placing each ghost in a safe directory where you can inspect their files as if they were real-life malware. Each one you collect and inspect will earn you points.

All the instructions can be found on the Raspberry Pi website, so head on over and get munching those ghosts.

Set up Raspberry Pi as a VPN server

A virtual private network (VPN) allows you to mask your online identity so your activity can't be tracked as you browse the internet, download content or participate in conversations. VPNs can be used on regular computers too and the process is pretty much the same when using a micro-computer like Raspberry Pi.

But what takes this to the next level is using your Raspberry Pi as a VPN server, creating a personal VPN hotspot to stop information about your identity being passed on to any website used on your network. By installing a client on the Raspberry Pi, connect it to your router and it'll scramble your identity before it hits the external network.

To set your Raspberry Pi up as a VPN server, first install Raspbian to access the command line and then you can use the PiVPN script to install a VPN client to protect your communications. We recommend using OpenVPN as your VPN client, although it can be used with lots of others too. For more detailed instructions to set your Raspberry Pi up as a VPN server, you can follow the full guide.

Give Pi some facial recognition

This project uses a Raspberry Pi to carry out facial recognition. Using a camera module add-on and some code, you can quickly set up a Raspberry Pi to recognise someone's face. In this case, the developer used a number of images of his face and also those of actor Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park to train the system.

Unfortunately, this one isn't for beginners, as you need to have knowledge of coding, or at least some basic principles. You don’t need to have completed a computer science degree for this, however, as there are a number of coding bootcamps and tutorials that can teach core programming skills as an alternative. Fortunately, this project follows on from a tutorial on how to set up a facial recognition system using OpenCV, Python and deep learning.

More details on how to set this up can be found in this guide.

Build a proper desktop PC

While the Raspberry Pi technically has all the essential features of a desktop PC, there are a couple of issues that hold it back from being a truly credible option for those that want a general-purpose computer.

Thankfully, official Raspberry Pi distributor Element 14 has come to the rescue, announcing a kit that will transform your Raspberry Pi 3 into a proper, fully-capable desktop unit. The kit includes a snazzy-looking case, a heat sink and support for an mSATA SSD up to 1TB in size. It's available from Element 14 for just £40. You'll have to supply your own drive, though.

Virtual Desktop for Raspberry Pi

You can thank RealVNC's partnership with the Raspberry Pi foundation since it means the latest versions of the Raspbian distro all come with pre-installed versions of VNC Server and VNC Viewer.

You can use this to create a virtual desktop, which is great for providing a graphical desktop interface to Pis that wouldn't have had one otherwise, like headless devices running IoT or robotics projects.

In order to activate this, make sure the VNC Server is set up and enabled on the target Raspberry Pi. You can then use either your Raspberry Pi's terminal or an SSH connection to run the 'vncserver' command.

Make sure you note down the IP address and display number that the VNC Server displays and then insert that information into VNC Viewer. Now you should be able to remotely operate the Pi as if it had a full graphical desktop.

Raspberry Tor Router

Anonymising network The Onion Router (Tor) is beloved by privacy advocates everywhere, as well as dark web users with more nefarious purposes in mind.

This project turns the Raspberry Pi into a router to send all your network traffic through Tor, rather than just browser sessions. Best of all, you can even slap a battery pack into it to take it wherever you go.

Build your own password manager

After password manager LastPass was hacked, many users are looking for new products or solutions to store their passwords. This is why Novamostra’s portable password manager could be your next project to help you keep your precious passwords safe from attack.

The device is based on VaultWarden, a combination of the Raspberry Pi Zero and BitWarden, and you can carry it around with you everywhere you go. You simply need to plug the device into your PC where it will connect automatically.

From here, you can surf the web and your browser will be able to access the storage device for passwords, or you can head to a website and manage the passwords from there.

To build this, you’ll need a Raspberry Pi Zero, a tactile push button, a case if you want to protect the device, some screws, and an acrylic rod.

Monitor your internet connection

If you need an intuitive way to monitor your home or business internet connection, then this is the project for you. User bartsamnick at Autodeck Instructables put together an internet monitor. This makes use of a 7" Raspberry Pi touchscreen to display different metrics of your internet connection.

It’s able to display download and upload speed, automatically detect an ISP internet drop and cycle power to a modem, and can include an option to upload the speedtest data to Ubidots to keep a record of the data.

The project can provide users with a 24-hour and 30-day history of their download speeds if this needs to be scrutinised.

The equipment you’ll need to embark on this project includes a Raspberry Pi 4, a Raspberry Pi touchscreen monitor, a USB keyboard, and a computer fan.

Set up your own Wi-Fi extender with a Raspberry Pi

Looking for a cheap and easy way to boost your home Wi-Fi network? Then use your Raspberry Pi as a Wi-Fi extender with this guide from PiMyLifeUp. You’ll need two Wi-Fi adapters to get you started, as well as a Raspberry Pi, a microSD card, and a power supply.

However, be aware that the internet connection you receive might be a bit slower than what you’re used to as your internet connection will have to bounce from your router, to the booster, and then finally to your device. It probably isn’t a long-term solution for boosting your network, but it could be good to experiment with.

Expand your storage with your own NAS

You might find yourself downloading or backing up numerous files onto your home PC, and may soon discover that you’re running out of treasured space. This is where you might move these files to a hard drive. To make it easier to access the files, you might purchase a network-attached storage device, so you can access them over your local network. However, this can be a little pricey. The good news is that you’re now able to make your own NAS device with this guide from MagPi.

For this project, you’ll need at least two external USB drives, a USB 3.0 hub, gigabit Ethernet, and a UPS but this is optional.

You’ll have to decide how much storage you want before creating this, and buy the corresponding amount of external USB drives. The creators of this NAS guide also recommend using double the amount of hard drives you need, to provide extra protection to your NAS system. Make sure that the drives are compatible with USB 3.0 so you get the speed boost, since the Raspberry Pi 4 comes with this functionality.

Remember to always back up any data you store on this drive in case it fails, or you delete a file by accident. It could be worth using additional hard drives for this backup option, or even keeping your data in the cloud.

Raspberry Pi projects can be a highly engaging way to test your mettle in programming and hone your skills in languages such as Python and Scratch. This is particularly true for those looking to use the Raspberry Pi for home automation.

To show off what this hardware is capable of, we've pulled together a list of the best projects for automating tasks, from feeding your pets to building your own smart assistant, all powered by one tiny but powerful mini computer.

A warning before we continue – many of these projects are a little more involved than those you might have encountered so far, so prepare to be challenged should you choose to try them out yourself.

Build a Blockchain-powered smart lock

If you're keen to use your Raspberry Pi to make your home more secure, developer Simone Romano has demonstrated how you can use a Raspberry Pi Zero W to create a Blockchain-powered smart lock. The project will take around two hours to complete and is classed as an intermediate skill level build.

In terms of hardware, Romano uses a basic solenoid-based electric lock, that requires a dc 12V input to switch in the “open” state, while a mechanical spring will push it in “closed” state when not powered. This is paired with the IoTeX Blockchain for the smart contract infrastructure.

“The IoTeX platform combines blockchain, privacy technology, and decentralized identity (DID) to fuel the next generation of private smart devices. The IoTeX platform is built with openness and data ownership as first principles to unleash the next generation of private smart devices," explains Romano. "The Internet of Trusted Things is an open network where humans and machines can interact with guaranteed trust, free will, and privacy.”

For full instructions on how to build this smart lock, head over to Romano's step-by-step guide on Hackster.io.

Build a smart home hub

Kuman 4 Relay Module

Our homes are becoming incredibly connected environments, with products such as smart energy meters, smart light bulbs, and smart door locks now being a common feature. Whether you're the sort of person that wants to transform their home into a digital haven, or even if you've only got a handful of smart devices, it's possible to connect all of that technology to a single access point – using just the Raspberry Pi.

In order to build this, you'll need a Relay Module, and incredibly powerful piece of kit that will let you connect the various devices around your home directly to your Raspberry Pi board. You'll also need to source some software to manage all of those devices – thankfully there are plenty of open source tools available – and an SD card to store it on.

For full instructions on how to put this all together, we're going to refer you to this great step by step guide. Be warned, a little technical know-how is required.

Build your own AI assistant

Google has partnered with the official Raspberry Pi magazine The MagPi to release a brand new add-on board, enabling makers to add voice control and artificial intelligence to their Raspberry Pi projects.

The board allows hobbyists to make easy use of Google's Cloud Speech API for voice recognition, as well as the Google Assistant SDK that provides the AI brain for the company's smartest devices.

Issue 57 of the MagPi comes complete with a free AI kit, including the new Voice HAT add-on module, a speaker, microphone, cables, button and even an enclosure to put it in - everything you'll need to make a homebrew version of Google Home.

Power Cat Feeder

We all love our animals, but sometimes an automated pet feeder sounds like a pretty nifty thing to have around the house.

We at one time showcased the work of David Bryan, who back in 2013 found himself regularly going out of town on extended trips, without being able to source a cat-sitter. Of course, one option was to simply leave out an enormous bowl of cat food, but this wasn't exactly convenient, not to mention rather unhygienic.

Through his Power Cat Feeder project, however, he could make sure they didn't overeat before going hungry. Presumably, too, it can be used to feed any animal - including humans.

Since then there have been a bunch of iterations on this idea, some of which look rather elegant. Take for instance Sam Storino's solution to help placate starving felines at 3 am. For this project, he used a dry food dispenser, a rotation servo motor, jumper cables, a Wi-Fi dongle and a Raspberry Pi board – in this case, a Raspberry Pi 2.

For full assembly instructions, head to his step by step guide.

Build a Pi Pico-powered exercise bike

Reddit user Pubudeux has used a Raspberry Pi Pico to create an exercise bike controller than can monitor exercise sessions and provide audio output for cycling classes.

The Pico board is used in tandem with a Pam 8403 amplifier board. It's also using a battery voltage sensor, an infrared sensor and is connected to an LCD screen via I2C. These sensors count how many pedal strokes are occurring per minute and at what resistance, and once the cadence is determined, the data can be read out in real-time. What's more, the controller equips the exercise bike with the ability to play music through its built-in speaker or run training videos, much like commercial devices including the Peloton.

"It is a Raspberry Pi Pico board, PAM8403 amplifier board, with connections set up for an I2C LCD screen, battery voltage sensor, and infrared sensor," Pubudeux explains of his build. "This isn't the finished product, but will go inside a case and have sensors and speakers attached to it."

Full details of the project can be found at Hackster.io.

Pi Multi-Room Music Player

Buying a bespoke multi-room sound system can be costly - but thanks to Jezsinglespeed at Instructables, you can now do it yourself for under £100. It's a simple four-step project, which is perfect if you want to introduce children the power of the Raspberry Pi.

All you need is one wireless streamer, wireless receivers (no. depends on how many rooms) and of course your trusty Pi.

The Pi Musicbox software is used to make the magic happen and the results are just as good as any off the shelf product.

Set up a video conference using your TV monitor

In the age of remote working, video conferencing has been crucial to keeping teams communicating and collaborating. However, it has also led to many suffering from video call fatigue, which isn't very helpful in times when lockdown restrictions are still enforced. One good antidote which doesn't involve deleting all video conferencing apps is to simply liven up the call experience, such as by putting your colleagues – or friends and family – on the big screen.

Phil Wilson, hardware hacker at IoT fleet management provider Balena, discovered a way to turn a simple TV monitor into a video window using a Raspberry Pi 4B and a webcam.

"When you put a video call onto your TV several things are very different," Wilson wrote in a blog post. "It felt more social. And I felt that if I had a loved one who was socially isolated, and I could place myself into their room, on their TV, and them on mine it would be a much connecting experience than a phone call or video call on a mobile device. It felt like the next best thing to actually being there."

The list of 'things' you can build with a Raspberry Pi is only limited by imagination, especially when the device is supported by a camera module.

The Camera Module has been available for a while and was even given an update with the V2 unit in 2016, allowing users fit Sony's IMX219 8MP sensor to their Raspberry Pi boards. This can be used to take photos or record videos, and even use slow motion or timelapse techniques once you get comfortable with its more advanced features.

The module can shoot video in 1080p at 30 frames per second, or 720p at 60 frames per second, and connects via a ribbon cable that goes into the CSI port on your Raspberry Pi.

To get the most out of this tiny piece of hardware, we've compiled a list of some of the most intriguing projects around. Many of these are fairly advanced and might need more technical knowledge than previous projects listed, so be prepared to challenge yourself.

Build a Raspberry Pi webcam

Video calls have become the norm for most of us during the pandemic and that's often meant settling for whatever low resolution your laptop has on its built-in camera. However, a project on Hackster.io has shown how you can use a Raspberry Pi's camera module to stream live video over a web browser.

For the project, you'll need a Raspberry Pi Zero W, 5MP camera module, and a special cable to connect the camera to Pi Zero. A programme runs on the Raspberry Pi to connect to RemoteMe, which allows streaming video from the camera connected to our Raspberry Pi. Streaming video is done via the WebRTC protocol, which allows the image to be transmitted almost without any delays to the web browser, even if the web browser and Raspberry Pi are running on separate networks.

For full instructions on how to create a Raspberry Pi webcam, head on over to Hackster.io.

Build a doorbell camera

The best thing about the Raspberry Pi camera module is that it's incredibly small, so small in fact that you can combine it with a fairly basic wireless doorbell to create a system that can rival many of the more expensive surveillance kits on the market.

When a visitor comes to your door and presses the bell, the wireless doorbell pings a signal to a receiver to activate a chime as normal. However, that signal is also intercepted by the Raspberry Pi board, which is able to activate the camera to take an image of te visitor. Given the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi, this stored image can then be transmitted to your mobile phone, or even a home automation system.

To get started, you'll need a wireless doorbell, a Raspberry Pi with an attached camera module, an RF sensor, and either a mobile phone or home automation system to receive messages.

For a step-by-step guide to building this incredibly useful piece of kit, head here.

Shoot stunning time-lapses with Raspberry Pi

Owners of the Raspberry Pi camera have been creating an assortment of different projects, many of which you can read about in this guide, but here's one that turns your Raspberry Pi into a camera that shoots one of the most recognisable styles of video around.

This one is fairly straightforward all you need is a Pi, a Pi camera, power supply, SD card and a keyboard and mouse. It involves connecting the camera to the Raspberry Pi and running a script to tell the device how to record images for a time-lapse.

A detailed walkthrough of how to run the required script can be found here. Running the device off a reasonably sized battery pack will give you a few hours worth of juice to capture a beautiful sunset or any other scenery that involves movement.

Make your own stop motion film

Using a camera module with a Raspberry Pi you can create your own stop motion flick by in the mould of Shaun the Sheep by taking a series of pictures through a push-button module connected to the Pi's GPIO pins.

For this, you'll need a Raspberry Pi camera module, a full-size breadboard, two male-to-female jumper leads and one tactile button. There's also a software requirement in the form of getting the libav-tools package, for which you'll need to be online to install.

As part of the project, users will learn how to set up and use the camera module, and how to use the Python picamera library to take still images. The Raspberry Pi Foundation's guide also covers aspects from how to control the camera using GPIO zero, and how to generate a video from the command line so the still images are packaged into a finished article.

Once you've generated a stop-motion clip you can start experimenting with the setup, for example, by installing a motion sensor instead of a push-button.

Given its size, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Raspberry Pi is only useful for simple tasks, yet it can be a surprisingly powerful piece of kit if you know what you're doing. This is especially true for gaming fans, who have proven that with a little bit of ingenuity, you can build your own entertainment system.

As you may have guessed, these projects tend to involve far more DIY than the average build, and you may need to source a bunch of extra parts if you want to create something like a gaming system -- though that's perfectly doable.

Setting up an SRB2 Server on the Raspberry Pi

If you're into your retro games, you can use your Raspberry Pi to set up a dedicated server for the Sonic fan game Sonic Robo Blast 2 (SRB2) on your Raspberry Pi. The game, created by a group called Sonic Team Junior, takes its inspiration from the original 2D Sonic games for the Mega Drive and reimagines it in a 3D world.

To get started with this project, you'll need a Raspberry Pi 1, 2, 3 or 4, a microSD card, a power supply and either an Ethernet cord or WiFi dongle, and to run SRB2 on your Pi, you will need to clone and compile the source code from scratch.

Full instructions can be found at PiMyLifeUp.

Create a home-made Nintendo Switch

Nintendo's newest console, the portable Nintendo Switch, has made a huge splash, and it quickly became the Japanese gaming giant's best-selling console to date. However, limited supplies of the device - particularly around Black Friday and Cyber Monday - have meant that many have been sadly disappointed. If still haven't managed to get your hands on your, why not follow in one enterprising student's footsteps and build your own home-made version out of a Raspberry Pi.

The 'NinTIMdo RP' uses a 3D-printed case to house a 7in touchscreen and controller buttons, and runs the popular RetroPie emulation software. It may not actually play Nintendo Switch games or feature any of the fancy features like removable motion controllers, but as portable retro consoles go, it's one of the more inventive ones.

Steam Link for Raspberry Pi

Steam Link is a service, usually only accessible via Steam's own hardware, which allows PC gamers to stream games from their Steam game library to a display of their choosing. It's now been made available in beta for Raspberry Pi and it works phenomenally well.

Ever wanted to play your PC games in the comfort of your own living room? Well, all that's required is to put one line of code into the device's command line and it will download, install and create a desktop icon. From there, it takes minutes to connect to a TV or other display and start streaming games. Learn more about it here.

Host your own game show with Raspberry Pi

It's one of the more convoluted projects in this list, but if you're willing to make the effort for some good old fashion quizzing (and if you previously owned the PlayStation classic Buzz), the effort will be worth it.

Ever wished you could win every family board game or simply just want to get an intellectual leg-up on your friends? Well, by upcycling the long-forgotten PlayStation game show into a homebrew system to whip out at social gatherings will surely scratch that itch.

It's a lengthy process, so expect to dedicate some serious time into this one. You'll need patience, some degree of comfort with Python, some snacks to tide you over, a power supply and micro SD card in addition to the Pi and Buzz controllers. You can follow the instructions here.

The best-looking retro arcade machine ever?

Pi-powered retro gaming machines are hardly anything new, but this one has to take the cake as one of the most impressive examples we've seen. Complete with a smooth wooden housing and sleek acrylic inlays, this is decidedly more attractive than the 3D-printed examples one usually sees online.

This is definitely not one that most people can do at home, however. Engineer and maker David Johnson crafted this elegant little number using advanced tools like a CNC mill, with circuit boards he made himself.

Johnson documented the whole process on YouTube, and while most people are unlikely to be able to follow along at home, it's undeniably impressive to watch.

Build an Xbox Zero

The Raspberry Pi Zero is so small that it could fit into just about anything, as this hack demonstrates. Programmer and maker Terence Eden was lucky enough to get his hands on one of the devices, and with a bit of tinkering, was able to put it inside an original Xbox controller.

