Unit-1: Introduction to Single board computer

Basics of Single board computer

A single-board computer (SBC) is a complete computer built on a single circuit board, with
microprocessor(s), memory, input/output (I/O) and other features required of a functional
computer. Single-board computers are commonly made as demonstration or development
systems, for educational systems, or for use as embedded computer controllers. Many types of
home computers or portable computers integrate all their functions onto a single printed circuit
board.

Unlike a desktop personal computer, single board computers often do not rely on expansion slots
for peripheral functions or expansion. Single board computers have been built using a wide range
of microprocessors. Simple designs, such as those built by computer hobbyists, often use static
RAM and low-cost 32- or 64-bit processors like ARM. Other types, such as blade servers, would
perform similar to a server computer, only in a more compact format.

Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi is the name of a series of single-board computers made by the Raspberry Pi
Foundation, a UK charity that aims to educate people in computing and create easier access to
computing education.

The Raspberry Pi launched in 2012, and there have been several iterations and variations
released since then. The original Pi had a single-core 700MHz CPU and just 256MB RAM, and
the latest model has a quad-core CPU clocking in at over 1.5GHz, and 4GB RAM. The price
point for Raspberry Pi has always been under $100 (usually around $35 USD), most notably the
Pi Zero, which costs just $5.

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All over the world, people use the Raspberry Pi to learn programming skills, build hardware
projects, do home automation, implement Kubernetes clusters and Edge computing, and even use
them in industrial applications.

The Raspberry Pi is a very cheap computer that runs Linux, but it also provides a set of GPIO
(general purpose input/output) pins, allowing you to control electronic components for physical
computing and explore the Internet of Things (IoT).

What Raspberry Pi models have been released?

There have been many generations of the Raspberry Pi line: from Pi 1 to 4, and even a Pi 400.
There has generally been a Model A and a Model B of most generations. Model A has been a
less expensive variant, and tends to have reduced RAM and fewer ports (such as USB and
Ethernet). The Pi Zero is a spinoff of the original (Pi 1) generation, made even smaller and
cheaper. Here's the lineup so far:
 Pi 1 Model B (2012)
 Pi 1 Model A (2013)
 Pi 1 Model B+ (2014)
 Pi 1 Model A+ (2014)
 Pi 2 Model B (2015)
 Pi Zero (2015)
 Pi 3 Model B (2016)
 Pi Zero W (2017)
 Pi 3 Model B+ (2018)
 Pi 3 Model A+ (2019)
 Pi 4 Model A (2019)
 Pi 4 Model B (2020)
 Pi 400 (2021)

What's the Raspberry Pi Foundation?

The Raspberry Pi Foundation works to put the power of computing and digital making into the
hands of people all over the world. It does this by providing low-cost, high-performance
computers that people use to learn, solve problems, and have fun. It provides outreach and

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education to help more people access computing and digital making—it develops free resources
to help people learn about computing and making things with computers and also trains
educators who can guide other people to learn.
Code Club and CoderDojo are part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, although these programs are
platform-independent (they're not tied to Raspberry Pi hardware). The Raspberry Pi Foundation
promotes these clubs and helps grow the network around the world in order to ensure every child
has access to learning about computing. Similarly, Raspberry Jams are Raspberry Pi-focused
events for people of all ages to come together to learn about Raspberry Pi and share ideas and
projects.

Is the Raspberry Pi open source?

The Raspberry Pi operates in the open source ecosystem: it runs Linux (a variety of
distributions), and its main supported operating system, Pi OS, is open source and runs a suite of
open source software. The Raspberry Pi Foundation contributes to the Linux kernel and various
other open source projects as well as releasing much of its own software as open source.
The Raspberry Pi's schematics are regularly released as documentation, but the board is not open
hardware.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation relies on income from the sale of Raspberry Pi units to do its
charitable work in the education sector.

What are the differences between the models?

Current versions of the Raspberry Pi are the Pi A+, Pi B+, Pi 2 B, Pi 3 B and Compute Module.

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Detailed specifications of Raspberry Pi 3B+
It is a small board computer, introduced by Raspberry Pi foundation in 14th March 2018
and is the most recent version of the Pi boards. It is a modified form of its predecessor Raspberry
Pi 3 B that was introduced in 2016 and came with CPU, GPU, USP ports and I/O pins. Both
versions are almost same in terms of functionality and technical specifications; however, there
are some exceptions in the B+ model as it comes with USB boot, network boot, and Power over
Ethernet(PoE) option that are not present in the B model. Technology has been evolved over
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 time with the purpose of making lives easy and convenient. This device was a major
development in the technology that made computer learning too easy that anyone with little
effort can make their feet wet with the process. In this tutorial, I'll discuss each and everything
related to Raspberry Pi 3 B+, its main functions and features, benefits and everything you need to
know, so you find all information in one place without wrestling your mind on the web surfing.
Let's dive right in.
Raspberry Pi 3 B+ was introduced by Raspberry Pi foundation on 14th March 2018. It is an
advanced version of Raspberry Pi 3 B model that was introduced in 2016.

