Raspberry Pi's $25 Model A Hits Production Line 105
hypnosec writes "The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced that the cheaper variant of the Raspberry Pi — the Model A — has entered production phase. Model A of the credit-card sized computer has been stripped of its Ethernet port and a USB port, leaving just one USB port. This model comes with 256MB RAM, but as it is less complex compared to its predecessor it will consume less power, thus opening up quite a few new usage scenarios. The Foundation has posted the first image of the $25 Model A on its site and noted 'We're anticipating that those of you who buy the Model A will be using it for different applications from Model B owners.'"
Refresher (Score:1)
I thought the model A and B came out at the same time? Did the B come out first for the enthusiasts to fund the reduced model. (I know the stated goal of the A is for education) whereas the goal for the B would presumably be for hackers. That being said I am actually borrowing a friends RPi to see about it's use as a serial console and I am not disappointed.
Re:Refresher (Score:5, Insightful)
The plan was for the B to be released first as the intial release was aimed at early adoptors and developers, the model A would then follow soon afterwards.
However that was back when they throught demand for the Pi would be in the tens of thousands. With the manufacturing partners scrambling to meet demand (and being frustrated by SoC lead times) they did not want to divert SoCs away from model B production to model A production.
Now that the situation is starting to improve and stabalise they are finally bringing up the model A production (though how long it will be before they are readilly available is anyones guess).
Re: (Score:1)
The plan was for the B to be released first as the intial release was aimed at early adoptors and developers
No, that was a ret-con to save face after the initial problems with the B-model.
Visit their site and try to find any official pages that say it's for developers. It's a mantra that is chanted on the fora but has no basis in fact.
The very first answer in their FAQ says:
"It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does".
Nothing there about being experimental or developmental.
Too little too late? (Score:4, Informative)
I'm wondering if the model A will really have much of a market.
The end of the market that the A might have been useful in may well have been overtaken by the top-end of the M-series ARM processors, especially with companies like STM now pitching boards like the Discovery STM32F4 [st.com] for $20 or so.
Yes, it's got less RAM, less MIPS and so forth -- but it *is* 100% open and incredibly capable for what it is.
Re:Too little too late? (Score:4, Insightful)
It also lacks HDMI.... Nobody really cares about how open this board is except for the few loudmouths on this site. The fact that the boards sell out so quick is proof.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
Why are you posting a link about the raspberry pi, to prove that the STM32 microcontroller has HDMI?
Try reading the datasheet for the thing actually being talked about: http://www.st.com/internet/evalboard/product/252419.jsp [st.com]
There is NO HDMI. Not to mention it only has 1mb of flash and 192kb of ram.
This device isn't even in the same class of computing devices! It's a micro-controller, not a micro-computer. Micro-controllers do not natively do video out at all, you would need one fast enough to manually b
Re: (Score:1)
The fact that it sells so well is proof that lots of people don't care so much that they'll boycott the product.
It is not proof that only a few loudmouths on this site are the ones who care, and no one else.
Two entirely different sets, and not mutually exclusive.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Too little too late? (Score:5, Insightful)
Completely different markets. The RP is NOT a microcontroller. It is not an Arduino. It is a full ARM computer (albeit a slow one compared to what you have on your desk). It's as if you ripped out the motherboard from your phone or tablet and made it more hacker friendly.
Where you have some overlap is the RP gives pinouts for connecting some hardware, but the way you talk to that hardware is completely different.
And when you talk about the RP having more RAM, I should put that into perspective. The Discovery board has 192kB. The RP has 256MB. These aren't even close to being the same class of device, much less the same market. Read the article ... can you see the one you linked to bring used as a media center? Of course not, it's an absurd idea.
There's plenty of market for the model A. If anything, the model B had taken up a lot of that market (only ten bucks more and you get Ethernet, one more USB, and more RAM).
Openness really doesn't matter to the RP's target market. If you're working on a microcontroller, your goal is to eventually move beyond the prototype stage and make a product. Openness matters in that case. But the RP isn't a prototype board (though it could be used as one). Instead, it's the product, already finished for you (just add a case and power supply). Openness matters a bit when it comes to drivers and access to SPI and whatnot, but the documentation for that is available, and I've yet to hear any complaints.