Using the RetroPie emulation software, he was able to make a retro games console that's entirely contained in the controller. The controller itself loops back into the Pi, so all you need to play your favourite old-school games is an HDMI display and a power source. There's even enough space to fit in a portable power pack for those that want to take it out and about.

Terence's blog post with a full how-to is available here.

The Raspberry Pi is a great piece of hardware, and successive iterations have only built on its ability to deliver impressive functionality inside a small package.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the Raspberry Pi Zero, which comes in at half the size of the Model A, complete with a microSD card, a microUSB slot, and a mini HDMI. That tiny footprint means that this particular model excels at being as discreet as possible, allowing for even smaller creations.

With that in mind, we decided to pull together some of our favourite projects that take advantage of this small stature. Be warned, given the size of the board, some of these projects may prove to be more fiddly than you're used to, and we're also not shying away from some seriously complicated designs.

Build a self-driving car

Self-driving cars are a hot topic right now, and you can build your own using the Raspberry Pi Zero W. You’ll require quite a lot of components, including wheels, cameras, LiPo batteries, a bunch of cables and a game controller. The controller is used to drive the SDCs while the camera provides input into an online machine learning predictive algorithm that learns how to autonomously drive around a track.

The project uses Python to code things out, so a basic knowledge of Python should help. Even if you're not clued-up, the instructions are pretty detailed and you can simply follow them to complete the build on your own.

Full instructions can be found on Hackaday.io.

Converting a Raspberry Pi Zero into a dongle computer

If you have ever found yourself becoming frustrated by having to plug-in various peripherals and adapters every time you want to test something out on your Raspberry Pi, this project could be for you.

This neat little hardware hack converts the Raspberry Pi board into a dongle computer, allowing you to use another computer's internet connection, screen and peripherals by simply plugging it into the USB port. This also still allows you to Secure Shell (SSH) into your Raspberry Pi, as well as install remote desktop clients, or share files between the computer and the Pi. This makes it an ideal solution for those that want to quickly run tests on the Pi without having to have dedicated equipment.

The hack also maintains the original tiny footprint that makes the Raspberry Pi Zero so useful, only now it's marginally longer due to the extra USB-A connector. The original ports are still fully functional, although it's going to be a little awkward trying to slot extra adapters into the micro USB ports when used as a computer dongle – so we'd recommend you avoid this.

Build a Raspberry Pi drone

Thanks to the popularity of drones in recent years, it was only a matter of time before people realised that the Raspberry Pi was ideally suited to powering these unmanned aircraft – especially when the Zero came along.

This is one of the more expensive projects to feature on our lists, with the entire design setting you back around $200 (£150) to complete. In order to build this, you'll need to source a PXFMini autopilot board (a tiny, lightweight daughter board specifically designed for the building of drones), and a specialised Linux image. You'll also need to source a quadcopter frame and a compatible power module.

Once built, you'll be able to use PXFMini board to create a Wi-Fi network that you can connect a gamepad to, or you can even use Robot Operating System (ROS) software to create a visualisation of the flight path and control the drone through its UI.

Here's a handy step by step guide if you feel up for the challenge.

Build a Raspberry Pi Zero-powered smartphone

One of the first applications of the original Raspberry Pi was building a homebrew smartphone, but the launch of the smaller Raspberry Pi Zero, followed by the Raspberry Pi Zero W, has allowed makers to build even smaller versions.

Resembling nothing more than one of the old Nokia 3410s turned inside-out, the ZeroPhone is designed to be cheap, open source, and easy to assemble and repair. According to the inventors, "ZeroPhone is a platform for hackers, people not happy with their smartphones, people that want privacy, people that want the power of Linux in their pockets and many more".

Check out the full guide on Hackaday for instructions on how to make it.

Create your own coffee notification system

Tired of not knowing when your coffee is hot and ready to drink? Then put together this coffee notification system to fuel your caffeine-infused day and always know when a fresh pot is ready to be consumed. Caleb Brewer came up with this device, which is essentially a coffee alert system that sends notifications to your mobile or laptop when a fresh pot of coffee is brewed.

You’ll need a Raspberry Pi Zero-W, some jumper wires, a digital temperature sensor, a box with piping, and coding skills. The device works by attaching a thermometer to your coffee pot to monitor the temperature of the liquid. When the coffee hits a certain temperature, the temperature that you will usually drink your coffee at once it has been brewed, it sends a Slack notification to you to inform you that the coffee is ready.

This could work well in the office or at home and, if you are crazy for coffee, maybe you could even code it so you always get the notification first before your colleagues or family members. Check out the full video from Brewer to see the complete instructions on how to put this handy gadget together.

If you love Raspberry Pi then it’s time to check out the company's latest microcontroller board you can get your hands on.

The Raspberry Pi Pico is tiny, fast, and built using the RP2040, a new microcontroller chip designed here in the UK by the company.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an expert, get ready to create new and interesting projects with this technology in your hands.

To help you out, and get your creative juices going, here are some examples of projects you can get started on using the Raspberry Pi Pico.

Monitor the weather

Appreciate how precisely you can measure the temperature and humidity with your Raspberry Pi Pico by making your own weather station.

This could be a cool project to impress your friends and family with and you’ll no longer have to rely on analogue methods of measuring the temperature with this digital superiority.

For this, you’ll need a Raspberry Pi Pico, a DHT11 sensor module, a 16x2 LCD module, some jumper wires and a breadboard.

For the full instructions, see how Nikunj Panchal put this handy little device together and start measuring the temperature in your home today.

Detect intruders

If for some reason you need to identify intruders, then look no further.

Arm Software Developers have put together a low powered intruder detection system that recognises familiar faces. If an intruder walks past, then the system scans them and sends a notification to your phone.

The developers use a Raspberry Pi 4 connected to a Pico board and a camera as well as a motion sensor. When an intruder walks in front of the sensor, the Raspberry Pi boots up and runs a script that looks for human faces. If it doesn’t recognise the face present, a notification is sent to the phone through IFTTT.

DIY Macro Keyboard

Looking for a Macro keyboard? Why not make one?

These keyboards help you to map certain actions you carry out on a computer to one key. This helps you avoid performing repetitive actions and can help boost productivity. You can use them in gaming, help control whether you’re muted or not, control the volume and much more. Many streamers use them as a stream deck to help them access certain actions quickly.

This super useful guide from Novaspirit Tech will help you create your own Macro Keyboard and the possibilities are endless.

Improve your photography skills

Avid photographers in search of a new project will find this one very interesting. This photography turntable can be used to spin light objects, unless you upgrade the motor, and can help photographers immensely.

Will Lawson made a photography turntable with his Raspberry Pi Pico along with some 3D printed parts. The electrical parts needed are a breadboard, male to socket jumper wires, socket to socket jumper wires, an Arduino power module, a stepper motor, a motor driver board, a micro USB cable and a 9V battery.

Check out the full video for the instructions and you’ll have your very own homemade turntable in no time.

Fake terminal

"Old school" and "retro" often seem to be slapped across anything that's more than ten years old. This is particularly true for technology because it advances and ages so rapidly. But it is also due to our own experiences and the things from yesteryear that we still cling to as we grow up. This is the case with Dan Aldred's fake terminal project, built with the Raspberry Pi.

The 'Ferminal' (Fake-terminal) was created with recycled components from a retro video player project and features a small 12C OLED display fitted inside an Argus PreViewer slide shell. It also uses the Raspberry Pi 4, which has a keyboard attached via USB and was coded with Python 3.

What you get is a classic black display with an image-free, text-based interface; it's pure uncut tech nostalgia. Each line has a character limit and, admittedly, the project is more proof of concept than it is a useful terminal because there is no way to input commands or action responses.

However, if you wish to have a go at recreating this Raspberry Pi project, or something similar, you can check out the original on YouTube and also explore its source code on GitHub.

Flash an LED lightbulb

If you’re new to Raspberry Pico, this simple project involving LED lights might be the one for you. The Raspberry Pi Foundation came up with an easy way to learn to use the microcontroller board and test your MicroPython skills without requiring too many tools. Apart from the Pico, you will also need a micro USB cable, a few electronics components, including a button and an LED with an appropriate resistor, an external 5V micro USB power source, as well as a desktop PC or laptop that can run Thonny IDE and programme the Raspberry Pico. Once you assemble all the tools, you will connect a Raspberry Pi Pico to your device and install the Thonny Python IDE. Next, you will write a MicroPython programme to light up the onboard LED.

This project is not only easier than most Pico designs, but you can also make it your own by experimenting with additional components, such as using pulse width modulation to control the LED’s brightness, or even adding a motor controller. By adding other components, you can edit this entry-level project to better suit your skills without being thrown in at the deep end of microprogramming. You can also check out the Raspberry Pi Foundation for more Pico projects.

Head here to get started.

The Raspberry Pi is such an impressive feat of engineering, that we often take it for granted. It's become a fixture of the tech world in a miraculously short space of time and yet it isn't talked up half as much as other devices – yet Raspberry Pi 4 Model B may be the version to right this wrong.

It's a mini marvel, roughly the size of a deck of cards but powerful enough to act as your full-on desktop computer or hobbyist board, headless controller, or any number of innovative uses - all for less than a return train journey from London to Cambridge, where you'll find the Raspberry Pi headquarters.

Despite this success, the Raspberry Pi team has been working hard to cram even more performance and functionality into its tiny frame. Enter the Raspberry Pi 4. Now, it may not look like much, but that is very much keeping within the style of Raspberry Pi machines; humble and deceiving, but super powerful. The Pi 4 has lots of new tech under the hood, such as a new manufacturing process that allowed the team to increase its speed. There's also a suite of new, faster ports, including, for the first time, the ability to output to multiple monitors.

Good things come in Pi(e)s, and the Pi 4 is no exception. There's a whole lot to feast on here, so let us begin with a fresh slice of this tiny computer.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B review: Design

Let's get the obvious out of the way first. The latest addition to the Pi family looks near-identical to its siblings. It follows the same footprint as the Pi 3, using a board of the same size and weight. Beyond a first glance, you'll see that the port layout has had a bit of an overhaul.

Most notably, the USB ports and Ethernet port have been switched around, so that the USBs now sit on the left of the board. The single large HDMI port has been stripped out and replaced by two much smaller micro HDMI ports, and power is now supplied along a USB-C port, rather than a micro-USB.

This means that you almost certainly won't be able to use the Pi 4 with any cases or enclosures designed for older models and you can't swap out the old Pi powering an existing project, which is understandable (if a bit of a shame). Aside from these changes, it's still largely reminiscent of the Raspberry Pi 3, with its circuitry exposed and the GPIO pins along the right-hand side.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B review: Ports and features

New ports bring new capabilities, most notably the ability to output to two 4K monitors at 60fps via the two new micro HDMI ports. Although the Pi 4 has a USB-C port, this is sadly exclusively used for powering the device, so you can forget about using it as a one-cable connector.

Elsewhere, two of the four USB ports now use the faster USB 3.0 standard as opposed to the older, slower USB 2.0 specification. Gigabit Ethernet is still present and correct (as is the ability to use PoE via a HAT), and the composite A/V, DSI display and camera ports have all made the jump as well.

Dual-band 11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 are included on the board, and both come with modular compliance certification out of the box to speed up prototyping and manufacturing processes.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B review: Specs and performance

The headline news here, however, is the performance. With the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, the company has created its fastest ever device. That's largely down to a decision to move from the 40nm manufacturing process of old, to the newer 28nm process, resulting in far faster speeds at a much greater efficiency.

The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B is fitted with Broadcom's quad-core BCM2837 SOC chip, clocked at a speed of 1.5GHz. There are also multiple RAM configurations to choose from, which is a first for the Raspberry Pi series – with 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB, or 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM available, the 4GB version being the model we tested. This, of course, means different price points depending on how much you want, with 1GB tier starting at the £35 mark, although this can fluctuate depending on the vendor. This rises to £45 for the 2GB version, £55 for 4GB, and £75 for 8GB.

It’s definitely faster, but specifically how much faster is a harder question to answer. We put it through various benchmark tests, such as the Whetstone and Hardinfo benchmarks, and it came back with mixed results. In the Whetstone and FPU Raytracing tests, it exceeded the Pi 3 B+ by 55%, but it was a whole 127% better at the CryptoHash benchmark, and in the Dhrystone tests it was 95% faster. Overall, it was much faster than the former generation, although how much faster this will feel in reality will depend on the type of workloads you’re utilising it for.

Despite this, if you think that the Pi is now fast enough to act as an entry-level PC, it might be a good idea to curb your enthusiasm a little. Even though it is a good deal faster than the previous Pi, it’s still way off the performance of even the cheapest Y-series Intel Core processor. During testing, we found performance to be somewhat patchy. Although there were no problems when we ran the device on one monitor, the Pi slowed significantly when we tried to use two displays. The Pi also struggled to keep up when we had four single-tab Chromium windows open, typing would take around a second to appear, and we had to wait a number of seconds before our clicks were registered.

It's also in dire need of inbuilt cooling. The more powerful components evidently generate more heat than previously, because the Pi 4 was hitting the 85 degree threshold on a regular basis, after which performance is throttled to prevent overheating. A little thermometer icon appears in the corner of the screen to indicate when this is happening, and it was pretty much a constant fixture while we were using the Pi.

Removing the Pi's case to allow more airflow helped significantly with this, and speed improved noticeably as a result. If you're planning on using the Pi 4 in any projects, we'd highly recommend purchasing a heatsink or a fan-assisted case to ensure optimum performance. With better cooling, the Pi was stable enough (for the most part) to use as a day-to-day work machine with few incidences of frustrating lag.

Network speeds were good too; while Ethernet speeds were capped at 300Mbits/sec with the previous generation, the new Pi is capable of the full 1,000Mbits/sec offered by the Gigabit standard. This makes it ideally suited to network transfer tasks like acting as a security camera or data gathering device.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B review: Verdict

While we do have some issues with the Raspberry Pi 4's thermal management and cooling, these can be effectively countered by adding a heatsink. On top of that, we keep coming back to the fact that this is a device which costs less than £50 and is roughly the size of a packet of cigarettes - and yet, we've been comfortably doing all our work on it (bar photo editing) with few complaints.

That really is staggeringly impressive when you think about it. The Raspberry Pi remains a marvel of engineering, and the fact that we're comparing it to traditional desktops at all bespeaks a seriously capable machine.

The Raspberry Pi family is Britain's greatest innovation since the ZX Spectrum, and the Raspberry Pi 4 is its crowning glory. With more versatility, improved performance and faster data transfer, the Pi 4 is nothing short of delicious.

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B specifications

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has unveiled the fourth generation of its flagship single-board microcomputer, the Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, which founder Eben Upton claims is "basically a PC".

"Raspberry Pi 4 is our first 4k-capable product, and our first product to deliver PC-like performance for the majority of users," Upton told IT Pro. "We're hoping it's the next step in our mission to get general-purpose programmable computers into more people's hands, and of course into the hands of children who might grow up to be software and hardware engineers."

The new model introduces a number of new features; the HDMI port used on previous versions has been replaced by a pair of micro HDMI ports, giving it the ability to output to two external 4K monitors at 60fps. This more demanding visual output is supported by more powerful components, including a 1.5GHz Broadcom BCM2837 quad-core SOC.

This is paired with up to 4GB of RAM, and for the first time in Raspberry Pi history, customers will have multiple RAM allocations to choose from. The base version comes with 1GB of RAM, but this can be upgraded to 2GB or 4GB, depending on the power required.

Impressively, the foundation has maintained its signature price-point despite these changes. Although the 2GB and 4GB versions have an MSRP of $45 and $55 respectively, the entry-level 1GB configuration still costs just $35. The foundation has been steadfast about maintaining this starting price, in order to make sure the product remains as accessible as possible.

The new release is perfectly in line with the company's roadmap; the Pi 3, which launched in 2016, was predicted to have a three-year lifecycle. Upton previously told IT Pro that it would be "a long road to get to Pi 4", principally due to the fact that the company had reached the limit of what it's previous manufacturing process could offer.

"We were on 40nm, and this marks our shift to 28nm," Upton said. "It's amazing how much performance a process transition gives you."

Through its flagship store, the foundation will also be selling desktop kits, including a mouse, keyboard and connecting cables, for 105 including VAT. To find out how the new Raspberry Pi 4 Model B performs in practice, read our full review.

The Raspberry Pi has accomplished a huge amount in the years since it was first released. The humble single-board microcomputer has ignited a thriving community of makers, hobbyists and tinkerers, as well as becoming an essential part of many companies' IoT deployments.

However, as impressive as the Raspberry Pi family is, there are more devices outside of the Raspberry Pi 3 and Zero that offer users a small form-factor machine to test code on, create projects with or even just use as a mini desktop PC. Below we've listed some of the most attractive Pi-type devices.

Most of these are slightly different from the Pi; some are more expensive and more powerful, some are more programmable with a larger number of GPIO pins, and some are smaller and more portable. All of them, however, are well worth checking out if you're after a device which offers a slightly different set of capabilities to the Raspberry Pi.

UP2 Squared

Blurring the line between hobby boards and regular micro-PCs, the UP2 Squared is an absolute monster compared to the Raspberry Pi. It's available in a range of specs, up to an Intel Pentium N4200 quad-core 2.5GHz processor and 8GB of RAM - that's close to what you'd find in a budget laptop.

That makes it substantially more expensive than the rest of the entries on this list - $339 (257) before tax, to be precise - but one major advantage it has over the competition is that because it uses an Intel processor, it's technically capable of running full-fat Windows 10.

Price: $339

Huawei HiKey 960

Huawei's HiKey 960 board microcomputer is a more premium version of the open-source favourite, running on Android or Linux. Hardware-wise, it packs in the same chip as the Huawei Mate 9, one if Huawei's best-performing smartphones.

There's only 3GB RAM onboard, although Kirin's GPU adds some oomph, supposedly offering enough throughout to power a 4K screen. Other hardware features include 40-pin and 60-pin connectors for attaching hardware like cameras. All of this power adds to the price - $239 (172) to be exact - making it a much more expensive option compared to a Raspberry Pi board.

Price: 172

ODROID-XU4

The Odroid-XU4 is, in many ways, a bigger and more impressive version of the Raspberry Pi, thanks largely to its beefy, Samsung-made Octa-core CPU and 2GB RAM allocation. This puts the Pi's hardware somewhat in the shade, so if you're looking for a pint-sized desktop PC, this should do the job.

On top of that, it's also got Gigabit ethernet connectivity - although there's no inbuilt wireless capabilities. Offering open source support, the board can also run many different versions of Linux, including the latest Ubuntu 16.04 and Android 4.4 KitKat, 5.0 Lollipop and 7.1 Nougat.