 It is a tiny computer board that comes with CPU, GPU, USB ports, I/O pins, WiFi, Bluetooth,
USB and network boot and is capable of doing some functions like a regular computer.

 Features of the B+ version are almost same as B model; however, USB and Network Boot and
Power over Ethernet facility only come with B+ model. Also, two extra USB ports are added to
this device.

 The SoC (system on chip) combines both CPU and GPU on a single package and turns out to
be faster than Pi 2 and Pi 3 models.

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 Improvements
 The model B+ stays ahead in terms of processing speed and comes with an improved wireless
capability.

 The dual-band WiFi 802.11ac runs at 2.4GHz and 5GHz and provides a better range in wireless
challenging environments and Bluetooth 4.2 is available with BLE support.

 The top side is painted with metal shielding, instead of plastic in the earlier models, that acts as
a heat sink and drains the excessive amount of heat if the board is subjected to the high
temperature or pressure.

 This B+ model is three times faster than Pi 2 and 3 which is a major development in terms of
speed, capable of executing different functions at a decent pace.

 The Ethernet port comes with 300 Mbit/s which is much faster than earlier version with 100
Mbit/s speed. It is known as gigabit Ethernet based on USB 2.0 interface.

 Four pin header is added on the board that resides near 40 pin header. This allows the Power
over Ethernet (PoE) i.e. provides the necessary electrical current to the device using data cables
instead of power cords. It is very useful and reduces the number of cables required for the
installation of a device in the relevant project.

 PoE works only in the presence of PoE hat.

Following figure shows the pinout of Raspberry Pi 3 B+

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 40 Pin header is used to develop an external connection with the electronic device. This is the
same as the previous versions, making it compatible with all the devices where older versions
can be used.

 Out of 40 pins, 26 are used as a digital I/O pins and 9 of the remaining 14 pins are termed as
dedicated I/O pins which indicate they don't come with alternative function.

 Pin 3 and 5 comes with an onboard pull up resistor which 1.8 kO and Pin 27 and 28 are
dedicated to ID EEPROM. In B+ model the GPIO header is slightly repositioned to allow more
space for the additional mounting hole. The devices that are compatible with the B model may
work with the B+ version; however, they may not sit identically to the previous version.

Hardware Specifications
CPU: The CPU is a brain of this tiny computer that helps in carrying out a number of instruction
based on the mathematical and logical formulas. It comes with a capacity of 64 bit.
Although it‘s the same underlying design as its predecessor, the new Raspberry Pi 3B+‘s
BCM2837 system-on-chip (SoC) features improved packaging alongside a heat-spreader which
have helped boost its performance from 1.2GHz to 1.4GHz.

Clock Speed and RAM: It comes with a clock speed of 1.4 GHz Broadcom BCM2837B0 that
contains quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 and RAM memory is around 1GB (identical to the
previous version)
GPU: It stands for graphics processing unit, used for carrying out image calculation. Broadcom
video core cable is added in the device that is mainly used for playing video games.
USB Ports: Two more USB ports are introduced in this new version, setting you free from the
hassle of using an external USB hub when you aim to join a number of peripherals with the
device.

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 MicroUSB Power Source Connector: This connector is used for providing 5V power to the
board. It draws 170 to 200mA more power than B model.
HDMI and Composite Connection: Both audio output socket and video composite now reside
in a single 4-pole 3.5mm socket which resides near HDMI. And the power connector is also
repositioned in new B+ model and lives next to HDMI socket. All the power and audio video
composite socket are now placed on the one side of the PCB, giving it a clean and precise look.
USB Hard Drive: The USB hard drive is available on the board that is used to boot the device.
It is identical to the hard drive of regular computer where windows is used to boot the hard drive
of the computer.
PoE: B+ model comes with a facility of Power over Ethernet (PoE); a new feature added in this
device which allows the necessary electrical current using data cables.
Other Changes: The B+ version comes with little improvement in the features and poses
slightly different layout in terms of location of the components. The SD memory slot is replaced
by a micro SD memory card slot (works similar to the previous version). The status LEDs now
only contain red and green color and relocated to the opposite end of the PCB.

Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Technical Specifications

 CPU is 64 bit with 1GB RAM (random access memory)

 Contains Broadcom BCM2837B0 chipset

 Comes with 1.4GHz Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53, 4 cores

 Consists of 40 pin header (26 GPIOs)

 Stereo audio and composite video is supported by 3.5mm jack connector

 4 USB 2.0 ports

 Gigabit Ethernet

 PoE (Power over Ethernet) is a major feature incorporated in this device that lacks in B model

 2-pin reset header

 Micro SD socket, used to enhance the memory capacity of the board

 MicroUSB power connector, used for transferring power to the device

 HDMI

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 CSI camera interface

 Comes with WiFi and Bluetooth facility that were not present in previous Raspberry Pi 1 and 2
versions

 DSI connector for official screen

Compare Raspberry Pi 3B, Raspberry Pi 3B+ and Raspberry Pi 4.

Explain in detail the specifications of Raspberry Pi 3B+.
When different Raspberry Pi models have been released?

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