Re: (Score:2)
Also lacks an MMU... These chips have been available for quite a while, as have designs based on them...
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly. Chips with no MMU (Cortex-M4 et al) cannot run real linux because an MMU is a fundamental requirement for real linux (or any other serious operating system). Otherwise, Cortex-M4 is ARMv7 just like Cortex-A8.
OTOH, Freescale i.MX233 is only ARMv5 and is VERY lightweight, but does have an MMU. As a result you can run real linux on it [olimex.com].
In the above I use the expression "real linux". There is also a bastardized linux called uClinux [uclinux.org] which can run without an MMU. Of necessity, there can be no memory prote
Wrong acronym (Score:2)
Forget all this MMU nonsense, what this thing need is MMX!
Re: (Score:3)
I'm wondering if the model A will really have much of a market.
The irony would be that the "Model A" and "Model B" naming was a homage to the BBC Micro [wikipedia.org], which originally came out in Model A and Model B versions. The more powerful "BBC B" (32KB instead of 16KB and more ports) turned out to be far more popular- it overshadowed the cheaper Model A and became the "canonical" version to the extent that most games and software required the BBC B and didn't bother with versions that would run on the Model A.
History repeating itself?
Cool but SLOOOOOOW (Score:5, Informative)
How a $35 computer cost me $90 bucks..
So a long time ago I signed up to order one of these cool little Raspberry PI $35 dollar card sized computers. After a month or 2 I finally was able to order it. After a .
week or two I finally was able to hold it. After a day or two I finally was able to actually use it..
I’ll explain. It’s JUST the little pc, nothing else.
SO I had to buy the following:
1x 1k 5v USB wall wart. $20 bucks.
1x 16 Gig Class 10 SD Card $20 bucks.
1x Micro USB to USB Cable $10 bucks.
Factor in the cost of the PC with shipping $43.79 + $20 + $20 + $10 and now that $35 dollar computer is actually almost $94 bucks..
That said, it’s actually kinda cool. Not as powerful as one might like but cool none the less..
As a test I set it up running the debian installer [this took about 6 hours], setup to compile XBMC [this took about 2.5 hours] and went about compiling it..
On my main rig the compile takes all of about 8 minutes [after a make clean], on the RPI it took over 12 hours. 12 HOURS to do what my main rig can do in 8 minutes!.
Now I understand it's "only" a 35 dollar PC so one cannot expect a whole lot out of it, but in reality it's NOT a 35 dollar pc. It's a 90 dollar phone guts without the phone parts.
Re:Cool but SLOOOOOOW (Score:5, Insightful)
Hey, I picked up a microUSB 5V wall-wart supply for $9.99 at the local equivalent of Walmart and just used an old Class 4 SD card I had laying about so my $94 Raspberry Pi only cost me $44.99.
Actually I lie -- I had to buy an HDMI cable and I can't find a spare ethernet cable either so I'll have to fork out some more cash.
But come to think of it -- neither my DVD player nor my TV came with an HDMI and my PC didn't come with a network cable so I guess that no matter what you buy, there are always "essential extras" to factor in.
And my Pi didn't come with a mouse or keyboard either -- what's with that?? :D
Re: (Score:3)
Hey, I picked up a microUSB 5V wall-wart supply for $9.99 at the local equivalent of Walmart
Yes, and it happened to work for you. You risk having to go through multiple different brands because a) USB wall-warts are generally crappy and lie about their specifications and b) the Pi power design is not very forgiving. Incidentally, the first hardware revisions were not just unforgiving but quite broken, but they were not pulled from the market and no replacements were offered.
Re: (Score:1)
I have found Blackberry ones are good to go for if you can find them. Same kind of quality as the Apple ones but obviously much much cheaper.
Re:Cool but SLOOOOOOW (Score:5, Funny)
I can't find a spare ethernet cable
The rest of it rings true, but this is just too far fetched. Ethernet cables are like wire coat hangers - they breed. I try to keep them confined to my study/shed, but they have to be purged regularly to stop them taking over the house.
Re: (Score:2)
I can't find a spare ethernet cable
The rest of it rings true, but this is just too far fetched. Ethernet cables are like wire coat hangers - they breed. I try to keep them confined to my study/shed, but they have to be purged regularly to stop them taking over the house.
