It’s seems just like yesterday when Raspberry Pi Foundation (RPF) was launched, but on February 29th 2016, the company celebrated its fourth anniversary. Since its inception, it has shipped over eight million units; Raspberry Pi 2 alone moved three million units, making Pi the UK’s best-selling computer of all time. RPF celebrated this moment by officially launching its brand new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B on February 29th itself, packed with new features like a 64-bit CPU, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, for the same USD 35 (~MYR 140.75) or EUR 30 (~MYR 138.47) price tag as the Pi 2. Raspberry Pi 3 can be acquired from partner distributors like Allied Electronics, Element14, and RS Components. In Malaysia, Pier Electronics and Thunder Match Technology are local distributors. A couple of months later, RPF also announced a new 8-megapixel Raspberry Pi camera module v2, that also has an infrared-sensitive variant called Pi NoIR. Both camera have an asking price of USD 25 (~MYR 100.66).
Raspberry Pi 3
Here are some of what’s new with the hardware of Pi 3:
- A 1.2 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARMv8 CPU
- 802.11n Wireless LAN
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
And here are the specifications of Pi 3 that are the same with Pi 3 (at least on the surface):
- 1 GB RAM
- 4 USB ports
- 40 GPIO pins
- Full HDMI port
- Ethernet port
- Combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video
- Camera interface (CSI)
- Display interface (DSI)
- MicroSD card slot (now push-pull rather than push-push)
- VideoCore IV 3D graphics core
It is amazing what the Pi 3 packs in a board this small. Pi 3 retains the same dimensions with the Pi 2, but offers a bunch of improvements that many DIY/makers will appreciate. The most obvious one is that the Pi 3 now comes with built-in 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy, a much-welcomed hardware so that you don’t have to install adapters or dongles (not to mention USB hubs and drivers) in order for the Pi 3 to have wireless connectivity.
The next most obvious improvement is the move to a 64-bit processor. RPF CEO Eben Upton said that the Pi 3 is one year in the making. Pi 3 now sports a 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU clocking in at 1.2 GHz, compared to the 32-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU that clocks in at 900 MHz, found on the Pi 2. Upton said that their primary goal of the Pi 3 is to make 32-bit processes run faster. As a result, the A53 in 32-bit mode, runs 20–30 percent faster than the A7, both at the same clock speed.
Other improvements are iterative at best, for for a good reason. While Pi 3 has the same 1 GB RAM as Pi 2, the former’s memory clock speed now runs at 900 MHz compared to the latter’s 400 MHz. VideoCore IV graphics has been sped up too, from 250 MHz to 400 MHz. When asked why didn’t RPF pack in more improved features like 4K video output like what its competitor Pine A64 is doing, Upton commented that they have to take into account the eight million Pi units out there, and that migrating to a new video codec block would sacrifice on backward compatibility with previous Pi units.
With that, Raspberry Pi 3 ships with the 32-bit version of the NOOBS (New Out Of Box Software) OS, but you could always replace it with Raspbian OS. One final thing to note is that Pi 3 requires a 2.5 A input, meaning your existing Pi 2 power adapter might not work.
Raspberry Pi camera module v2 and Pi NoIR
This Pi camera module v2 announced uses an 8-megapixel Sony IMX219 sensor, that replaced RPF’s original 5-megapixel OmniVision OV5647 sensor camera released back in 2013. Besides taking your usual photographs, the new camera can also take high-definition videos. With enough DIY know-how, you can also use the library bundled with the camera to create photo effects, plus taking slow-motion and time-lapse videos.
RPF said that the new camera is a huge leap forward in image quality, color fidelity, and low-light performance. For videos, it supports 1080p30, 720p60, and VGA90 resolutions. It connects to the Pi’s CSI via a 15 cm ribbon cable.
There is another variant I’ve mentioned earlier called Pi NoIR. Apparently NoIR stands for ‘No Infrared’, Though it uses the same 8-megapixel Sony IMX219 sensor, RPF said that it “does not employ an infrared filter”, hence the name. What this translates to, is that while it’ll take curious-looking photos by day, it’ll give you the ability to see in the dark with infrared lighting. It makes Pi NoIR excellent for folks to use it to monitor the health of green plants (with a bundled square blue gel), or to discreetly monitor nocturnal animals.
RPF’s attention to backward compatibility results in the Pi camera module v2 and Pi NoIR to be compatible with all models, including the OG Raspberry Pi 1.
Because it’s a Sony, an Exmor R backside-illuminated sensor to be specific, the cameras are priced at USD 25 (~MYR 100.66), which is relatively high when compared to Pi 3’s USD 35 (~MYR 140.75) asking price.
The post Raspberry Pi 3 with 64-bit CPU & built-in BT/WiFi, now with 8MP camera option appeared first on TechAttack.my.