Price: 42

Arduino Uno

Arduino is responsible for a whole range of boards across various different specifications and use-cases, but the most popular and versatile is the Arduino Uno, now ironically on its third revision. It's less of a self-contained computer than the Raspberry Pi though - for example, there's no external video output and just one USB Type B port.

What it loses in self-sufficiency, however, it more than makes up for in versatility. The Uno is an excellent hobbyist board, and its large number of programmable pins makes it well-suited to inclusion in IoT and robotics projects.

Price: 20

BeagleBone Black

Coming from a long line of single-board computers designed for more advanced hobby computing fans, the BeagleBone Black is the company's more entry-level offering, priced at just under $50.

It's very similar in terms of specs to the Raspberry Pi, with a 1GHz ARM CPU, 512MB of memory and various input ports. It's also got both analog and digital I/O pins, meaning it can support additional add-on boards.

Price: 40

Asus Tinker Board

A Raspberry Pi clone in the truest sense of the word, the Asus Tinker Board looks near-identical to the Pi, right down to the placement of its various ports. That's not a criticism, however, and the Tinker Board has much to recommend it.

It's considerably faster than the Raspberry Pi 3, for a start, and also supports resolutions of up to 4K. It's almost 20 more expensive than the Raspberry Pi 3, admittedly, but it's one of the faster single-board computers on the market today.

Price: 60

Imagination Creator Ci20

Built by British company Imagination Technologies, the Creator Ci20 is a single-board computer that's as suited to IoT applications as it is to use as a desktop machine. The 8GB of onboard flash storage comes preloaded with Debian Linux, although it supports Android as well.

Featuring built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, the Ci20 is flexible and versatile, featuring a powerful 1.2GHz processor - but it's the Android support that makes this a really tempting proposition.

Price: 62

BBC micro:bit

First released way back in 1981, the BBC Micro is credited by many with kick-starting the first home programming revolution. Now, the venerable machine has got a second lease of life, in the form of the BBC micro:bit.

Carrying on the original Micro's mission of getting kids into computing, this 13 computer features 25 individually programmable LEDs, two physical buttons and even an accelerometer. It's not as powerful or as versatile as the Raspberry Pi, but as a low-cost education device, the micro:bit is a worthy successor to the granddaddy of home computing.

Price: 13.50

C.H.I.P.

If you thought the Raspberry Pi was cheap, prepare to meet a computer even more affordable. Available for just $9, C.H.I.P has a lot in common with the itsy-bitsy Raspberry Pi Zero, including its minuscule size.

C.H.I.P. comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 4GB of inbuilt storage, as well as a 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM. The company has also released a portable 'pocket' version, featuring a screen and keyboard controlled with a removable C.H.I.P.

Price: $9

This review was first published in April 2017 and has since been updated.

The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is the latest iteration of the world's most widely-used microcomputer - and it might be the best version yet.

One of the best things about the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is that, despite its upgraded specifications, the price has barely shifted. It's available for just £34, making it mere pounds more expensive than 2016's Raspberry Pi 3 Model B.

And while many of the most substantial changes relate to the design rather than the function, it's still worth an upgrade if you're serious about creating some seriously powerful work with Raspberry Pi forming the basis of your creations.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ review: Design

The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is pretty much a carbon copy of its predecessor, but this is by no means a bad thing. It has an identical 56 x 85 x 16mm footprint as the Raspberry Pi 3, so this upgraded model will fit in exactly the same space as older iterations. This means, if you're simply after a performance upgrade, you can slip the most recent Raspberry Pi addition into your existing hardware.

It's totally compatible with any third-party cases, mountings and other add-ons you have used previously and because all the connections and ports are in the same places, everything matches up perfectly. So all you need to do is remove the older device with the new.

Talking of ports, the Raspberry Pi 3 doesn't offer a whole that more than it's predecessor, but it likely has everything you could need - especially when you consider its diminutive size. There's a Gigabit Ethernet port, a full-sized HDMI, four USB 2.0 ports, and connections for camera and display ribbon cables. If you'd rather reach for the composite cables, you can hook the Raspberry Pi up to stream video to a display.

Eagle-eyed users will spot a small physical difference in the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ in that there is now a 4-pin connector placed in the top-left corner of the computer's board; we will explain more a little later.

Another change is that there is now a big, aluminium square stamped with the Raspberry Pi logo next to the processor. This is the Pi's new RF shield, which covers the networking components and allows the B+ to meet the FCC's modular conformance requirements. For companies looking to integrate the Raspberry Pi into their Internet of Things (IoT) products, this greatly shortens the testing process for FCC approval, allowing for a speedier time-to-market.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ review: Performance

As is typically the case with Raspberry Pi upgrades, one of the biggest changes this latest model brings is an increase in performance. Although the look and feel hasn't changed much, nor its internals (you'll find the same quad-core, 64-bit Broadcom chip paired with 1GB of LPDDR2 SDRAM), the clock speed has been upped up to 1.4GHz - 17% faster than its predecessor.

This extra oomph really does make a difference to running speed. During our tests, the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ achieved a single-core score of 35.7 in the Blowfish cryptographic benchmark - up 13% on the Raspberry Pi 3. If we compare the B+ to the Pi 2 B, these scores represent an improvement of 40% - that's pretty impressive, even for such a tiny device.

Similar improvements were noted when using the Whestone benchmark. A 14% boost in single-core tests and almost identical results in multi-core processes to blow the previous Raspberry Pi out of the water.

However, these great strides were somewhat dampened upon exploring the most up-to-date Raspberry Pi. The GPU clock speed is the same as the Pi 3, with no improvements at all using MotionMark's benchmarking tool. There was a 23% improvement when using Quake 3, but this is most likely down to the Raspbian OS graphics drivers rather than anything new in the hardware.

Numbers aside, the upgrade to 1.4GHz has made for great improvements in real-world tests. Where Raspberry Pi 3 would have struggled a little with multiple windows open, Raspberry Pi 3 B+ showed no signs of stalling with seven windows open at the same time, including a spreadsheet, a document, Firefox with multiple tabs open, and Minecraft.

The one area in which the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ does appear to struggle is with Javascript-heavy webpages. Trying to use SaaS-based browser tools like Slack was a struggle, but given that it's a $35 computer, complaining that it can't run feature-rich SaaS apps as part of a multi-tasking browsing session feels somewhat unfair.

We would, however, advise anyone planning to use this device as a desktop computer to ditch the pre-installed Chromium browser and install Firefox instead. We found Chromium to be a seriously sluggish experience on the Pi, and while the browser it's based on remains our favourite choice in most cases, it's simply too much of a memory-hog for use on such a bare-bones machine.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ review: Networking

Aside from performance, the real meat of the changes for the Pi 3's mid-generation update is in the networking. The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ now supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) via a four-pin connector and a separate hat, which will be very useful for anyone seeking to use the Pi for IoT projects.

The Ethernet port has also been swapped for a faster model, and now supports the Gigabit protocol. While it can't achieve the maximum speeds possible with Gigabit Ethernet, it's capable of a very creditable 300Mbits/sec, according to the creators.

In our tests, the newer Pi's Ethernet port was just over 20% faster for download tasks, with a speed of 11MB/sec. Upload speed is a different story, though; the new port managed uploads at almost 21MB/sec, which is a whopping 88% improvement over the Pi 3.

Wireless networking has been improved too, with a new dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip. The improvements are similar to those achieved with the Ethernet upgrade. Download performance of 5.2MB/sec is 18% faster than the Pi 3, while upload speeds are more than twice as fast, clocking in at 9.6MB/sec.

It's never going to match the performance of a dedicated NAS box, true, but the upgraded networking capabilities make the new and improved Pi even more attractive for cobbling together a basic DIY fileshare.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ review: Verdict

On the surface, the creators of the Raspberry Pi haven't changed all that much with the Raspberry Pi 3 B+. PoE support is a nice addition and the RF shield will be useful for manufacturers, but the main improvements arrive in the form of a decent increase in speed and faster networking.

This shouldn't be all that impressive, but taken together, the handful of minor upgrades combine to form a noticeably improved experience. In particular, the speed boost to networking makes certain operations much less of a chore than with previous Raspberry Pi devices.

Really, though, when you get right down to it, the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ is a $35 device that can act as a fully-functional desktop PC with few limitations. In terms of value for money, it's simply unbeatable, and its technical capabilities are nothing to be sniffed at.

Even if the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ doesn't constitute a great leap forward for the microcomputer, it's a refinement of an already excellent device. It's perfection, improved upon.

While the bite-sized Raspberry Pi Zero and the top-end Raspberry Pi B+ might get all the attention, the Raspberry Pi Model A+ is actually the device of choice for many businesses. The Raspberry Pi Model A is designed to be a smaller and more compact version of the flagship Raspberry Pi B. Trading in a little bit of functionality and connectivity in exchange for a slightly cheaper price and smaller footprint, it's become popular as a headless instrument for powering IoT systems.

Now, thanks to the clever people at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the Model A+ has had its first update since 2014, with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+. The new iteration offers improved performance, a newer processor and some much-needed additional networking capabilities.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: Design

One of the Raspberry Pi team's main goals when developing new iterations of their products is to ensure that the new versions are as interoperable with their predecessors as possible. As such, the newest A+ is visually indistinguishable from the original A+ that launched in 2014.

Like the rest of the Raspberry Pi family, the Model A+ is nothing more than a naked circuit-board with various ports extruding from it - the literal definition of 'bare-bones computing'.

It still measures 65 x 56mm, with all of the ports and connectors in exactly the same place as all of its predecessors - which means that if you've got any cases or housings that were built for the first-generation A+, you can swap the new one in with no modifications necessary.

As with the original, it's an impressively small device - although it's somewhat less impressive now that the Pi Zero has shown what you can do with a device less than half the size of the Model A+. Still, it's about the smallest Pi you're going to get if you want to retain the full-sized ports and GPIO pins.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: Specs and performance

The Raspberry Pi Model A hasn't been updated in four years, so it's well overdue for a performance boost. It's now graduated from the single-core Broadcom BCM2835 processor which powered the first-generation Pi models to a quad-core Broadcom BCM2837B0 processor clocked at 1.4GHz - the same chip used by the larger Raspberry Pi 3 B+.

The amount of RAM hasn't changed though - that's still limited to 512MB, same as it was on the previous generation. Thankfully, that hasn't proved to be a huge barrier; the smaller Model A+ kept pace with the B+ in the Hardinfo benchmarks and various browser-based tests, slowing down only in Javascript-heavy tests like JetStream - and even then, not by much.

All told, the Model A+'s base speed is about on par with the Model B+'s, which is pretty astonishing. You'll start to see it struggle if you do much multi-tasking with it, but then that's not really what the A+ is for. It's designed much more as a control board for computing projects or IoT installations. If nothing else, the lack of ports is going to more frustrating for those trying to use it as a miniature desktop computer than any speed issues.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: Ports and features

After all, ports are in short supply here; in terms of traditional ports, you've got a HDMI output, a single USB 2.0 port and a 3.5mm audio and composite video port, while more technical projects are supported via a full 40-pin GPIO header and ports for connecting cameras and displays via ribbon cable.

Thankfully, the new and improved A+ has something up its sleeve to compensate for this arguably underwhelming port selection: wireless connectivity. Unlike the original A+, the new model now has dual-band 11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in, meaning no need for dongles or adapters. Undoubtedly the most significant improvement, this will make the new A+ much more suited to IoT projects, and most importantly, the Wi-Fi components have already passed the modular compliance certification tests, so products incorporating the new A+ will be able to speed through compliance testing much faster.

If you do decide to use the new Model A+ as a desktop device, however, it's worth noting that the H.264 video encoder that's built into the CPU means it's now capable of playing back 1080p video at 30fps - which is mighty impressive for something this small and cheap.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: Verdict

The Raspberry Pi Foundation continues to blow us away with the continued improvements to their products; every time we think they've hit a ceiling in terms of the Pi family's versatility and capability, they surprise us yet again.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ is one such surprise, taking what was already one of the best single-board computers for industrial projects and IoT deployments and making it even more flexible with the addition of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Performance-wise, it's effectively on par with the Model B+, with the same feature-set; the only thing that really separates them is the size, cost and number of ports. For those who want to use the Raspberry Pi as a no-frills desktop PC or a retro gaming machine, we'd still recommend the B+ due to its slight performance edge and larger port selection, but for any projects, builds or installations that require a cheap, robust and powerful control board, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ is the absolute king.

Verdict

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ all but matches the larger B+ for power and features, providing buckets of versatility and demonstrating why Raspberry Pi is the gold standard for microcomputing.

Despite what a million stock images might tell you, hacking isn't just for hooded teenagers in darkened rooms. It can also be used for good in the great outdoors, such as by enabling people to pentest from outside their building, for instance.

To be able to hack from 'anywhere' you need the right tools and downloading the Kali Linux on the Raspberry Pi should be your first port of call. The Raspberry Pi is a small, credit card-sized computer that doesn't require a lot of power to use. When combined with Kali Linux it becomes a super-portable network testing machine that you can take anywhere.

This can be run on your laptop and used to test your Wi-Fi password strength - or your neighbours. You can also spoof networks, test for Bluetooth vulnerabilities and much more. If you don't want Kali installed directly on to your computer, you can even add a touchscreen device.

All you need to get started is either a Raspberry Pi 2 or 3, a supply of power, a HDMI cable, a minimum 8GB SD-Card and a keyboard and a mouse for control.

Downloading the Kali image for Raspberry Pi

To start, you need a Kali Linux 2.0 image file, which you can download from the Offensive Security downloads area. You'll have to scroll down to find the Raspberry Pi2/3 download as there are a number of different variants.

It is vital that you properly verify what you're installing and that it is a genuine version of kali, rather than a fraudulent lookalike, especially if you plan to use it for security testing. Detailed instructions on how to do so can be found on the Kali website.

After you have the file downloaded it will need to be extracted. Most computers will not have the right software to extract it, but WinRAR can be downloaded and installed to extract the image file if you don't already have software for that purpose.

When you have extracted the image, you're ready to write it to an SD-Card. The minimum size is 8GB, although using something bigger like 16GB or even 32GB is considerably better as it will give you more space to download and run tools and apps.

From there, load the image file into Win32Disk Imager (a Windows program for saving and restoring images from removable drives) and write it to the correct drive, making sure you have picked the correct one as it will overwrite any drive that is selected. It will take a few minutes to write the package, and will state 'Write Successful' when it has completed.

Installing Kali on Raspberry Pi

Once the image is written to the SD-Card, it is ready to install into the Pi. Everything can now be plugged into a monitor or TV with a HDMI cable and you can even add an old keyboard and mouse for control.

After powering up the Pi it will go through a boot up process where the screen will go blank a few times before you can finish. For the final step, a login prompt will appear asking for a username and a password. The default should be 'root' and 'toor' respectively.

Naturally, it goes without saying that you'll want to change the access credentials to something more secure as soon as possible, but you should also change the SSH host keys, as the Kali image for Raspberry Pi comes with a set of default keys pre-configured. From the command line, use the following commands to change your SSH host keys:

root@kali:~ rm /etc/ssh/ssh_host_*

root@kali:~ dpkg-reconfigure openssh-server

root@kali:~ service ssh restart

Installing hacking tools

Once that's done, enter the command startx from the command line to boot into the graphical desktop environment. By default, ARM-based Kali images come with the bare minimum of tools pre-installed, but you can use Kali metapackages to install new ones. Various metapackages are available containing different groups of tools for specific purposes such as password cracking or Wi-Fi analysis.

The full list of available metapackages can be found here. You can install the 'kali-linux-full' metapackage to get all the tools that are included with the default desktop image of Kali, or you can get every single available tool with the 'kali-linux-all' metapackage. Alternatively, you can also pick specific metapackages to install based on your needs. All metapackages are installed using the standard Linux apt-get method - for example, to get the complete toolset, you'd use the command apt-get install kali-linux-all.

Once you've installed your desired tools and made sure you've changed the default passwords, you're all set to start using Kali. Happy hacking!

The tiny but potent PC that is the Raspberry Pi can be built into all manner of amazing projects, but this is arguably one of the most impressive tricks - creating a working robot.

Of course, building a Pi-powered robot can take many forms. There are ready-made kits that add a robot arm to your Pi for just a few pounds, cheap and cheerful 'mouse' style chassis that simplify the build, and highly technical professional creations that can operate in the harshest environments around. One team created the PiTank (including a functioning ping-pong ball cannon), while another team of scientists investigating volcanoes used a Pi-powered robot to investigate and map active fissures - the only limit is your imagination!

To build a robot buggy, you'll need the following components - as mentioned, you can shortcut the process by buying a kit, but we'll deal with the individual component parts here. We're also going to assume you've got a working Pi with Raspbian installed, have updated it and can either connect to a monitor or SSH into it to write and run scripts.

For a basic buggy you'll need the following tools and components:

• Raspberry Pi
• Motor controller board (L298N Dual H Bridge DC Stepper Motor Driver Controller Board)
• 2 12V DC motors
• 2 wheels
• 1 AA battery holder
• 4 AA batteries
• Ball caster
• Wire or jumper leads
• USB power bank
• Screw driver
• Soldering iron
• Breadboard
• VL53L0X time-of-flight range finder or ultrasonic distance sensor (optional)
• 2 line following sensors (optional)

First up, solder wires to the motor terminals, then attach the other ends to the motor controller board. If you're using the popular L298N Dual H Bridge DC Stepper Motor Driver Controller Board, then that'll be OUT1, OUT2, OUT3, and OUT4.

Next you'll need power for the motors, so take the AA battery holder and insert the red wire into the VCC terminal block. The black wire goes into the GND block. It is important that you get this the correct way around.

Some boards fit directly onto the GPIO pins, such as the popular Explorer HAT, but this one needs to be wired in as follows:

Now you'll have the basics of a working robot, but one last vital logistical question is which is your left motor and which is your right motor. You also need to know which way they are driving to go forward, and which way they are driving to go backwards.

Label the motors with 'L' and 'R' with a marker pen, and add a forward arrow. Now it's time to write a test script:

Open a Python shell by clicking Menu > Programming > Python 3 (IDLE). Then click File > New File to open an empty script and enter the following commands:

from gpiozero import Robotrobby = Robot(left = (7, 8), right = (9, 10))

Save your file and call it robby.py or similar. You can then run it by pressing F5 on your keyboard.

Now switch over to the shell and type the following to observe which way the motors turn.

robby.forward(0.4)robby.right(0.4)

If the right motor spins, you're good; if not you'll need to swap them round by swapping the pin numbers in your original script:

robby = Robot(left = (9, 10), right = (7, 8))

Next check your motors are both turning the right direction:

robby.forward(0.4)

If the motors are both turning clockwise you're good - if not you'll need to adjust the pins in the initial script again, for example:

robby = Robot(left = (9, 10), right = (8, 7))

Now we're ready to put the bot together - there's many ways to construct a chassis, from 3D printing to laser cutting, but first it's best to use a cardboard box to get the hang of the layout. Experts recommend a chocolate box because the card is nice and rigid, but the choices are endless!

