Here Is Why You Need Raspberry Pi
For years now, there has been a buzz around Raspberry Pi. Curious to see, you finally decided to purchase a Raspberry Pi. So, the question is: What can you do with it? Before we dig into that question, let us know what a Raspberry Pi is.
Raspberry Pi is a minuscule single-board computer that connects peripherals like a keyboard, mouse, and display to the Raspberry Pi while acting as a mini personal computer.
Raspberry Pi is popularly used for real-time Image/Video Processing, IoT-based applications, and Robotics applications. While slower than a laptop or desktop, Raspberry Pi is still a computer that can provide all expected features or abilities at low power consumption.
There is also Raspberry Pi Foundation which officially provides Debian-based Raspbian OS. It also provides NOOBS OS for Raspberry Pi. You can install several Third-Party versions of OS like Ubuntu, Archlinux, RISC OS, Windows 10 IoT Core, etc.
7 Reasons to Use Raspberry Pi
1. It’s a Tiny Computer
The Raspberry Pi board is as small as a credit card, making it ideal for embedding it on your robot. You don’t need to find additional space or add a 2kg payload; Raspberry Pi will just fit!
2. Costs less than 40$
Yes, you’ve heard that right: Raspberry Pi is affordable. Buying a board will make your robot cost less and provide great value and many new possibilities for an excellent price.
3. Small but powerful.
Don’t underrate what a Raspberry Pi can do despite its small size! It is as effective as a smartphone (not the latest ones). The latest Raspberry Pi 3 has a quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. With Raspberry Pi, you can install an entire operating system such as Raspbian, Ubuntu, or Windows IoT. Returning to robotics applications, you can benefit from many calculation tools. That is because robotics is a lot about mathematics. You can’t skip the math, whether you need to calculate the speed for your motors or inverse kinematics. In fact, if you use a computer like a Raspberry Pi, you can do all the heavy calculations. Many software is doing a good job, so you don’t need to program the math yourself.
4. Has 40 input/output.
A Raspberry Pi board is not just a computer; with 40 GPIO pins, you can easily connect to many sensors and actuators.
You can use multiple protocols to link your board to other hardware devices, such as spi, serial, or i2c. This is a vital point, as it makes Raspberry Pi boards compatible with most devices you can find for hobby projects.
5. Many connected devices
With a massive community and practical projects around Raspberry Pi, several companies have started selling products to enhance your Raspberry Pi experience. Some of these products are:
· Screen for Raspberry Pi. Those are cheap, and you don’t need to buy an expensive screen to utilize your board.
· Camera: You can instantly use a camera made for Raspberry. Stable, affordable, and of excellent quality.
There are many more products that you can find on the Internet. The two above can make your robot more intelligent by using image processing tools and displaying a friendly user interface on the screen.
8. Easy to use
Anyone can use a Raspberry Pi board. You just need to download the operating system, write it to your micro-SD card, and connect your Raspberry Pi to a monitor. You don’t need any prior programming experience to get started.
Of course, if you want to use a Raspberry Pi for your robot, you’ll need to be familiar with basic programming and how to connect to the hardware. But don’t worry, there are plenty of tools to make your life easier, and you can still rely on the wonderful community online.
Raspberry PI Applications
Raspberry Pi easily hosts some of the most power-packed home automation applications. It can attach sensors, relays, cameras, and lights to a computer or phone, giving you effortless control of your home remotely.
Desktop PC- A Raspberry Pi, a microSD card, and a power supply can be used to create a primary desktop. An HDMI cable and a compatible display, such as an old monitor, can also be connected. You will also require a USB mouse and keyboard.
The Raspberry Pi 4 comes with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Compatible USB dongles are necessary if a different model is utilized. It does, however, include an excellent Linux (Raspbian) operating system to enjoy the same experience as on a desktop.
Wireless printer- You can use Raspberry pi as a wireless printer too. Just connect Raspberry Pi with your home network and a few print server software.
Conclusion
After all these points, we hope you are convinced that Raspberry Pi boards are great and powerful tools for robotics applications. It is intriguing to note that the current version is Raspberry Pi 4B+, and there will be many more, each time with significant improvements and efforts to make it accessible to everyone.