That's why wireless cables are so convenient, they take less space. Also even if the 802.11n jacks are more expensive than RJ45s at least they are not just the right size to allow someone to plug in a USB cable by mistake.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It all depends on where you shop.
I can get a usb box for $8, discount SD card $5(just 1Gig - but enough to run what I'm running), usb cable $4 - and all this from one store right beside where I work.
But most of these I have lying around in boxes I haven't looked into for at least a year or so.
Or I could buy a $449.99 128Gig SD card and quintuple the price of my rig.
Re: (Score:1)
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/06/15/crazy-deal-on-a-128gb-lexar-sd-card-89-95-special/ [stevehuffphoto.com]
128Gb Lexar SD Card! $89.95
Re: (Score:1)
That's funny. When I repeatedly pointed this fact out on slashdot, without fail, it was moderated down. Slashdot has some serious hatred for truth when it comes to the Pi. The Pi is going to cost you ~$75-$100 to get up and running. For the money, you can get superior hardware. The catch is getting software to drive that hardware. For now, because of software complications, the Pi remains attractive. But that time is quickly coming to an end. Soon you'll have much faster hardware much more memory (1-2G), bu
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
I see this comment a lot and it makes me cringe. The Pi, the Arduino and these Android mini-PC's have totally different markets though.
The Arduino has a power usage of ~1-25mA (depending on what your code does), the core can get down to 0.2mA at 1MHz and if necessary in the picoamps range in standby mode.
The Pi has a power usage of 300mA (model A) to 700mA (model B)
The Androids have a power usage of ~2500mA
This makes a huge difference in development and powering these types of devices. The Androids will pro
Re: (Score:2)
Plus you can build an 'Arduino' for $3 plus a piece of perf-board.
If you're leaving pretty blue PCBs in your final gadgets you've got too much money.
Re: (Score:2)
The various mk802 clones seem to typically ship with 2000mA power supplies and apparently often work even when powered from random USB ports. Their actual power consumption therefore cannot be all that different from the Pi.
The Pi model B throws away at least 75% of its power on voltage conversion/power regulation; a better design there would make it a lot easier to use batteries.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That's funny. When I repeatedly pointed this fact out on slashdot, without fail, it was moderated down. Slashdot has some serious hatred for truth when it comes to the Pi. The Pi is going to cost you ~$75-$100 to get up and running. For the money, you can get superior hardware. The catch is getting software to drive that hardware. For now, because of software complications, the Pi remains attractive. But that time is quickly coming to an end. Soon you'll have much faster hardware much more memory (1-2G), built in SATA (with port), HDMI, actual ethernet (vs ethernet on USB), WIFI, a case, power supply, and in many cases, an IR remote, with well supported software, for roughly $55-$75; delivered. Meaning more and faster hardware for less. Hell, some of the newer hardware even comes with gpio, SPI, and I2C.
I expect within another couple of months, there will be far superior solutions for less money available. Until such time, the Pi will likely remain attractive. Having said that, I've never really understood which segment the A-model will address.
yah this is the 1st post I have ever been modded down for. Lol kind of funny. I wasn't really even bashing it, just stating some facts. Yes there are "cheaper" parts I could have bought, such as a cheaper, less powerful wall wart. A cheaper and slower sdcard. A cheaper and shorter usb cable. But I wanted to give my little RPI the best I could. I did say it was cool a number of times in the post, but people see one negative word about the PI and it's downmod central. Sheesh
Re: (Score:3)
There seems to be a huge difference in the amount people are spending on supporting peripherals for the Raspberry Pi. I just bought a set of twenty for my classroom (breakdown below) and ended up spending GBP855 in total - around GBP43 each. TBH I could have trimmed this down further, as the USB Hubs and multiple sets of HDMI-DVI adaptors are to make it easier for pupils to switch between the Windows PC on their desk and the Raspberry Pi; they only have to swap two cables instead of three, and HDMI connecto
Re:Yes, I don't understand the Pi. (Score:4, Informative)
I think you are missing some points here.
1. The pi runs linux. You can use c/c++, python, perl, bash scripts, almost anything else you want
(1a). You have hundreds of libraries to go with that. Also thousands of programs to pipe info.