The chassis needs to contain the Raspberry Pi, motor controller and batteries, and needs to allow a pair of wheels to be mounted. Cardboard also allows you to experiment with fitting sensors later on, such as a couple of line sensors, and an ultrasonic distance sensor or a lidar sensor.

You'll essentially end up with a motor on each side at one end of the box, attached to an external wheel, and the ball caster at the front. Locate your USB power bank in the box, along with the Pi, controller board and motor battery pack.

You should now be able to boot your Pi (from the USB pack) and begin to program it.

There are five basic commands to move your robot, that can be combined to make it move in different ways:

robot.forward()robot.backward()robot.right()robot.left()robot.stop()

For example, here's a simple script to make it go in a square shape (although you may need to tweak the sleep functions to get the motions correct).

from gpiozero import Robotrobot = Robot(left = (7, 8), right = (9, 10))while True:robot.forward()sleep(3)robot.stop()robot.right()sleep(1)robot.stop()

Now you can experiment with your bot, working your way up from following simple shapes to navigating complex mazes, and adding arrays of sensors - enjoy!

Thanks to the Raspberry Pi foundation for the official Robot buggy project.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has released an updated version of the Raspberry Pi 3, the Raspberry Pi 3 B+, featuring a faster processor and updated networking capabilities.

The new device, which was launched today, is a mid-generation upgrade to the foundation's previous board. It is intended to act as refinement of the Pi 3 B, rather than a full-blown successor, according to the foundation.

"Like the original Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+, this is an attention-to-detail spin of the preceding product, driven by looking at what people have been doing in the wild," said creator Eben Upton.

"We've improved the wired and wireless connectivity, squeezed a bit more clock frequency out (largely through better power integrity), tweaked the thermal performance, and added a Power over Ethernet option. Individually these are all nice features to have, but I've been surprised at how well they complement each other: the whole feels like more than the sum of the parts."

The launch may come as a surprise to many; the Raspberry Pi 3 first debuted just over two years ago, and Upton told IT Pro last year that the product had a three-year lifecycle, indicating that we wouldn't see a new Pi until around 2019. The new model, however, will remain in production until at least 2023, according to the foundation.

One update that may prove to be the most significant for many Raspberry Pi customers is that the device now includes an RF shield, which allows the new board to claim FCC modular conformance. "This means that people building products around Pi can go through a much-abbreviated conformance testing process," Upton said.

The new board is available now, and will retail at the same $35 price point as all previous iterations of the Raspberry Pi B.

Last month I looked at the new Raspberry Pi Zero W, and how you can set it up in a headless configuration. This month, I'm going to turn it into a IoT "thing". Small-scale IoT devices tend to be either some kind of sensor (temperature, movement, doors opening) or an output perhaps a display or a buzzer. I've gone for the latter, and decided to make a coat-bot! I'll make the Pi Zero W grab the day's weather forecast and then guide me on whether I'll need a waterproof, a warm coat or just a thin jacket when I leave the house.

First, we'll need a weather forecast, and the go-to place for such data is Weather Underground (wunderground.com). Along with the main website, Weather Underground provides an API that you can use to grab current weather conditions and forecasts from your own code.

You'll need to register and get an API key (it's free, as long as you don't make requests too frequently). Go to wunderground.com/weather/api and click "Sign up for free". Create an account and then click the validation link that's sent to you via email.

Next sign in, head to Weather API for Developers, and then click on the "Explore my options" button. From there, select the free Stratus Plan; it's the default selection. You'll get 500 API calls per day, and you don't need a credit card. Confusingly, despite the zero cost, you do need to click "Purchase Key". Fill out the form and submit it to get your API key.

Now you'll be able to get data using requests in the form found here. This returns lots of data, presented in two sections: txt_forecast and simpleforecast.I'm going to make use of the former, because it's broken down into day and night forecasts, so is pretty good for guessing the next 12 hours.Strictly speaking, if we're coming to the end of the day, we should probably look at the night forecast, and vice versa I'll leave that for you to add as an improvement if you want to.

One of the data items returned by the WU feed is called "icon", and it's normally used to display a weather icon. You'll see the full range of values returned at wunderground.com/graphics/conds. Notice that there are both daytime and night versions of each icon, so the two options for rain are "rain" and "nt_rain".

To access the data from WU using Python, this is your starting point:

import urllib2 import json f=urllib2.urlopen('http://api.wunderground.com/api/[your-API-key]/forecast/q/UK/[your-city].json') json_string = f.read() f.close() parsed_json=json.loads(json_string) icon=parsed_json['forecast']['txt_forecast']['forecastday'][0]['icon'] print "Icon: %s" % icon

We import the urllib2 library, which lets us obtain data over the internet, and the json library, which aids the parsing of json formatted data. We read the data from the WU API, turn the json data into a usable format, and extract the field we need.If I connect to my Raspberry Pi Zero W using SSH, and then create a file containing this code and call it something like weather.py, then execute it using the command: python weather.py, it returns: "Icon: mostlycloudy". Or, rather, it does right now. Seems like a good day to be stuck indoors writing this column!

The next step is to look through the list of icons and decide which you want to use for your coat selection. For this example, I'm going to decide whether I need a waterproof coat, so I'll pick out all the icons that deal with rain, snow, sleep and storms.

Rather than handle each one individually, I can use a line of code.

raining="rain" in icon

The above will make the variable "raining" true for all of the various icons with rain in their name (chanceofrain, rain, nt_rain, and so on). Using this logic and a few more tests, you'll easily be able to assign a value to a variable called "coat". You can even mix the temperature from the WU feed into your "do I need a coat" calculation. But then we need to do something with the data.

Apart from a small LED, there's no visual output on the Pi Zero W, so eventually I'll need to add some kind of display. For now, let's start our project by utilising just that tiny LED.By default this is used to show disk activity. If we're going to take over the LED for our own purposes, we need to disable the activity behaviour. For the current session you can do this in two lines from the command prompt:

echo none | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/led0/trigger echo 1 | sudo tee /sys/class/leds/led0/brightness

In the longer term, you'll want this to survive a reboot. Add the following two lines to the /boot/config.txt file:

dtparam=act_led_trigger=none dtparam=act_led_activelow=on

Then you can control the on-board LED using GPIO 47:

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO GPIO.setwarnings(False) GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) GPIO.setup(47, GPIO.OUT) GPIO.output(47, True) GPIO.output(47, False)

This will flash the LED. It will probably flash it too quickly to see, so you'll need to add some suitable delays. But combine this with the coat-detection code above and you're on your way towards a useful little gadget.The only problem is, the on-board LED is small. Our IoT device would be much better with a proper display. The Pi Zero (and Pi Zero W) have a number of pHATs available from various manufacturers and vendors, some of which include displays.

What's a pHAT? It's an add-on board designed to simply hook up to the GPIO connectors on the Raspberry Pi Zero. On the bigger (non-Zero) Pis they're simply called HATs, and they're analogous to the shields you'll find in the Arduino world.

pHATs are the same size as the Pi Zero W, and the two sandwiched together make for a neat ensemble. There's just one problem and that's where I said "simply hook up to the GPIO connectors", because on the Pi Zero unlike with the bigger models the GPIO connectors aren't soldered to the board. And most pHATs don't have their GPIO connectors soldered, either.

Now I'm sure that many of the readers of this column are a dab hand with a soldering iron, and will think nothing of applying blobs of molten lead onto 40 connectors on each board. But for some, such things are a bit of a nightmare!

For this latter group, the lovely people at Pimoroni have come up with solderless hammer headers. They're just like normal headers, except that here the pins have been slightly flattened/widened right at the point where they meet with the PCB, resulting in a very tight fit. You literally hammer the pins into the holes on the PCB it works brilliantly.

You can buy the hammer headers in a kit, along with a plastic jig to ensure you fit them properly, for the princely sum of 6 (head to pcpro.link/274hammer). Even for those with ninja soldering skills, I reckon it's worth six quid just to save half an hour of mind-numbing tedium!

As well as selling these hammer headers, Pimoroni also sells one of the most useful display pHATs for the Pi Zero W, called the Scroll pHAT HD. It's a 17 x 7 pixel monochrome matrix offering individual control over the brightness of every pixel. And at full brightness, it's very bright indeed I'd advise putting on some sunscreen, unless you want to get a tan!

You can use it to display dots, lines, shapes or even text. Pimoroni provides a handy Python library for driving it, along with a useful set of example code that can form the basis for your own projects. But the very best thing about the Scroll pHAT HD is that it costs only 12. To install the library, type

curl https://get.pimoroni.com/scrollphathd bash

from a command prompt and then just answer yes to all the questions. Once it's finished installing, reboot your Raspberry Pi; rather than pull the power, type "sudo reboot" for a nice clean restart.

Note that the Scroll pHAT HD is a buffer-based device. If, for example, you want to set a particular pixel to a particular brightness, you first set that pixel in the buffer, and then you "show" the buffer onto the display. The buffer can actually be bigger than the 17 x 7 pixels of the physical display, allowing you to scroll, rotate, or perform other transformations.

Let's look at a trivial example:

import scrollphathd as sphd sphd.set_pixel(0, 0, 1) # x, y, brightness sphd.set_pixel(2, 2, 0.1) sphd.set_pixel(4, 4, 0.01) input("Press enter to continue")

This draws a diagonal line of three pixels varying in brightness. In my tests I haven't found the brightness response to be particularly linear, so you may end up working with small values. Another thing to notice is that when the Python script stops, the display goes blank that's why I put the "Press enter" prompt at the end. Actually, when you do press enter you'll see an end of file (EOF) error. That doesn't really matter, but if you want to fix it then you can use:

try:

input("Press enter to continue") except SyntaxError: pass

Going back to our "Should I wear a coat" IoT device, rather than displaying individual pixels, you can write a word to the display:

import scrollphathd as sphd sphd.write_string('Coat') sphd.show() input("Press enter to continue")

There's just one problem all you'll see on the display is Coa, because the 17 pixels don't provide enough room for the whole word!You can easily get around that by scrolling the buffer. The code goes something like this:

import scrollphathd as sphd import time sphd.write_string("Coat") while True: sphd.show() sphd.scroll(1) time.sleep(0.05)

The differences here are that, firstly, I've imported the time library on the second row. This allows me to use a sleep function to slow things down a little. I then have a constant loop showing the buffer, scrolling it, then sleeping for a short time.

Of course, such loops are bad practice, and the only way out is to interrupt the code using Ctrl+C. But it's fine for this demonstration.

Now, if you put this together with the weather forecast code from Weather Underground, it's pretty easy to come up with a "Do I need a coat today" gadget. I'll leave you to assemble the final code.

Of course, my coat-bot is silly and I don't have one sitting next to my coat rack. Actually, I tend to ask Alexa about the weather before I leave the house. But despite this, I hope I've shown you how versatile the Raspberry Pi Zero W is, and how it can be used as the basis for some clever (and cheap) bits of IoT kit. Especially when combined with the huge range of pHATs available. The only limit is your imagination, which is hopefully better than mine!

This article originally appeared in PC Pro. Main image dredit: Bigstock

Sony has revealed it's manufactured 10 million of the 14 million Raspberry Pi devices it's shipped so far in Wales, putting the tiny country on the map as a major tech producer.

In fact, the Japanese manufacturer has committed so much to producing the microcomputers in Wales, it's had to more than double its staff in the region to ensure it can keep up with supply demands.

"The last five years has seen unprecedented growth across our Pencoed facility, something we are understandably incredibly proud of," Sony's UK TEC managing director Steve Dalton said.

"Our growth has been intrinsically linked to the success of the Raspberry Pi and we are delighted to reach the 10m manufacturing milestone. This is a significant achievement for everyone involved in its production, especially our devoted Sony Team, the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and distributors Premier Farnell."

He went on to say that it's has a huge impact on helping Wales grow its presence in the tech sector, manufacturing a low-cost electronics device at such a high volume.

Raspberry Pi's creator Eben Upton also praised the workforce and the efforts of Sony and its partners, saying it has contributed a lot to the microcomputer's success.

"The last five years has been extremely exciting for us as we watched the Raspberry Pi become Britain's best-selling computer of all time," he said. "We are particularly delighted that the Pi has set the benchmark for utilising innovative and progressive manufacturing right here in the UK, as it was always our wish to make the computers in this country."

Despite the successes to date, Upton thinks it's still going to take time before Raspberry Pi 4 is ready for release, saying technical developments are holding the foundation back from being able to develop the next iteration of the device.

"We're kind of at the end of the road for 40 nanometer," he said. "There's not much more you can do in that process, because ultimately you're limited by thermals. In the end, you can add as much silicon area as you want, because if you can't afford to toggle the transistors in the silicon because the thing will cook, then you can't get any faster."

The Raspberry Pi has won one of the country's top awards for engineering, given to innovations that have significant societal benefits as well as commercial applications.

The MacRobert Award, which has been running since 1969, is presented by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Winners receive a gold medal, as well as a 50,000 cash prize. Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton told IT Pro he was "very, very happy" with the win.

"If you look at the [MacRobert Award's] Wikipedia page, it's quite fun; there's the Severn bridge, Rolls Royce have won it twice... It's a lovely set of people to be amongst."

"We don't just see it as recognition for the engineers," Upton said. "A lot of effort's gone into the Raspberry Pi, and it's broad effort - there's a lot of people who can point to a bit of Raspberry Pi and go 'that wouldn't be there if it wasn't for me'."

The Foundation took home the top gong for its $35 microcomputer, released in 2012. Originally designed to help encourage children to get into computing, the Raspberry Pi family has become a global phenomenon, with fans using them to create everything from home theatre systems to aerospace equipment.

"The Raspberry Pi team has achieved something that mainstream multinational computer companies and leading processing chip designers not only failed to do, but failed even to spot a need for," MacRobert Award judge Dr Frances Saunders said.

"With a team of engineers numbering in the tens, not hundreds or thousands, Raspberry Pi has redefined home computing for many thousands of people across the world, even taking 1% of the global PC market. Their refusal to compromise on quality, price point or functionality has resulted in a highly innovative design that has taken the education and maker market by storm, and they have created a world-beating business in the process."

The Raspberry Pi team beat out cyber security company Darktrace for its machine learning-based security system and Vision RT, a company creating real-time 3D body surface imaging systems used to target radiotherapy treatments.

"All three of this year's finalists demonstrate exceptional engineering, but what sets Raspberry Pi apart is the sheer quality of the innovation, which has allowed the computer to be used far beyond its original purpose," said MacRobert Award chair, Dr Dame Sue Ion. "It is manufactured in the UK cheaper and at higher quality than elsewhere."

"Raspberry Pi has also inspired multiple generations to get into coding: children are learning about coding for the first time, often alongside their parents and grandparents. Communities in the developing world are being empowered by the Raspberry Pi and its modern day computing-on-a-budget."

Upton and the rest of the Raspberry Pi team were particularly thrilled to receive an award with such a prestigious engineering heritage. "It's a really nice bit of recognition," he said. "We really wanted this one."

"For engineering, it's the ultimate prize, right? Where do you go from there?" he said, joking that "we could win an Oscar, I suppose".

Image credit: Rob Lacey/Royal Academy of Engineering

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced it will be 'merging' with volunteer-run programming club organiser CoderDojo in order to encourage kids to learn computing, although they will remain separate legal entities.

Based in Dublin, CoderDojo runs clubs for children aged seven to 17 to teach them programming and computing skills. The clubs are entirely run by volunteers, with more than 1,250 locations in almost 70 countries.

"In technical terms, what's happening is that the Raspberry Pi Foundation is becoming a member of the CoderDojo Foundation," Raspberry Pi Foundation CEO Philip Colligan told IT Pro, "and I'm joining the board of the CoderDojo Foundation."

"In practice, we will be working together really closely. So even though it's a separate legal entity, we will be pooling our resources and efforts and using our expertise and assets and resources to support them."

CoderDojo joins Code Club, another community-led kids' computing organisation, as part of the Raspberry Pi family. The Pi foundation announced its merger with Code Club back in 2015, running 5,000 clubs around the country to help children learn how to code. Since then, the foundation has also launched a computing magazine aimed at teachers trying to understand the subject better. According to Raspberry Pi founder Eben Upton, pairing the Pi foundation with CoderDojo will allow them to reach more children than ever before.

"CoderDojo, Raspberry Pi and Code Club have been key contributors to the recent renaissance in computing education," he said. "Together, we will form the world's leading movement to get kids involved with coding and digital making. Code Club and CoderDojo together will reach 185,000 young people in more than 100 countries all over the planet."

"Raspberry Pi will work closely with CoderDojo to advance our shared goals, pooling our resources and expertise to get more adult volunteers and young people involved in the movement. Our combined scale will allow us to invest more in the infrastructure and systems that underpin our work, and to offer a wider range of products and services to our communities."

However, Colligan was keen to stress that although there is some overlap between the two organisations, there are some compelling reasons to join forces. "They have some differences, and that's why we think it makes real sense to bring them together alongside each other," he said, pointing out that while Code Clubs are mostly run as an after-school activity and are directly tied to education institutions, CoderDojo covers a wider age group and isn't linked to schools. Another exciting element of the merger, Colligan said, is that it gives children somewhere to go after they leave Code Clubs at age 13.

"There are different elements, and we think they're complementary. And the main thing, the goal that we really share is we think that kids, wherever they are in the world, should have a safe place to go and learn about how to make things with computers. And whether that's a Code Club or a CoderDojo, we just think it's important that every community has that safe place for kids to go and learn."

Both Code Club and CoderDojo are staffed by volunteers and according to CoderDojo Foundation executive director Giustina Mizzoni, the participation of IT industry workers as expert mentors for children is invaluable. More than 65% of CoderDojo's worldwide volunteers work in IT to some degree, but the company is hoping the merger will encourage more female professionals to get involved as mentors.

Part of this is to do with trying to get more young girls to engage with CoderDojo, Mizzoni told IT Pro. "Every year, the percentage of girls attending CoderDojo has directly matched the percentage of female mentors that we have, so therefore it's important for us to get more women involved in the movement."

"Hopefully that's something that we see an increase on by the end of this year, and then year-on-year."

This deal marks the Raspberry Pi Foundation's second merger with a charity promoting programming education, and the organisation doesn't show any signs of slowing down. Colligan told IT Pro that although the organisation's current focus is on teaching kids about computing, the eventual goal is to help adults learn as well.

"For now, we're focused on supporting young people, but definitely on the three-to-five year horizon, I would want us to be using our expertise and our resources to support people at any stage of their life," he said. "Because technology's moving very fast, and we think that there is lots of potential for people later in their careers to re-train themselves, to learn skills that can help them do new types of work in the future."

Colligan and Mizzoni both stressed that their organisations are always looking for IT professionals of every industry, role and technical ability to pitch in as a mentor and volunteer. "This is a movement, Colligan said, and what we want is for people to feel they can get involved."

Premier Farnell has transformed the Raspberry Pi microcomputer into a fully-fledged PC, albeit a lot smaller than the average desktop.

The distributor has integrated a range of accessories to turn a Raspberry Pi into Pi Desktop, a Linux-based computer equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a real-time clock, an mSATA solid-state drive interface, an optional camera and a power switch. It also features a USB adapter (Micro-Type A) to add even more peripherals such as a keyboard or a mouse, while a display can be added via the HDMI interface.

You'll have to purchase the SSD for storage and Raspberry Pi camera module separately if you want to add extra functionality, but that's no real deal breaker for those desperate for a pint-sized computer.

It supports an SSD with up to 1TB and because it's been developed for start up directly from the SSD, it's faster than many high-powered desktops to get up and running. This is made even simpler with an integrated power switch, while its power controller means it's safe to remove the power adaptor from the Pi board after flicking the switch off, just like any other desktop or laptop.

It's all housed in a super-sleek cube that won't clutter your desk. In fact, it's reminiscent of a Mac Mini, although it's shiny and black rather compared to Apple's aluminium box.

The Pi Desktop computer has been developed under Premier Farnell's element14 brand, which aims to make innovative solutions with Raspberry Pi at the heart of its devices. The company hasn't yet revealed when it'll be available to buy, although Premier Farnell said it can only be purchased from Farnell element14 and its resellers.

Raspberry Pi is increasingly being used for enterprise applications, with Citrix announcing support for the microcomputer last year. It revealed it would be releasing a thin client for the device, demonstrating a Raspoberry Pi running HDX on a chip with Windows 10.

05/05/2017: The Raspberry Pi Foundation has revealed over 250,000 Pi Zero W boards have been sold since its launch only nine weeks ago, despite facing severe worldwide shortages.

In celebration of the achievement, the creators said they would expand the number of distributors currently selling the new device, which should go some way to solving the supply shortage.

"As well as hitting that pretty impressive milestone, today we are announcing 13 new Raspberry Pi Zero distributors, so you should find it much easier to get hold of a unit," the company saidin a blog post on Wednesday.

While getting your hands on a Pi Zero has been fairly easy in the UK, it has been a struggle for customers in those countries furthest away from European distributors, and those in the US.

The new distributors include Core Electronics in Australia and New Zealand, Cytron Technologies in Malaysia, and BuyaPi in the US and Canada. New distributors will also be serving Italy, Japan, South Africa, Poland, Greece, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

The company will also beef up its supply network in the US and Canada, as well as Germany where there is still huge demand for the device. A full list of the new sellers can be found here.

Although the expansion will certainly help, the foundation admits there are still many more markets to cover. It promised to continue to work with distributors and hopes to be able to announce more expansions in the near future.

The new Pi Zero W launched in February, offering baked-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity on a 1GHz single core CPU and 512MB RAM, as well as a new case, for just 10.

28/02/2017:Raspberry Pi Zero W adds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

The makers of Raspberry Pi are celebrating its fifth birthday with a new launch: the Raspberry Pi Zero W.

At the end of 2015, the makers of the cheap and cheerful computing boards released the lowest-cost model yet, theRaspberry Pi Zero which cost only 4 for the board alone but didn't include key accessories such as adaptors or connector pins.

It also didn't include Wi-Fi by default, though like the other features, it could be easily added viaa USB hub but as Raspberry Pi notes, a USB hub often cost more than the Zero itself.

"Zero W fixes this problem by integrating more functionality into the core product," noted Eben Upton, Raspberry Pi founder, in ablog posttoday. "It uses the same Cypress CYW43438 wireless chip as Raspberry Pi 3 Model B to provide 802.11n wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity."

The Zero W will cost twice the price - $10 plus VAT, or 9.60 including VAT - but for those who don't need wireless or Bluetooth connectivity baked in, the 4 original will still be available to buy.

Other than the connectivity, the Zero W has the same features as its predecessor, including a 1GHz, single-core CPU and 512MB RAM. There's also a new case designed specifically for the Zero W.

"We imagine you'll find all sorts of uses for Zero W," Upton said. "It makes a better general-purpose computer because you're less likely to need a hub: if you're using Bluetooth peripherals you might well end up with nothing at all plugged into the USB port. And of course it's a great platform for experimenting with IoT applications."

The Raspberry Pi Zero W is available immediately.

Picture credit: Raspberry Pi Foundation

Raspberry Pi fans, rejoice; the microcomputer's official magazine is giving away free AI kits as part of a new partnership with Google.

The MagPi, a monthly publication offering tips, tricks and tutorials for fans, made headlines last year when it gave away a free Raspberry Pi Zero on the cover of every copy to celebrate the device's launch.

This month, the magazine is going one better, offering an AI kit with every copy to let users build their own Google voice-powered projects.

As part of a freshly-announced partnership with Google dubbed AIY Projects (short for Artificial Intelligence Yourself), The MagPi is launching a new add-on board for the Raspberry Pi called the Voice HAT (Hardware Accessory on Top), allowing makers to integrate artificial intelligence and natural language processing into their projects.

"We are moving to a human interface world where users will simply have a conversation with a device," said Google's director of AIY Projects, Billy Rutledge. "Google wants to help makers familiarise themselves with voice interfaces, but we're also keen to tap into the creative prowess of the maker community. We want to learn what this community needs, and work with them to build the tools they want to encourage a new era of 'intelligent devices'."

Along with the Voice HAT, readers will receive everything they need to build their own voice-controlled AI projects, including a speaker, stereo microphone, buttons, cables and even a cardboard housing.

The kit allows makers to access the Google Assistant SDK that powers devices like the Google Pixel and Google Home, as well as Google's Cloud Speech API for recognising and processing voice commands which can then be used for tasks like controlling robots or programming home automation functions.

Pi founder Eben Upton told IT Pro:"It's a great vote of confidence in Raspberry Pi and The MagPi."

"We've had a fantastic time working with the AIY team on this: we did post a picture of us all on Twitter about a month ago, but nobody could quite figure out what we were up to."

"The base Voice Assistant project is exciting enough," he added, "but personally I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when people take the hardware and embed it into robot projects: there the ability to teach it custom phrases will really come into its own."

The latest issue of The MagPi will be on sale at its usual cover price of 5.99. The MagPi has confirmed that it hopes to release the included Voice HAT kit separately at a later date, but pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed.

The MagPi's Raspberry Pi Zero launch issue was a notable sellout, with determined tech-heads (IT Pro among them) scouring newsagents in the vain hope of finding a copy. The MagPi told IT Pro that it is increasing its print run with each issue and hopes to avoid a similar situation, but noted that this issue is expected to be popular.

Russell Barnes, head of publishing at Raspberry Pi, said: "AIY Projects represents a hugely exciting move from Google into the world of digital making, and we're over the moon to offer this revolutionary kit free with the print edition of the official Raspberry Pi magazine.

"Google's Voice HAT brings with it a whole new world of possibilities for digital makers. The ability to easily integrate natural voice interaction into your Raspberry Pi projects is going to have a huge impact and we can't wait to see what our readers do with their AIY Projects kits."

Image: Raspberry Pi Foundation

Walking into the Raspberry Pi Foundation's offices, you wouldn't think it housed one of the most influential tech companies of the last decade. The organisation's headquarters are situated on one floor of a small building in Cambridge that resembles a 1970s university library more than anything else and is flanked by impressive, modern buildings owned by Microsoft, Deloitte and KPMG.

Don't be fooled, though; the company behind the 30 microcomputer has gone from strength to strength. It recently celebrated three milestones, hitting its 5th birthday, its eighth product launch and its 12 millionth unit sold virtually all at once.

One of the driving forces behind this success has been Eben Upton, the founder and mastermind behind the Raspberry Pi. With stints at Broadcom, Intel and IBM - not to mention a three-year tenure as Cambridge University's director of studies for computer science - Upton has an impressive technical pedigree behind him.

Talking to him, it's immediately clear that the Raspberry Pi is the definition of a passion project. He lights up when talking about engineering problems and has boundless enthusiasm for all things technical. Habitually dressed in jeans and rolled up shirtsleeves, Upton's demeanour is a cross between a well-liked sixth form teacher and a starry-eyed Silicon valley programmer.

One gets the impression that this isn't the carefully-crafted look of artificial nonchalance commonly worn by tech CEOs but a genuine result of Upton getting his hands dirty with the day-to-day grunt work of engineering alongside the rest of his staff. He dismissed the idea of working on shiny new technologies like AI, saying (with obvious relish) "the stuff we're good at tends to be grungy, low-level systems programming".

It's this passion that has driven the Raspberry Pi Foundation since the beginning. Founded as a way to get more kids into computing at an earlier age, the Foundation has always been motivated by its values rather than its bottom line. Nowhere is this more evident than with the Raspberry Pi Zero - a fully-functional computer that Upton sold for a mind-boggling $5. Roughly the size of a packet of chewing gum, the Zero is Upton's favourite product - a fact that is given away by the beaming grin that breaks out across his face when we bring it up.

"I made a million computers," Upton points out, "and I turned over five million dollars." For any other tech company, selling a product that cheaply would be lunacy, but the fact that the very concept of it's howlingly insane is part of the reason Upton is so fond of the Zero. "I love that we were able to do it," he says; "I love that it worked."

In many ways, the Raspberry Pi Zero is emblematic of the company as a whole. The first Pi models were a runaway hit, but rather than resting on their laurels, Upton and his team went out and built the world's smallest commercial PC - for fun. "It was just wonderful to be able to take a business that was going well and still be aggressive enough to say 'what happens if we just tear it up and do something else?'"

With all this hardware innovation going on, though, it's easy to forget that devices like the Zero are effectively a side project for the Raspberry Pi Foundation. "You've got to remember that actually, in the end, we're a charity," Upton says. The foundation was set up with the aim of getting kids into computing, but its efforts don't stop at making cheaply available hardware for them to practise on.

Outside of the hardware business, the foundation puts most of its focus on grassroots education projects like Code Club. Following its acquisition in 2015, Raspberry Pi owns and operates Code Club as a subsidiary, which sets up volunteer-staffed after-school clubs that teach kids about programming, computing and other digital skills. "Code Club is amazing," he says. "What never fails to astound me is the number of kids - there's over 5,000 Code Clubs in the UK, we've reached about 75,000 kids."

"We've got to the point where more than half of the schools in that age groups have code clubs," Upton says. "It changes what the question is. The question isn't 'what's a Code Club', the question for a parent is 'why doesn't my school have a Code Club? Because my friend's child's school has a Code Club'."

Not only has Code Club proved to be a huge success over here, it's also expanded internationally. There are hundreds of franchised Code Clubs in countries including Australia, South Korea and Brazil, all of which are working within their communities to get kids working with computers at an earlier age.

Upton's goal with Code Club, he says, is "finishing off the UK". While he acknowledged the changing nature of tech means the job's never 'done', his aim is to reach the point where there's a Code Club in every school. This, along with the foundation's other efforts like its Picademy teacher training programme, is geared towards combatting the tech industry's burgeoning skills shortage.

In particular, Upton is aiming to bring more girls into the tech workforce, which continues to struggle with a serious gender imbalance. "It's the single thing you can change," he says. "Participation rates among women are so low that if you got them up to the same level as they are already among men, then you would effectively double your workforce. If there's one bit of low-hanging fruit, that's the one."

He's aiming to fix this problem through getting them invested at earlier ages. It appears to be going well; roughly 40% of Code Club attendees are girls, a proportion that far outstrips most tech firms. "The reason it's nice that we're doing this intervention around Code Club at nine to 11 is that is a window where if you can get a girl to the end of [it] and she's still excited about [tech], there's every chance that she'll continue to be excited about it all the way through her career."

The progress of the five-year old foundation is impressive but for Upton, the important thing is that it's built to last. The way the foundation's governed has been recently revamped in order to make it self-sustaining. Under the new organisation, the foundation maintains a broad pool of expert members, who are elected by their fellow members to join the board of trustees. The first trustee to be elected under this new system is Dr. Tilly Blyth, head of collections and principal curator at the Science Museum in London.

"That gives us some confidence that we're in this for the long run," he says. "We're trying to build an organisation that's going to outlive me; if this organisation dies before I do, I will be very unhappy. You don't want to be predeceased by your children and you don't want to be predeceased by your charitable foundations."

So is all this effort paying off? Well, early signs would suggest that it is. The dip in university admissions for computing courses - the problem the foundation was originally created to solve - has reversed. In fact, since its creation in 2012, applications to Cambridge's computer science course have doubled.

Upton's witnessed the impact of his efforts first-hand. "When I used to interview people, it used to take me an afternoon to interview my people for my college. I bumped into my successor in a bar after interviews last year, and it was the end of the week, and he was leaning on the bar; he'd had 42 applicants. I used to have six. He was leaning on the bar with a pint of beer, completely ashen-faced," he laughs, "so I've ruined his life!"

Eben Upton exudes passion. From corporate governance to product design to outreach initiatives, it's clear there isn't a single element of the Raspberry Pi Foundation's work which doesn't utterly captivate him. The company he created is thriving and he appears to be accomplishing that most elusive of Silicon Valley goals: making the world a better place.

So what's next for the baker of the Raspberry Pi? Founding another startup? Political ambitions, perhaps? According to Upton, working at Raspberry Pi is just too much fun to pass up. "What's not to like: surround yourself with a staff of easy-going geniuses and build great toys all day long! So I'm still here, and while it's still fun, I'll be here."

Technical limitations are the greatest challenge to developing future devices like theRaspberry Pi 4, Pi creator Eben Upton told IT Pro in an interview yesterday.

But while the foundation will not move away from hardware, the Raspberry Pi creator told IT Pro that physical limitations will make it difficult to continue the same pace of development on the next generation of devices.

"We're kind of at the end of the road for 40 nanometer," he said. "There's not much more you can do in that process, because ultimately you're limited by thermals. In the end, you can add as much silicon area as you want, because if you can't afford to toggle the transistors in the silicon because the thing will cook, then you can't get any faster."

According to Upton, the projected lifecycle of the Raspberry Pi 3 is around three years, meaning that there is likely to be at least two more years until the foundation releases a new iteration of its single-board computer. "It's a long road to get to Pi 4," Upton said, "but we'll get there eventually."

In the meantime, the Raspberry Pi Foundation will spend more time focusing on its charitable endeavours and community projects, which include supporting out-of-school computing education via its 5,000 Code Clubsand launching a teacher training magazine calledHello World. It will also focus on its Pixel operating system that was launched late last year.

The foundationcelebrated the mini computer's fifth birthday last week, having sold a staggering 12 million of the devices."It's good to have got to that number and to have got to that number so quickly, and the curve has been steepening up this past year," Upton said.

Five years on from the Pi's debut, Upton's enthusiasm for the foundation's products has continued unabated, stoked particularly by the Raspberry Pi Zero, which wasupdated for the fifth anniversary to include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth."I want to do more Zero," he enthused. "I'd love to do more tinkering."

Picture: Eben Upton, credit: Adam Shepherd/IT Pro

Teachers need more computing help in classrooms - and once again, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is to the rescue.

The maker of the cheap and cheerful eponymous computing board has helped to boost programming and computer science education by supplying the Raspberry Pi to students as well as via its 5,000 Code Clubs, which offer out-of-school help to interested students.

Now, the organisation shifting its focus to teachers, but rather than offer them their own version of the Pi, the computing foundation is hoping to spread best practices and help boost teachers' tech skills with a magazine, charmingly called Hello World.

The magazine is written by educators, and designed to help those with no tech experience gain the skills and confidence to use computers and technology in their classrooms. Hello World is available as a free download, or UK-based teachers can subscribe for 15 - but for the first year, BT has coughed up to cover the cost.

Philip Colligan, CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, told attendees of Bett 2017 that the magazine would feature a wide range of computing science resources, not just material about using the Raspberry Pi.

Offering such help to teachers is important to further computer science education in the UK and boost its quality, according to Miles Berry, lecturer in computing education at the University of Roehampton.

Berry lamented that many schools don't offer computing science, which British schools added instead of ICT courses two years ago, saying there's a "postcode lottery" in computing education.

"Even within schools offering the exam, it's a mixed picture," he added, pointing out that the courses are much more likely to be taken up by male students and those from affluent backgrounds.

"I don't think that's right, I don't think that's fair," he told attendees. "My vision is every secondary school in the country offering that qualification so any child at any secondary school has that opportunity."

For that to work, "we need a great computing science teacher in each school," he said, noting there's more to teaching the subject than tech knowledge, but also access to relevant technology and solid pedagogical skills.

"This [the magazine] is an introductory thing, this is accessible for all educators; it isn't just for the geeky elite or those with a degree in computer science," Berry said. "It's by educators for educators."

You can download a copy of Hello World, or subscribe, here.

RS Components and Allied Electronics have announced the release of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, a chip specifically designed for industrial applications.

Although it features the same components as the full-scale Raspberry Pi 3 microcomputer, including a four-core, 64-bit Broadcom BCM2837 processor and 1GB of RAM, it's less than half the size of the consumer model and doesn't include the Ethernet, USB, SD Card and display sockets or feature Wi-Fi.

Companies wanting to add on the extra ports can do so using an edge connector that slots into a SODIMM socket, enabling developers to pick and choose which ports they want to include and which they don't.

This more modular design makes the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 more flexible for product designers, making it useful for more simple applications when extras aren't necessary.

"With a modular design you can isolate a lot of the high technology PCB design into a relatively small area," said Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3's creator Eben Upton. "We've seen some nice designs for it. Probably the ones we are most excited about are NEC's large-format displays, which have the option to put a Compute Module inside to add intelligence to what was previously a passive display."

To keep the module as open as possible, it will come without an operating system installed, allowing businesses to install their own preferred interface. However, RS Components said it can pre-program it if the company wishes, as long as the order is big enough to warrant the special request.

Companies will also need to buy up their own circuit board with a SODIMM socket to use Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, but the Raspberry Pi Foundation will offer its own Compute Module IO Board to ensure those developing their own products can start creating from the off.

The chip will be available exclusively from RS Components and Allied Electronics for between $25 and $30 (20 and 25) depending on whether companies wish to buy it with integrated flash memory.

Despite complicated passwords and other security measures, PCs can still be vulnerable to hacking, even from a small device that costs under 5.

The so-called PoisonTap, developed by privacy and security researcher Samy Kamkar, is made out of a Rasperry Pi Zero microcomputer, which costs 4, and a common USB cable. When plugged into a computer, it can steal login details to websites in less than a minute.

The device hijacks the computer's internet traffic by giving it an IP address, easily stealing the users' login details for websites like Facebook or Gmail.