2. You can connect a 3g, wifi stick or anything USB instantly
3. You lose absolutely no time on hardware design. It might just be me but I like have my hardware done and just worry about software
4. The community will point out almost all the hardware/software limitations or bugs of the pi and you know in advance what you are getting yourself into
5. You have portable code. If you program for linux, it runs on most hardware that runs linux (some recompilation required)
6. The community has started building addons (see arduino shields) which can achieve much more
As a software developer who used embedded linux and arduino class hardware, I love the pi because it solves all the problems I don't want to worry about. I also love that I don't have to test it on different hardware/software configurations. My target will always be raspberry/debian. I undestand that this is not what some people want/like but for "rapid" embedded development the pi is number one and because of its community I think it will be for a long time to come.
Re: (Score:1)
says the LED blinker
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
However, from the point of view of an electronics hobbyist, I just look at the web site and think "where the fuck is the datasheet?"
There was a datasheet some time before the release, but I haven't been able to find it anymore. Maybe it's still buried on their website somewhere, or available by request. It leaves me to repeat your comment: where the fuck is the datasheet?!
Re: (Score:1)
you over paid for a lot of the stuff... $5 for 1.8A 5v MicroUSB PSU (includes cable), $6 16GB Class 4 MicroSDHC card with Sdcard adapter.... free shipping on both.... I use a WiFi USB Dongle ($12) no keyboard, no mouse headless... great little device. Have 3 of them.
Re: (Score:3)
You well overpaid for everything. Even Amazon has this stuff for cheaper.
5V USB wall-wart: $4 + free shipping
USB cable: $2 + free shipping
16GB SD Card: $12 + free shipping
Case for Raspberry Pi: $10
Total: $63
And that's simply for prototyping. If you buy the necessary items in bulk you can get the add-ons down to $10.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Where in the world can you get your hands on a Pi but not cheap USB wall warts, USB cables and SD cards?
Re: (Score:2)
Iâ(TM)ll explain. Itâ(TM)s JUST the little pc, nothing else.
SO I had to buy the following:
1x 1k 5v USB wall wart. $20 bucks.
1x 16 Gig Class 10 SD Card $20 bucks.
1x Micro USB to USB Cable $10 bucks.
So, it's actually not a PC. It's a circuit board with some chips and connectors. I think that has always been abundantly clear.
Look at it a different way: If you want to use this as if it were a PC, you are going to have to add some stuff to it. Same, in a way, with PCs still requiring a monitor and keyboard in addition to just the box where most of the magic happens. On the other hand, if you don't want all that, you don't have to pay for it. The Raspberry Pi is a component, and you can use it to build som
Re: (Score:2)
So let me get this straight. You expect them to include all these useless extras we already own simply to push the price up for the rest of us?
When you went to the store and bought your computer, did you go back the next day to stand in the return line and bitch at the poor guy at the counter because that computer didn't come with an LCD, keyboard, mouse, etc?
Do you purchase a car and return it the next day because you need to purchase gas and oil and have regular maintenance done?
Do you sue your landlord
Re: (Score:2)
Not only that, he wants us all to pay double or triple the normal prices!
Re: (Score:2)
Quick check on ebay, you paid far too much
Micro USB to USB Cable $1.6
16GB class 10 SD-CARD $14.25
USB Charger $3.2
Total $19.05 - that's a lot less than $50
So, a $54.05 PC, sounds much better than a $90 PC
(UK prices inc p+p converted to dollars, normally we pay higher prices for anything electrical, costs including VAT(sales tax) at 20%)
Monster Cable (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I don't know where you shop for hardware but I'd love to be your supplier. The numbers you're quoting are pure fiction.
Re: (Score:2)
1x 1k 5v USB wall wart. $20 bucks.
You should have bought a powered USB hub. That way your peripherals aren't reliant on the Pi's power supply, which is iffy (you power the Pi itself off one of its ports).
Re: (Score:2)
--I feel yer pain, man. I really wanted a Pi back in November of 2011; after the delayed-shipping debacle, I said the heck with it.