It prompts the computer to send requests from the web browser to websites to steel its cookies, which often contain login details of the person or people who generally use the browser.

These details are then sent to the hacker through the PoisonTap, allowing them to access users' personal accounts.

After it has been unplugged, the PoisonTap still maintains backdoor and remote access to the computer.

It works on locked computers as well, if the user happens to have left web browsers open. This can be detrimental in work places, where employees might have left their computer unattended to participate in a meeting or take a break.

The device is ideal for such circumstances, as it needs under a minute to work (usually around 30 seconds), and can carry out the whole process without unlocking the PC.

Security analyst Graham Cluley told IT Pro: "I'm not sure this is a huge threat to the typical computer user, but that if an attacker gets physical access to your turned-on PC then we often find that all bets are off."

In a post presenting the device, its creator, Kamkar, said: "Closing your browser every time you walk away from your machine can work, but is entirely impractical."

Instead, he suggests using HTTPS exclusively, at least for authentication and authenticated content, as well as ensuring the Secure flag is enabled on cookies, and using HSTS to prevent HTTPS downgrade attacks.

Finally, he also provides some Desktop Security advice, such as adding cement to USB and Thunderbolt ports or disabling them entirely.

The Raspberry Pi has sparked a genuine computing revolution. The tiny micro-computer has taken the world by storm, with a massive hobbyist fanbase and increasing business adoption.

We've rounded up everything you need to know about the little PC that could, including its history, price, model versions and more.

Raspberry Pi: latest news

28/09/2016: The latest version of Raspberry Pi's Raspbian operating system lets you remotely manage your Raspberry Pi project from a tablet or computer.

The September release of Raspbian includes RealVNC's remote access software after the Cambridge-based company became the Raspberry Pi Foundation's official partner for the technology.

Provided free of charge for educational and non-commercial purposes, RealVNC'sVNC Viewer and VNC Server software will come pre-installed with the Raspbian OS, the Debian distro custom-developed to run Raspberry Pis.

"I am really pleased to be including the RealVNC software in our September 2016 release of Raspbian," said Raspberry Pi co-creator Eben Upton. "The RealVNC team have a great reputation for quality, high-performance software and excellent platform support, making it the perfect solution for the Raspberry Pi community."

"They have a long history of supporting our educational events and activities," he said. "This new agreement is the next logical step in our active partnership."

"We share our Cambridge academic roots with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and also have a mutual vision and commitment to educating the next generation of engineers," explained RealVNC COO Adam Greenwood Byrne.

"We see this announcement as just the next chapter in our partnership, and we look forward to exploring new educational and commercial opportunities in the future."

09/09/2016:Raspberry Pi has now sold 10 million microcomputers, founder Eben Upton confirmed yesterday.

The best-selling budget mini-computer managed to ship that number in just four-and-a-half years, Upton said, writing on The Raspberry Pi Foundation's blog.

Upton started producing the devices in 2012 in order to pique interest in computer science, offering children a similar device to the Sinclair Spectrum and BBC Micros that started a wave of interest in coding in the 1980s.

"At the time, we thought our lifetime volumes might amount to ten thousand units if we were lucky," Upton wrote. "There was was no expectation that adults would use Raspberry Pi, no expectation of commercial success, and certainly no expectation that four years later we would be manufacturing tens of thousands of units a day in the UK, and exporting Raspberry Pi all over the world."

The milestone makes the Raspberry Pi the UK's bestselling computer, after hitting the eight million mark in February this year.

Now the Pi is on its third version, Pi 3 Model B, and Upton told Wired he does not expect to release a new one for at least three years, though a software update will arrive before the end of September.

People around the world have embraced the Pi to power everything from a Tor router to a cat feeder.

Some of the most notable projects include British astronaut Tim Peake taking two Pis to the International Space Station, where they ran applications coded by UK classroom pupils.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has released a new starter kit to commemorate the 10 million devices sold.

04/08/2016: Israeli tech company SolidRun has developed a $70 (55) networking kit inspired by Raspberry Pi to helpdevelopers create their own hardware that can be used to create their own telecom-grade routers.

Built upon a Marvell Armada 38x SoC processor, The ClearFog Base kit runs on the open source OpenWrt software and can help technology enthusiasts build routers providing a connection reaching up to a Gigabit. The micro computers will also offer embedded storage, just like a Raspberry Pi.

"We developed our ClearFog single board computer to take full advantage of the power offered by Marvell's Armada 38x SoC and to give users a head start in engineering new products based on this powerful new platform," SolidRun's co-founder and technology leader Kossay Omary explained.

"Our new ClearFog Base open development system is an ideal solution for those looking for a powerful SBC in a compact form factor, with a plethora of I/O options to serve a wide array of potential applications."

Home developers can use SolidRun's ClearFog Base to create their own products that can present a wide range of network standards, such as LAN, Wi-Fi, LTE, Fiber, and DSL.

Additionally, add-ons can be plugged into bolt on IoT networking standards including ZigBee, Sub GHz and Bluetooth, to hook the device up with peripheries.

28/07/2016: The Raspberry Pi is set to be used as the brain of an autonomous racing car.

The idea comes from Piborg, which makes robotic kits for the tiny computer. It has built a track at its UK headquarters and plans a racing series called Formula Pi using the self-driving vehicles. PiBorg has set up a Kickstarter campaign with a modest 2500 goal.

Formula Pi gives developers a chance to hack about with autonomous driving code that they can download from the Formula Pi site. The code can be modified and then cars can race other Raspberry Pi-based cars on a special track.

Entrants can sign up for the race for 35 and receive a customisable lid that holds the Raspberry Pi computer on a racing car. The aim of the contest is to go as fast as possible around the track while avoiding other cars. The track features laser controlled finishing line and the car will run on Zeroborg motor platform.

28/06/2016:Raspberry Fi foundation's founder, Eben Upton, has told Wired that rumours of Android support for the microcomputer are "promising".

Android support for Raspberry Pi has been rumoured after Google opened a new tree for the microcomputer in its Android Open Source Project repository in April.

He said this month, upon being made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday List: "It's a promising sign and a nice compliment to the open source community."

But he added that the foundation has not had time to work on developing support because it is focusing on building as many devices as possible, though many open source Android users would be keen to make use of the operating system on a Raspberry Pi.

27/06/2016:Kodi has revealed a Raspberry Pi case, it's first hardware release, to turn the Raspberry Pi into a budget media centre, reports The Verge.

Created in partnership with Flirc, the aluminium case has been designed to look attractive plus act as a heat sink to keep the Pi cool inside. It is currently available as a limited edition, but high demand could convince Kodi to make more.

A percentage of the profits will be donated to cancer research.

16/05/2016:The 4 Raspberry Pi Zero has received a boost in functionality, with the announcement of a new onboard camera connector.

The FPC connector is the same part that graces the foundation's compute module, used in development and industrial environments.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation's engineers were able to fit the component onto the minuscule board's right-hand side by reshuffling the existing elements, without increasing the original unit's size.

The announcement follows the launch of two Sony-made 8 megapixel imaging modules last month, which allow users to capture fixed-focus images at a 3280 x 2464 resolution.

The new feature was added during the production hiatus directly following the Zero's launch, founder Eben Upton explained, after the foundation's entire stock ran out in a matter of hours.

The foundation has apparently learnt its lesson from the original Zero's launch, and there will be 30,000 of the newly updated models available today.

Upton also assured that the foundation will "be making thousands more each day until demand is met".

07/04/2016: Ubuntu Mate for the Raspberry Pi now features support for the Raspberry Pi 3's new built-in WiFi and Bluetooth chips.

The open-source operating system, a specialised variant of one of the most popular Linux builds, has now been updated to the second Beta version of build 16.04.

The OS now has a new welcome screen, and several features unique to the Raspberry Pi. It also features support for hardware-accelerated OpenGL, a display rendering technology that allows for far more sophisticated graphics processing.

Martin Wimpress, leader of the volunteer team responsible for overseeing the project, made a point of specifically thanking Pi Podcast presenters Joe Ressington, Winkle ink and Isaac Carter for testing the build.

According to Wimpress, the three gave "valuable feedback", saying that "thanks to them this Beta is in pretty decent shape".

The Beta is available to download now for the Raspberry Pi 2 and Raspberry Pi 3.

Raspberry Pi: what is it?

Let's start from the top; for those not already familiar with it, the Raspberry Pi is a super-cheap single-board computer designed to get kids into programming.

Devised by Eben Upton and a group of computer scientists at Cambridge University, the Raspberry Pi was intended to give children and teenagers a simple way to get into coding and physical computing, without the financial risk of turning them loose on expensive family PCs.

The Pi was a huge hit with children and adults alike and has jumpstarted a cottage industry of hobbyists, who have put the micro-computer to some incredible uses.

Raspberry Pi: what can it do?

The Raspberry Pi has a whole host of different applications, including as a mini-PC. It's not hugely powerful, but it's capable of doing basic word processing and office tasks, and also works well for simple internet browsing, although HTML-intensive pages might slow it down.

It's also been used extensively for retro gaming and emulation - it's just about powerful enough to run classic NES and SNES games, and the newly-announced OpenGL support means it could potentially handle from as recent as the early 2000s.

IoT projects are popular amongst the Pi's vibrant modding community, and users have turned their Pis into weather monitoring stations, home automation controllers, smart mirrors and more.

The Raspberry Pi is also perfect for use as a thin client for businesses with remote access needs. There's software to support Microsoft Remote Desktop, VMWare, X3270 and Citrix.

Take a look at our list of the best Raspberry Pi projects to see some of the most inventive creations from around the internet. The Raspberry Pi Foundation's website also has a list of education resources for teachers who want to use the Pi, which can be found here.

Raspberry Pi: models

The Raspberry Pi comes in a number of flavours if you'll pardon the pun. In total, there have been seven variants released, with certain models being phased out as they get replaced by newer and more capable ones.

The original Raspberry Pi (or the Pi 1) was released in two versions; A and B. Model A was cheaper, but less powerful, with 256MB of RAM as opposed to the B's 512MB. The B hadtwo USB ports while the A had one, and it was also the only one with a wired Ethernet connection for internet access.

These were replaced by the A+ and B+ models in 2014, which were cheaper and more refined versions, intended to bridge the gap between the Raspberry Pi 1 and Raspberry Pi 2.

Raspberry Pi 2

Confusingly, although the Pi 2 was released as the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, there was no Pi 2 Model A. Compared to the original Model B, however, it was a substantial upgrade, boosting the CPU speed and RAM size to 900MHz and 1GB respectively. It also doubled the number of USB ports.

In November 2015, the Pi family was joined by the Raspberry Pi Zero. Not only was it roughly the size of a pack of chewing gum, it still managed to pack in a 1GHz processor and 512MB of memory. Best of all, though, the Pi Zero costs a mere 4.

It was so small and inexpensive, in fact, that the official Raspberry Pi magazine gave them away on the cover of its magazine. Both the Pi Zero and the magazine completely sold out within a matter of hours, however, and supply still remains scarce.

The latest Raspberry Pi to be unveiled is the Raspberry Pi 3.

The Pi 3 is more sophisticated than ever - along with a 1.2GHz 64-bit CPU, it's also got Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity built in. This added functionality is something that users have been crying out for, and its addition makes the Pi 3 even more useful than its predecessors.

Raspberry Pi: price

One of the defining features of the Raspberry Pi is how cheap it is - at around 30 for the Raspberry Pi 3, it's one of the cheapest computers around.

If you don't need quite as much processing power, the Model A+ is available for under 20 and still offers a full Raspberry Pi experience.

For the truly cash-strapped, the sub-5 Raspberry Pi Zero is an absolute bargain. Unfortunately, they're so popular that you might find yourself struggling to get hold of one.

Raspberry Pi: setup guide

The Raspberry Pi may look confusing to set up, but it's actually fairly simple. The hardest part is loading the operating system onto the device. The Pi doesn't have anyinbuilt storage, using a MicroSD card as a hard drive instead.

You can buy pre-prepared MicroSD cards from various Raspberry Pi stockists, with all the necessary software loaded and ready to go. If you want to use your own MicroSD card, however, you'll need to format it first, which can be done using inbuilt tools on both Windows and OSX.

Once you've got a formatted MicroSD Card, you'll need to prepare an operating system to load onto it. Due to the Pi's low-powered nature, it needs specially-adapted software based on popular Linux distros.

Raspberry Pi Model A

From the Raspberry Pi website, users can download the New Out Of the Box Software installer (NOOBS). Alongside an installation wizard and versions of operating systems like Ubuntu and OpenELEC, this package also contains a specially created version of Debian, called Raspbian.

Download NOOBS, extract the package's contents to your computer, and transfer them to your formatted MicroSD card. Once that's done, slot the card into your Pi, plug in a monitor, keyboard and mouse, connect the power and power it on.

Once it's turned on, the Pi will automatically present you with a list of distros to choose from. Select one, and wait for it to install. Raspbian is recommended, as it's the one the Pi is designed to work with best.

The Pi will boot into the command line by default, but if you'd rather it boot to a more traditional desktop environment, this is easily fixed. After installation, a dialogue box will pop up. From here, you can change whether your Pi boots into the command line or desktop.

Once that's done, you'll be all set to start using your Raspberry Pi for whatever projects you like.

When the Raspberry Pi Foundation first launched its first single-board computer in 2012, the tech community was struck with confusion, intrigued by the organisation’s apparent capacity to achieve the impossible. Since then the organisation founded by Ebon Upton has gone from strength to strength, growing its own community and expanding its product line.

First launched in 2016, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a clear upgrade on its predecessor, the Raspberry Pi 2, with the organisation packing key hardware upgrades into the micro-computer. This iteration benefits from a 64-bit quad-core ARMv8 processor, with its four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.3Ghz.

This is alongside integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 functionality with Bluetooth Low Energy support. These connectivity features are among additions the community had requested for some time and means there's no longer any need to connect external adaptors. This frees up the Raspberry Pi 3 B’s USB ports for different peripherals.

Power efficiency's a big selling point, although this microcomputer consumes more than older editions, running off a 5v micro USB connection with a power draw of 2.5A. This meant that for those keen to keep power consumption as low as possible, they were advised instead to acquire Raspberry Pi Zero and Pi 1 A+ units.

While there were a handful of hardware improvements, its creators set out to design the Raspberry Pi 3 B to resemble previous editions as closely as possible. Beyond its aesthetic, this serves a functional purpose too, with continuity for previous cases and mountings. Any projects designed for previous iterations of the Raspberry Pi Model B would also work as normal if any hardware was to be replaced, given that its ports and connectors are also unchanged.

Like its predecessors, it has four USB2 ports, a full-sized HDMI port, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a combined 3.5mm audio/composite video out port and a MicroSD card slot. The Broadcom VideoCore IV graphics chipset from the Pi 2 also remains the same and the Pi 3 has 1GB of RAM.

The Pi 3 also has the usual 40-pin General Purpose Input/Output connector, which lets you use it to control a wealth of external devices and electronic components. There are also both camera and display connectors, which securely hook onto ribbon connectors from compatible devices.

As ever, the Pi 3's price is aggressively low, at 27 ex VAT and dropping even lower if you order in bulk.

Configuration

Like its predecessors, the Raspberry Pi 3 supports a wide range of operating systems, including the recommend Raspbian OS and the slick Ubuntu Mate desktop distribution. It also supports Windows 10 IOT, designed for those who want to create embedded devices running Windows, and a range of specialised variant operating systems, from development distros to media centres.

As the Pi 3 hardware is still very new, not all of the operating systems popularly used with Pis are fully optimised for it yet. For example, the Ubuntu Mate team is still working on Bluetooth support, while the stable version of Windows 10 IoT dates from last November and is only designed for Pi 2 hardware, rather than the new Pi 3. A preview build from February - 14262 - is available on the Windows Insider programme, however, and provides support for the Pi 3 for users developing with Microsoft's Visual Studio. Unfortunately, it didn't recognise the Pi 3's integrated wireless chipset during our tests.

While we prefer manually downloading and creating SD card images of the individual operating systems we need, the addition of an integrated Wi-Fi chipset instantly makes things a little quicker and easier when using the standard Raspberry Pi NOOBS OS installer. Plus, it spares you the need to either buy a USB wireless adapter or run extra network cables around the place.

We found that we had to do a bit of extra tweaking of the Pi's config.txt settings before audio over HDMI and full resolution video worked properly on our ageing 1080p test display. As always, compatibility and support for the Pi's auto-detection vary from display to display, and can also be affected by other hardware you may wish to use, such as AV receivers or KVM switches. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to set up the Pi 3 to always use your preferred display and audio settings.

Like its siblings, the Raspberry Pi 3 doesn't have a BIOS, but instead loads its system configuration information from /boot/config.txt, where you can not only set display properties, but also memory handling, enable camera support (assuming you have one connected to the Pi's camera port) and even overclock the CPU. Many of these features can also be configured from within Raspbian - but not other operating system distros - using the raspi-conf utility. These boot settings are also handy if you don't want to have to always turn on your display before the computer boots to ensure that it auto-detects the correct resolution.

Performance

The Pi 3's processor upgrade instantly puts it in a different class to any previous models in the range when it comes to performance. When we ran our usual Blowfish hashing benchmark under Raspbian, we got a score of 40.9, making its test performance around 25% faster than the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, which scored 62.19 in the same test, while the original Raspberry Pi B+ managed just 99.64 -- lower scores are better. As ever, bear in mind that single-board computers of this kind are far slower than typical modern desktop PCs, which will typically score well under 10 in the same hashing test.

That's an impressive upgrade but just as importantly, the quad-core 1.2Ghz ARMv8 processor means that that Pi 3 provides a much smoother desktop experience, even if you have multiple browser windows open. It's still not ideal for heavy-duty multitasking, but we were able to open multiple browser tabs, edit documents and play media without any significant lag or slow-down.

We saw the best results in Rasbian Wheezy, which performed smoothly running everything from slide presentations in LibreOffice Impress, streaming high definition video, and playing games such as Minecraft. Core tasks such as using software development tools and controlling external electronic devices via the GPIO pins remain as smooth ever, while the increased processor power means that you'll have less time to wait while your code compiles.

Ubuntu Mate, which is currently less perfectly optimised for the hardware than Raspbian, nonetheless put in a strong performance, with only multiple active Firefox tabs contributing much noticeable slowdown in performance when it came to standard desktop tasks. We slightly prefer its interface to Raspian's and, although Ubuntu is based on Debian, it's often more widely supported by developers and third-party publishers, giving you a slightly broader range of conveniently pre-packaged software to choose from and install.

Conclusions

The Raspberry Pi has always been a fascinating tool for learning more about how computers function, getting to grips with Linux and controlling hardware devices. For electronics projects, most embedded systems and learning the basics of programming, the Pi 3 doesn't have any particularly great advantages over the cheaper and more power-efficient models that already exist. The ultra-compact 5 Pi Zero is our pick for embedded projects unless you specifically need a feature such as the Pi 3's integrated Bluetooth adaptor.

However, the upgrade to its processor and the addition of integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth make this latest version of the Raspberry Pi far more useful when it comes to traditional computing tasks. Whether you want to use it for network monitoring, building a pocket computer that you can use on the road (assuming you don't mind travelling with a wireless keyboard/touchpad set and an HDMI cable), emulating old software or building a tiny secure Linux box, this is the most capable Pi yet.

Verdict

Older Pis are still better for embedded systems and others projects where the lowest possible power consumption is paramount, but for other uses, especially as a Windows desktop PC replacement, the Pi 3 is a cracking upgrade

CPU: 1.2Ghz Broadcom BCM2837 quad-core ARMv8 processor Memory: 1GB RAM Ports and connections: 10/100 Ethernet, combined 3.5mm audio/composite video out port, 4x USB2 ports, HDMI output, 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, Micro SD card slot, CSI camera port, DSI display port

The BBC micro:bit is a single-board computer designed to help schoolchildren engage with and learn about coding and software development. Unlike the Raspberry Pi and Imagination single-board systems, the micro:bit isn't a stand-alone computer, but rather a microcontroller with extra sensors and input/output connectors, designed to be programmed from another device a computer, tablet or smartphone.

With a built-in accelerometer, 25-LED display, Bluetooth Low Energy support and a few inputs and outputs, the micro:bit is first and foremost a tool that students can use to make their own embedded devices. While this means that it's inherently limited, it also means that the micro:bit's potential uses are more obvious than those of, for example, the Pi, which can leave novice users without a clear path when it comes to working out how to best use their new computer.

The micro:bit also comes with teachers' and parents' guides and project instructions in the form of both booklets and an accompanying website. These also include suggestions for the micro:bit's use in teaching Key Stage 3 Computing: years 7 through 9, for pupils between the ages of 11 and 14. However, the micro:bit is currently pitched as being for "young people's own independent use" and the teachers' information provides ideas, but no solid framework for integrating the device into the curriculum.

The micro:bit was developed in collaboration with a number of commercial, open source and academic partners, including Microsoft, Farnell element14, Samsung, Lancaster University and the Python Software Trust.

Hardware

The micro:bit has an ultra-low-power 32-bit ARM Cortex m0 processor - a microcontroller designed for embedded systems - and just 8MB of storage for the software it runs, so we're not talking about anything that can run a desktop operating system here. You write a program to control it, copy it over via USB, and the micro:bit proceeds to work as an entirely stand-alone device, hopefully doing whatever you programmed it to do.

As well as 25 LEDs in a 5x5 array that can be used as a simple display, the front of the micro:bit has a couple of buttons. At the bottom of the unit, input/output pins P0 through P2 allow you to use crocodile clips to connect external sensors and other devices. A 3V power output lets you directly power external hardware that needs it, while the board's very edge carries a further 20 pins. Some of these duplicate functions normally served by other components, such as the buttons, and you can use them as general purpose input/out (GPIO) connectors - most easily with a third-party edge connector.

The micro:bit has a built-in accelerometer, compass and Bluetooth antenna. You can power it either via either a supplied 2xAAA battery pack or a micro-USB port that doubles as its communications and programming port when writing software to the device. Finally, there's a hard reset button and a couple of tiny holes that you can use to mount, hang, or sew the little computer into whatever position you need.

Our micro:bit review kit came with a mono speaker, some crocodile clip leads, an audio cable designed to work with the micro:bit's I/O pins and a USB stick containing a number of pre-created programs for the device to go with the supplied Coding Tutorials book. Sadly, final kits for the general public will be far less generously supplied and will come with just a USB cable, the battery pack and the batteries themselves.

Teaching materials

While the BBC micro:bit is an interesting bit of hardware, the teaching materials that go with it are actually the most important bit of the package. Unfortunately, it's here that the micro:bit starts running into problems.

The review package we received included a book of coding tutorials, a quick-start guide for teachers including basic information about the hardware, more projects and a set of suggestions for integrating the micro:bit into the Key Stage 3 curriculum. There's also a website which provides quick access to projects, lesson plans and online editors you can use to write programs for the micro:bit.

Unfortunately, the website's graphics-heavy design makes it difficult to navigate and almost impossible to search. Lesson plans, in particular, feel a little under-developed, although there are some fun and creative projects to be found, with clear, step-by-step instructions for anyone to follow.

The supplied teachers' guide is text-heavy and contains erroneous instructions, such as directing users to the wrong menu to find the clear screen function in the Microsoft Block Editor. Most importantly, the supplied teaching materials don't cover the programming concepts and logic being used. For example, a number of lessons use loops, functions and if...else constructs. These are basic programming building blocks, but they're glossed over.

This is not only unhelpful to teachers, who may not themselves be fully familiar with the basic principles of programming, but is even more of a problem if the kit is to be used independently by pupils, as the accompanying guides suggest.

The absence of any grounding in core programming concepts is likely to make it harder to get young users interested in such a simple device when they'll have been using smartphones for years. The quality of content and background context in particular compares poorly to Usborne's classic (and now free) computer books introducing programming to young people, as well as modern online and printed educational guides.

The BBC's Are You Game set of online guided tutorials that take students through programming simple micro:bit games to be played on its little grid of LEDs. These tutorials are a move in the right direction when it comes to interest value, but again don't explain how and why the programs work the way they do.

However, we were pleased to find that third-party learning resources are already available online. It's this kind of community support that's made the Raspberry Pi and Arduino so popular among a wide range of users. If the trend continues then it'll bode well for the micro:bit's future, despite patchy official resources.

Using Micro:Bit

The micro:bit website provides four online development environments, which range from the click-and-drag interface of Microsoft Block Editor to hybrid environments such as Code Kingdoms JavaScript editor and Microsoft Touch Develop. There's also a highlighting text editor for writing MicroPython scripts, which includes built-in documentation and simple code snippets yet feels very similar to a standard desktop highlighting editor.

Using Microsoft Block Editor with the Micro:Bit

The micro:bit uses a microcontroller-oriented version of Python called MicroPython and there's a wealth of information available for the micro:bit specific incarnation. If you already have a Raspberry Pi, then the mu editor and a set of simple instructions are available to get you up and running with Python programming on a Linux computer with a kid-friendly interface.

Projects are available for all of the languages and editors, starting with Block Editor, the simplest, and moving up to MicroPython, which gives you the most versatile interface and the widest range of transferrable programming skills. There's also a micro:bit Android app, although the process of pairing it via Bluetooth is a little frustrating, thanks to some awkward button-pushing gymnastics, six-digit pairing codes and an infuriatingly short window in which to enter them in the app. Rather than having its own coding interface, the app sends you to the website where you can use editing tools you're already familiar with.

Using Microsoft Touch Develop with the Micro:Bit

The website serves as the compiler for your programs, spitting out .hex files that you can drag and drop over to your micro:bit when it's connected to your PC via USB. By default, the website uses cookies to identify and give you access to code you've previously written. This means you can only access scripts from the same device that you used to create them. However, you can also import scripts that you've previously downloaded. This means it's possible to store your programs offline, which we strongly recommend doing. Teachers can create a more permanent account that they can sign into in order to check and work with their students' code, but that's not an option available to students.

Conclusions

The micro:bit is an interesting piece of kit, largely thanks to its position as simple programmable microcontroller which makes it more comparable to an Arduino than a Raspberry Pi. In fact, it makes a great companion to the Pi.

However, the teaching and self-directed learning materials currently available for it aren't very well developed - a critical failing in technology education. If it's to succeed as an educational tool, or even as a useful microcontroller, the micro:bit needs accompanying tutorial materials that clearly explain the fundamentals of programming and logic and make the device fun to use in the process.

There's potential in the hardware, but how effective a tool it is for engaging young people with technology will ultimately come down to the quality of the manuals and materials released to support it.

Verdict

The BBC's new educational computer is really a programmable microcontroller, but it's held back by the quality of the projects and educational materials

Raspberry Pi, the microcomputer created to encourage children to learn how to code, is being brought into the enterprise as a thin client.

During his opening keynote at the company's annual Synergy conference in Las Vegas, Citrix's new CEO, Kirill Tatarinov, said: "We're introducing support for a very interesting and revolutionary new form factor, which is support for Raspberry Pi devices. A really thin client a client that can be procured for under $100 and we now have Citrix ADI technology running on a system on a chip environment. We can provide this new scenario and this is truly exciting."

In collaboration with another presenter, Tatarinov showed a live demo of a Raspberry Pi being used as a thin client running HDX on a chip offeringWindows 10 desktop with XenApp and XenMobile security.

At a press conference held following the keynote, IT Pro asked why Citrix had elected to introduce support for Raspberry Pi, when there are so many dedicated enterprise thin clients available.

"The way we look at things is not just around innovation, it's not just around partnerships, but it really is TCO/ROI," said Bill Burley, Citrix's corporate VP and GM of Workspace Services. "A big part of it is the endpoint, and so over the years if you analyse buying a PC and what that cost is, not just the upfront costs, but the ongoing management needs of that PC, then you start to realise that [they] consume a lot of capital expenditure that goes out in delivering virtualised environments."

Burley praised the original idea of encouraging children to code with the unit, but went on to say that its ability to run high-end graphics and video as needed by the enterprise at a very low cost made it attractive as a thin client for business as well.

Even if each Raspberry Pi is only used for a couple of years, Burley said, it would still be a fraction of the cost of purchasing, maintaining and replacing alternatives over the same period.

"PCs [are] on average $700-$750, thin clients are $400. Raspberry Pi is just $100," said Burley.

"So it's not just I can connect and get to Windows apps', it's I can connect and run all my high-end graphics, all my video' it changes the dynamic of how you consume technology when you can drop something below $100," he added.

An additional demonstration of Raspberry Pi running the Xen portfolio will take place during the second day keynote on Wednesday.

See also: Top Raspberry Pi projects to try yourself

The Micro Bit is a microcomputer, designed by the BBC and a selection of partners, and is part of the corporation's effort to inspire children to understand computer programming, and open their minds to the possibilities programming presents.

It was released on 22 March 2016, when the BBC began by giving away one million of the microcomputers to schoolchildren.

In this article, we'll provide a run down of the device's specifications, features and the latest news about it.

If you're interested in reading more about microcomputers and projects they can be used for, check out our article on the Raspberry Pi, and our20 top projects to try yourself.

Latest news

22/03/2016: The BBC has begun shipping one million Micro Bit computers to UK schools after repeated delays.

The microcomputer was due to roll out at the beginning of the current UK academic year in October 2015, but issues with the unit's power supply led the corporation to postpone its release. It was then delayed again in January for "fine-tuning".

The pocket-sized Micro Bit is a descendant of the BBC Micro, a low-cost computer that was rolled out across British schools in the 1980s, and played a role in turning a generation of schoolchildren into pioneering computer programmers.

The BBC is keen for the Micro Bit to help inspire today's youngsters, who are familiar with smartphones and social media, but not necessarily what makes them work, by presenting them with a powerful computer that will not do anything until they programme it to do so.

Though the microcomputer bears some similarity to the Raspberry Pi, which has seen great success as an appliance for hobbyists and tech enterprises, the BBC is pitching the Micro Bit as an entry-level tool for children with no coding experience at all.

Children will be able to do all sorts of things with the device, from programming its 25 LEDs to display simple patterns, to instructing robots to follow, to creating fitness trackers.

The BBC Micro Bits are being delivered nationwide to every year seven student in England and Wales, every year eight student in Northern Ireland and all S1 students in Scotland. They will also be made available to home-schooled students over the coming weeks.

Teachers are also being sent their own Micro Bits to help them get involved in teaching Micro Bit lessons to children during the school year.

The microcomputers will not be school property, but will be the students' own devices. The BBC said this will allow students to hold onto their device as they move up through their school, and to continue build on their ideas in school and outside of it.

"The BBC Micro Bit has seemingly limitless potential, especially when paired with other hardware, and we can't wait to see what students will do with it," said Sinead Rocks.

"They've already come up with all kinds of ideas during testing and at events around the country - some ideas help solve some of life's daily challenges, some could have business potential, and others are just great fun. Teachers have been quick to embrace it too, which is so important to the success of the project, and they have already made valuable additions to our online resources."

Tony Hall, director-general of the BBC, added: "The Micro Bit has the potential to be a seminal piece of British innovation, helping this generation to be the coders, programmers and digital pioneers of the future."

In the Micro Bit packs schoolchildren will receive will be a Micro Bit, a USB cable, and a battery holder.

Teachers will also receive a 32-page quick start guide, which contains some instructions for basic operations the Micro Bit's LEDs, buttons, and sensors can perform.

Student and teachers will primarily access tutorials and guidance on how to use their new Micro Bits from its official website.

The Micro Bit project has been made possible by a partnership between the BBC 31 other organisations, including ARM, element14, Lancaster University, Microsoft, Samsung, Technology Will Save Us and the Wellcome Trust.

21/01/2016: The BBC's microcomputer for schools has been delayed again.

The corporation had planned to distribute the Micro Bit to one million schoolchildren last October, but in September it pushed back the device's release until early 2016 due to issues with its power supply.

Yesterday, the BBC admitted it now expects to send units out to teachers shortly after the half-term holidays in February.

However, it did not confirm whether this delay would affect the number of units in its initial supplement.

"The main issue has been some fine-tuning," BBC Learning executive Cerys Griffiths told the BBC.

"We have created hardware, it's very complex, it's very sophisticated, it's very new.

"What we were really hoping for was that the teachers would get their devices before Christmas. But our commitment to teachers has always been that we would get them the devices first to give them time to play and get familiar with them."

While the BBC has been busy getting its microcomputer off the ground, the success story that inspired it, the Raspberry Pi, received its latest configuration late last year in the form of the 4 Raspberry Pi Zero.

18/09/2015:The release of the BBC's Micro Bit computer has been delayed, following issues with its power supply.

Although the problem only affected "a small number of devices", the launch has been pushed back to ensure that any issues can be ironed out.

"As a result of our rigorous testing process, we've decided to make some minor revisions to the device," the BBC said in a statement, adding that "getting it right for children and teachers before we manufacture one million units is our priority".

The microcomputers were initially scheduled to be rolled out in October, to let new year seven pupils acclimatise to secondary school.

However, the devices will now be sent out around the Christmas holidays, according to a BBC spokesman, who said that"we're expecting to start sending them out to teachers before Christmas and to children early in the New Year".

07/07/2015: The BBC has unveiled the final design of its education-focused microcomputer, the Micro Bit.

The single-board computer, which measures 4 x 5 cm, is part of the BBC's Make It Digital initiative, designed to encourage kids into coding.

As part of the initiative, up to one million devices will be provided - free of charge - to 11 and 12 year olds in Year Seven.

The project is inspired by the recent home coding and computing revolution set off by the Raspberry Pi, which was in turn inspired by the original BBC Micro computers of the 1980s.

However, rather than being a direct competitor, the Micro Bit is instead being billed as a companion device to existing machines like Raspberry Pi, Arduino and Galileo.

Whereas devices like the Raspberry Pi can function as fully-fledged desktop computers, the Micro is geared more directly to maker' projects.

It lacks the full-size USB ports or display outputs seen on competitors, but it does have an array of 25 red LED lights, two programmable buttons, onboard accelerometer and magnetometers, and Bluetooth for connecting to PCs and mobile devices.

It also has five Input/Output rings, which can transmit data and commands to other devices or sensors.

All of the Micro Bit's elements can be programmed via the Micro Bit website, available later in the summer. The code can then be saved and tested within the web app before being transferred to the device.

The Micro Bit, which will be available in a range of colours, also functions as a standalone device for kids looking to explore wearables and the IoT.

However, although initial prototypes featured slots for a small watch battery to power the device, the final version instead features a removable battery pack, which accepts AA cells.

The BBC said "The initial prototype utilised a smaller battery, however in reviewing the design and examining the health and safety implications of using small batteries for a young audience, where siblings may be able to access the device, the partnership took the decision to re-engineer this element."

The devices will be arriving in schools from late October, allowing children to settle in, and teachers to incorporate the devices into the curriculum.

In addition to this rollout, the BBC has said that the Micro Bit will go on sale to the general public, both in the UK and overseas, before the end of the year.

Sinead Rocks, head of BBC learning, has high hopes for the potential boom the Micro Bit could cause: "as the micro:bit is able to connect to everything from mobile phones to plant pots and Raspberry Pis, this could be for the internet-of-things what the BBC Micro was to the British gaming industry."

In addition to being funded by the BBC, the Micro Bit has external funding and assistance from almost 30 partner organisation. One of the biggest contributors is chip manufacturer ARM, who provided the mbed hardware and software dev kits.

ARM already has strong ties to the BBC, as the partnership between Acorn computers and the broadcasting organisation that created the initial BBC Micro also led to the creation of ARM.

CEO Simon Segars extolled the programme's virtues: "Technology is now as much a part of childhood as riding a bicycle or kicking a football but going from user to innovator is something we still need to encourage.

"The BBC and Acorn Computers, where ARM technology was first created, came together 35 years ago to develop the BBC Micro and that inspired the engineers now at the forefront of shaping our increasingly connected world.

"The new BBC micro:bit has even greater potential because it can inspire boys and girls toward a career in technology at a time of unprecedented demand for science and engineering skills across all areas of the global economy."

BBC Micro Bit specs and features

The BBC Micro Bit is a compact machine with colossal potential.

It measures just 40mm by 50mm slightly smaller than a credit card.

It is powered by a Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822 16MHz CPU with an ARM Cortex-M0 microcontroller, which includes 16KB RAM and 256KB flash memory.

The CPU is capable of 2.4GHz Bluetooth low energy wireless networking, while the ARM core has the capability to switch between 16 MHz or 32.768 kHz clock rates, according to pre-release tests.

Through Bluetooth low energy, a power-friendly version of Bluetooth wireless technology, the Micro Bit can be connected to the internet, as well as Bluetooth radio between the frequency range 2402MHz to 2480MHz.

There's a three-axis accelerometer (Freescale MMA8652) and a three-axis magnetometer (Freescale MAG3110), the latter acting as a compass.

Other input/outputs include 25 red LEDs arranged in a five by five grid, two programmable buttons, a MicroUSB connector, a battery connector, and 23-pin edge connector.

The Micro Bit can be powered directly from your computer via USB. When your computer is not to hand, it will need two AAA 1.5V batteries to operate.

BBC Micro Bit features

The Micro Bit's specs make it a powerful little machine, with all kinds of potential for its target age group of 11- to 12-year-olds to experiment with.

At present, the microcomputer can be programmed via four integrated development environments: CodeKingdoms Javascript, Microsoft Touch Develop IDE, Microsoft Blocks and MicroPython.

CodeKingdoms and Touch Develop offer children graphical drag-and-drop interfaces to build computer commands, which is where most beginners may choose to start. Blocks is a text-based language, which comes pre-installed with a library of Micro Bit commands. And Python is a robust editor used by professional software developers.

The primary portal for programming the Micro Bit is the official website, which is where students, teachers and hobbyists will find a selection of tutorials and additional information about the device.

The unit's 25 LED lights can be programmed to flash messages, scroll text or even display simple line animations.

Its two programmable buttons can be used to control audio and video playback, or play straightforward games.

Meanwhile, its built-in compass and accelerometer can detect which direction it is facing. This allows the Micro Bit to be used as the command and control unit for, say, a converted RC car or a robot.

Its input/output pins enable additional devices like sensors to detect heat or proximity, to be attached to the unit.

Finally, its low energy Bluetooth connection means it is capable of interacting with other devices and, of course, connecting to the internet.

There are many different things you can do with the BBC Micro Bit. We'll be following its development as well as projects created with it that you can try yourself in the weeks and months to come.

Eben Upton has started something of a revolution. The 37-year-old Cambridge graduate is the mastermind behind the Raspberry Pi, a $35 (27) micro-computer that has jump-started a cottage industry of hobbyists, makers and tinkerers. The Raspberry Pi has been in everything, from retro games consoles to weather balloons. They've even been into space!

We sat down with Eben Upton at the launch of the Raspberry Pi 3, to talk about the Pi's journey so far, and where he sees it going in the future.

Were you expecting the Raspberry Pi to become as popular as it has, not just with consumers, but also with businesses?

Absolutely not. We expected to sell a few thousand Raspberry Pis when we first started.Even when we were involved with RS, at first we were thinking about tens of thousands of units, probably lifetime, for the product.

So yeah, it's been a couple of orders of magnitude higher than what we'd ever imagined nearly three orders of magnitude above what we'd imagined.

The industrial side's interesting, because that's been kind of a slow burn, it's taken a while to evolve. But it's somewhere where I think the volume of units that we've got in the market now has led to it becoming quite polished as a platform, and I think that's probably what's drawing people in on the industrial side. It has a plausible feature-set, and a very, very stable software platform.

How much of the Raspberry Pi's sales does enterprise adoption make up?

I think it's moving towards a 50/50 split, more because the industrial side is growing than because the other side is shrinking. This year, I'm hoping we'll do maybe four million Raspberry Pis; I would expect that probably half of those might well be into industrial markets. You're talking about people buying a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand Raspberry Pis in a shot it doesn't take many of those. They stack up very quickly.

If there's a disappointment, it's that it's become such a standard component now, that people don't really talk about them. I bump into people who'll say oh yeah, we use Raspberry Pis in production for everything'. And that's the first I'll hear about it because no one puts out a press release when they use Raspberry Pi, any more than they put out a press release when they decide to use a PC.

Why did you opt for Linux over Windows?

We didn't have a lot of choice early on. There weren't a lot of options; it would have largely boiled down to the choice between a BSD family operating system or a Linux family operating system.

We were more familiar with the Linux kernel than we were with any of the BSD variants, that's what drew us to it. Subsequently, a bunch of BSD variants have appeared for Raspberry Pi, which is awesome.

We're still very keen on proving a desktop experience, and Windows 10 IoT is not a desktop system, it's a headed system, and it has a display, but it's not running a shell. Therefore, Linux was our best choice, even in this generation, for the default operating system.

Can you see future with a Windows-enabled Raspberry Pi?

That's a question for Microsoft really. I would welcome it, I would love to see it, and I think there are various challenges associated with actually making that happen, but yeah, it'd be lovely if it did happen.

I think that what we are likely to see is a thin client, because it's a halfway house, right? We've got some great work going with Citrix at the moment around virtual desktop infrastructure. Their client software runs extremely well on Raspberry Pi, they've done some work on it, some of their partners have done some work on it.

There's a company called ThinLinx, based out of Australia, who do a very nice packaged version of the Pi, with a pre-installed version of the Citrix client. So I think you may see that, where you have an X06 Blade somewhere in a datacenter running your operating system, and you're just a thin client for that. I actually think the Pi's pretty competitive in that space, I think the Pi's got some real advantages versus the incumbents, so it'd be nice to see.

How much of the team's work on the Raspberry Pi is driven by the community?

I think it's all driven by feedback from the community. Why have we got Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on there? There's an awful lot of people plugging Wi-Fi and Bluetooth dongles into Pis. That sends an incredibly strong signal to us from the community that that's something they want. Obviously, the extra processing power, well, everyone wants that.

And then, the 64-bit is I guess the closest we've come to a feature which is kind of a standalone. Like, nobody's really asking us for 64-bit, and with this release, we're not even majoring on the 64-bit. It's a thing that's nice to have there, and it's something that came along as part of a bundle with some things that we needed.

Do you think the current hobby computing boom is going to keep going, or fizzle out?

I hope it's going to continue to grow. I think that there's been a general renaissance - a sustainable renaissance - in the notion of making. And that can apply to woodwork and knitting as much as it applies to computing.

So I think that the zeitgeist is now very compatible with what we're trying to do. And of course, that could change, but I think this feels like it could be a permanent change in the way that we think about the level of affluence across our society. We have a lot of differences in levels of affluence, but across society, lots of people are at a level of affluence where they can indulge some of these interests. I'm hopeful.

There's been a recent retro computing boom, as evidenced by the reappearance of devices such as the ZX Spectrum and the BBC Micro. Do you feel that the Pi is responsible for this?

I wouldn't say responsible, but I think what we've done is we've demonstrated that this sort of thing is feasible, that if you have a small team of bright people, you can do surprising stuff.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a little Vega Plus! This whole retro thing, I like it, and it's interesting that kids actually quite like the retro thing.

We do a lot of work with the Computer History Museum in Cambridge and they get kids in, they put them in front of old machines they have a lab which is fifty per cent Raspberry Pis and fifty per cent BBC Micros. And the kids love them both. They really do.

Have you deliberately kept the Pi as cheap as possible?

Yes. Absolutely. There was a conversation with Eric Schmidt at the start of 2013, in which I discussed with him our plans; I said 'hey, we're about to make a $60 Raspberry Pi, it'll be really good'. And he said 'nah, that's a terrible idea'. That's why I make things cheap. It's what Google does; you can't compete with cheap.

And it's a great piece of advice, you know, it's one of those genuinely life-changing moments. You don't have a lot of 45-second conversations which genuinely change your outlook and open your eyes. You flip from one state of mind to the other.

I went 'hang on, no, that's completely correct, what am I doing?' I went back to the office and cancelled all of our high-cost future Pi programs immediately, then cracked on with the Raspberry Pi 2.

So we could have got to the Raspberry Pi 2 much earlier if we were prepared to sacrifice price. We took this long, fairly brutal road to Pi 2, specifically because we knew we had no flexibility.

Do you think more kids have been getting into computing because the Pi is so cheap?

Yeah, I think so. In particular, I think the most visible thing is people getting back into it as adults. People who had an interest as a child, maybe who are now parents, and they want to be able to pass that interest on to their children, and it's a much easier sell, precisely because it's that 'destructible computing'.

Are you pleased with how the newest version has been received?

We've enjoyed making Pi 3. I think Pi 3's been a real test for the engineering team, I think that it's proven that we have an engineering team that can do virtually anything.

We've had a great time making it. It's been challenging, but we had a great time making it, and I hope if people enjoy using it half as much as we've enjoyed making it, It's going to be a big success.

UPDATE: The Raspberry Pi 2 now includes support for the OpenGL graphics rendering API, thanks to an experimental driver.

The driver, included with the latest version of the Raspbian OS, has to be enabled via the command-line raspi-config menu.

OpenGL support now means that the Raspberry Pi has much more graphical horsepower, to the point where basic 3D gaming is possible.

The Raspberry Pi is already a great tool for retro gaming, thanks to projects like RetroPi, but OpenGL support means that it can now theoretically support classic first-person shooters like Deus Ex, Unreal Tournament and Quake 3.

The main snag for those looking to run games like these is that the Raspberry Pi still runs on an ARM Linux build, an operating system that few titles were released for. In terms of hardware power, the Raspberry Pi 2 already well exceeds the recommended specs for many games at the turn of the millennium.

However, with new tools at its disposal, it won't be long before the enterprising Raspberry Pi mod community figures out a way to get games like Half-Life running on the Raspberry Pi 2.

With the launch of the 4 Raspberry Pi Zero, Eben Upton's creation has cemented its reputation as the world's most popular single-board computer. For users that want the greatest performance in the smallest package, however, the Raspberry Pi 2 still rules the roost.

The Pi 2 is indistinguishable from older versions like the Model B+ at first glance, but boasts a quad-core processor using the newer ARMv7 micro-architecture and is now coupled with 1GB of RAM. It promises up to 6x boost in compute performance, depending on the workload.

Features that made the Pi so popular for education and experimentation including its low cost, low power draw, GPIO header, camera connector and open-source software stack all remain. And there's more to like besides...

Compatibility

The Foundation faced a tricky issue when planning a successor to the Pi. The original model, and every version leading up to the new Raspberry Pi 2, used the ARMv6 micro-architecture rather than the newer and more common ARMv7 variant. As a result, some operating systems - most notably Canonical's Ubuntu Linux - simply didn't support the Pi.

The BCM2836 chip in the new Raspberry Pi 2 uses the ARMv7 micro-architecture, bringing compatibility with a range of new operating systems.

The Foundation hasn't thrown its existing users to the wolves, however: the chip is backwards-compatible with software compiled for the older BCM2835. As a result, a Linux distribution like Raspbian - the officially-recommended operating system - merely needs a new ARMv7 kernel, stored on the boot partition as 'kernel7.img,' to run on the new Pi 2. With this kernel stored alongside the older ARMv6 kernel, the same micro-SD card can be placed into a Model B+, Model A+, or Raspberry Pi 2 and run without further modification.

With ARMv7 support comes the ability to run a wider range of operating systems, with Canonical first off the mark. A variant of its embedded-centric Ubuntu Snappy Core has already been released for the Raspberry Pi 2 as a free download.

Users can also download and run operating systems such as Pidora and RISC OS on the Raspberry Pi 2 and a couple of media centre-based OSs (OpenELEC and OSMC) will also suit those users looking to build an entertainment centre as a project.

The biggest surprise comes in the form of the promise from Microsoft that Windows 10, due to launch later this year, will be available for the Raspberry Pi 2. This marks the first time a modern Windows release has been supported on the platform. Better yet, the download will be made available free of charge for makers and tinkerers as part of Microsoft's new Windows on Devices programme. However, this will be a command line interface rather than a full-blown desktop environmnt.

Windows running on ARM won't support legacy applications compiled for desktop and laptop x86 processors, but its release at all indicates the threat Microsoft perceives from the growing use of the Raspberry Pi and Linux in education.

Performance

The Raspberry Pi B+ launch in 2014 was a disappointment, offering a new design but nothing in the way of performance improvements over its predecessor. The Raspberry Pi 2 offers massive performance users have been calling for. All that's changed from a design perspective is the package-on-package (PoP) layout of the original SoC-and-RAM, which sees the new BCM2836 located on the top of the board while the 1GB RAM module is slung underneath.

Running the SysBench CPU benchmark reveals the improvements wrought by Broadcom for the new BCM2836:

Those figures suggest a performance increase of 1.3x clock-for-clock, growing to 5.25x for parallelisable workloads.

Meanwhile, the 100MB file compression test shows the Pi 2 provides a near-7x increase in speed clock-for-clock.

The improved performance comes at a cost, of course: power draw. While idle power draw for the Model B+ and Raspberry Pi 2 is similar, the additional three processing cores draw considerably more power (0.16A). The new model's ability to complete jobs faster, however, should mean a lower overall power draw unless a project keeps it permanently at full load.

Not everything has been boosted, however. The 10/100 Ethernet interface remains a bottleneck for the Raspberry Pi 2, communicating with the SoC over a single USB channel. While the more powerful CPU may mean fewer issues when using the network alongside heavy compute load, it has made no difference to the overall network performance which remains static at a best-case 89Mb/s.

Overall

It's easy to pick holes in the Raspberry Pi 2, in particular its esoteric USB-connected 10/100 Ethernet controller and lack of high-speed mass-storage support in a market where its competitors boast gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 or SATA connectivity. But there's no doubt it represents a massive improvement on what has come before.

The new BCM2836 processor means that the Pi 2 can offer a user experience far closer to that of a traditional PC, which is great news for educational use where kids spend time at the desktop running Scratch, Minecraft and similar applications. For embedded developers, it makes the Pi 2 competitive with the rival devices that have been vying for the Raspberry Pi's market.

The biggest plus in the Raspberry Pi 2's sell-sheet, however, is pricing: despite the faster processor and wider software compatibility, the new model has launched at the same 30 price as the Model B+.

While the Foundation has declared that it intends to continue producing the older model, for end-users who have not yet committed to a Model B+ design the Raspberry Pi 2 can be considered its replacement. For those who can get away with the older, slower version, bargains will likely crop up as resellers discount their remaining stock and end-users take to the auction sites to fund an upgrade to the new edition.

With Microsoft pledging its surprising support for the Raspberry Pi 2, it seems likely that the Foundation is going to have yet another runaway success on its hands - and its competitors are likely to find themselves priced out of the market once again, at least for projects that don't require true USB ports or high-speed networking.

Verdict

The Pi gets beefed up hardware and the promise of a Windows 10 release later this year opens up a new world of possibilities for developers.

OS: Raspbian Linux (additional operating systems available, to include Windows 10)

Processor: 900MHz Broadcom BCM2836, four ARMv7 cores

Graphics: Dual-Core VideoCore IV

Memory: 1024MB DDR2

Storage: None on-board, requires optional micro-SD card to boot

Connectivity: SMSC LAN9514 USB hub and 10/100 Ethernet controller

Ports: 1x HDMI, 4x USB 2.0 with partial compatibility, 1x DSI, 1x CSI, 1x analogue AV (stereo audio and composite video), 40x GPIO, 1x Ethernet

Power Draw: ~1.5W idle, ~3.5W under load (measured from the wall)

Size: 82.5mm x 57.5mm x 19.8mm

Weight: 41g

The Respberry Pi Zero is a tiny single-board computer, about the size of a stick of laptop RAM at 65mm x 30mm x 5mm. It's as fully capable as its larger Raspberry Pi 1 siblings, but everything's been scaled down to the smallest possible size. Plus, the Pi Zero is cheap. When it's in stock, as it sells out quickly, it costs just 4.

The Zero uses a microSD card for storage and is equipped with a micro-HDMI port and two micro-USB ports, one of which is the Zero's power input and the other of which is an On-the-Go port.

Unlike the rest of the Raspberry Pi range, the Zero doesn't have a set of pins already in place for you to connect and control external devices. Instead, there's a set of 40-pin General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) pinout pads on which you can solder a variety of male and female headers, or directly solder connections to individual pads. There's also an unpopulated composite video-out header.

To connect the Zero to a keyboard and monitor, you'll need, at minimum, a micro-USB to USB-A female adaptor. Another 4 will get you a kit including the adaptors, plus a standard male pinout header. You'll also need a 8GB or larger microSD card to install an operating system, and we recommend using a powered USB hub so that you can connect, for example, both a wireless keyboard and mouse set and a USB Wi-Fi or Ethernet adaptor to your Pi. You can also power the Pi itself from your hub.

The Pi Zero has a slightly faster processor than the Pi 1 Model B+ - a Broadcom BCM2835 SoC with a 1GHz ARM11 core, compared to the 700MHz ARM11 core in the B+. Like current versions of the B+, the Zero has 512MB of memory which is shared with the GPU. It's also more power-efficient, rated at just 0.8W, compared to the B+'s 3W.

While no one buys a Raspberry Pi for sheer number crunching prowess, we ran a Blowfish hashing benchmark for reference purposes. The Zero scored 71.12: not quite as fast as the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, which got 62.19, but faster than the Pi 1 B+, which clocked in at 99.64. A lower score is better, as it indicates that the processor completed the task faster. It's also worth bearing in mind that the score produced by single-board computers of this kind are far slower than what you'll get from a typical modern desktop PC, which you can safely expect to score well under 10.

The main advantage of the Pi Zero is its tiny size, which makes it ideal for embedded projects and means that you can now fit a functional computer in your wallet (although this wouldn't be our recommended mode of transport). Its remarkably low price is also appealing, although its limited ports and processor power make it less suitable for some projects than the 30 Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

The Raspberry Pi Zero is much smaller than the already tiny Raspberry Pi 2, making it a tempting basis for numerous embedded projects

Getting Started

The recommended method of getting your Pi up and running is to copy the New Out Of the Box Software (NOOBS) installer to your SD card using any computer with an SD card reader, and then installing the Raspbian Linux operating system. The NOOBS installer used to include installation images for multiple operating systems, but now only includes Raspbian by default. If you want to use a different operating system, you can opt for a network install or a third-party image.

If you want hardware support for the MPEG-2 video codec, required if you want to connect your Pi to a disc drive and play DVDs, you'll have to spend 2.40 on a licence for it at swag.raspberrypi.org. The licences aren't supplied as standard in order to keep the cost of the Pi Zero down. To download them, you'll need your Zero's processor serial number, which you can find by using the cat /proc/cpuinfo command at the bash prompt.

Third party operating system images for the Zero currently include several Ubuntu variants and RISC OS. Additionally, many Linux distributions built for the Pi will work with the Zero, including the OPENELEC/Kodi media centre combo. Sadly for Microsoft fans, Windows 10 IoT Core, which is now available for embedded Windows projects on a Raspberry Pi 2, isn't currently available for the Pi 1 or Zero.

Verdict

While the Raspberry Pi range is primarily targeted at the educational sector and hobbyists, there are a number of business-friendly uses that this little 4 Linux PC can be turned to. Its small size and low power consumption make it ideal for feeding slides or other information screens to monitors in public areas of your office, acting as a server monitoring system running the NagiosPi distribution or even being pressed into use as a thin client, allowing staff to access virtual machines or a Citrix server.

There's even a version of the Asterisk VoIP server optimised for the Pi called RasPBX, and while the tiny computer lacks the power to run a large-scale IP telephony system, two or three phones in a home or small office should be within its capabilities.

At 4, it's hard to argue against buying a Pi Zero. Remember though, that on top of the computer's price, you'll need extra hardware, potentially including microSD cards, cables, input devices and monitors. The Pi Zero won't be useful to every business, but if you and your staff are technically inclined, and if your business is the kind of environment that encourages creative problem-solving from within, then the Zero is likely to be 4 very well spent.

Verdict

At £4 and with a lot of flexibility, there's no reason *not* to buy this single-board wonder

Processor: Broadcom BCM2835 with 1GHz ARM11 core

Memory: 512MB RAM

Slots and ports: microSD card slot; mini-HDMI output; micro-USB On the Go port