--Finally ordered one of these for $59, after finding out about it due to a Slashdot comment:
http://www.indiegogo.com/cubieboard [indiegogo.com]
--It has a SATA port, 1GB RAM, and comes with a 4GB Nand Flash ++ power cable included. Haven't received it yet, but so far the only accessory I've bought for it is an HDMI -> DVI video cable adapter for ~$8.
--I'm gonna put Squid + SSD drive on it
Re: (Score:2)
You may be better off with an Arduino for this. The power usage is way less and it's a microcontroller built for real time processing. There are shields for Ethernet and modules for relays, humidity and temperature that are really cheap if you're not good with electronics.
I love my Pi (Score:2)
And on that little circuit board is all
You need to learn to code as fun
For fun and joy are needed
To get the learning process done.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Now I feel boring for naming my Pis Pi-A, Pi-B and Pi-C... Better vi /etc/hostname right now...
THIS is why you buy a Raspberry Pi... (Score:4, Insightful)
Tinkering and coming up with cool (if impractical) uses... and quite frankly, that's what computing has lost over the years... Doing strange crap with the user port of your C-64 was damn fun, IMNSHO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5npkz0xY1fo [youtube.com]
Thanks to the Pi for bringing that tinkering fun back....
Re: (Score:1)
What a load of crap. Shitty hardware for it's own sake is retarded. The C-64 was fun at the time because it was cutting edge and empowering. The Raspberry Pi is neither. Want to use GPIO? Got to buy a "Gertboard"(Who the fuck is coming up with these shitty names?)! No peripheals worth a damn(GPS, IMU, pressure transducer, or microphone).
If you want to reconstruct that bygone era, give me several USB 3.0 ports, ethernet, wifi adapter, decent GPIO pinout, HDMI/VGA, and a good 16bit 192khz soundcard DAC/ADC. P
Re: (Score:2)
Well don't buy it! And you explain the 1 dislike on his YouTube clip!
I thought his mini arcade thing was awesome!
Is it open? Does it have shitty hardware? (Score:2)
The first Pi had chipsets that were known for years to be full of bugs and problematic. Then they went with proprietary blobs that free distros couldn't distribute and weren't open source.
Is this more of the same? When will we get a Pi that isn't buggy as hell? Eat your vegetables before you have dessert, guys.
Re: (Score:1)
its less of the same
same crap, less features and ram
Re: (Score:3)
On the upside it will not have a broken USB hub to contend with, only the broken USB host.
Order now (Score:1)
and you might get it by summer.!
What about raising the price of Model A? (Score:1)
From the blog:
we’ve not been able to build them, because to do so would mean that we have to cannibalise Model B parts – and that would mean that people who are experiencing the backlog would have to wait even longer
Of course, you would not want to let people wait a few weeks for a Model B. People who have been waiting for months for a Model A on the other hand... I said it before elsewhere, and I repeat it here: just raise the price of Model A to bring its profit margin on par with Model B, and let the market decide what it wants! The reasoning that $25 was crucial to reach education is not even used to justify Model A anymore. Now it's for robotics, automation and media centers.
I had to. (Score:3)
Can you imagine a Beowulf cluster of these?
Sorry.
It's been done with the model B. (Score:4, Informative)
Different applications? (Score:1)
So the Model B was used by people to enable them to say they owned a Raspberry Pi.
What will the Model A be used for?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That was fixed in rev 1.1 of the B. The recent 512MB version is rev 2.1 IIRC
Re: (Score:2)
The USB doesn't even work properly on the full fledged model
They fixed it in the latest release... I have tried it with the new ISO... works great. :)
Re:Even more useless! (Score:5, Informative)
They fixed it in the latest release... I have tried it with the new ISO... works great. :)
No they didn't. Isochronous transfers are still broken.
Re: (Score:2)
it completely fails as a general purpose computer
And a screw driver completely fails as a hammer.
It is specifically sold as a development board, the only people that claim it is a general purpose computer such as yourself have literally made that up and pulled it from their ass.
When you buy an item that is named "refrigerator magnet", then yes it will make a poor car and a poor airplane and a poor life boat. Fucking Duh!
Re: (Score:2)
Lots of people keep saying that but it ain't so. It was specifically created as a play/learning tool. That's not a denigration; it's a simple fact. I think it serves well in its intended role.
Development boards are Olimex, BeagleBone, et al.
You make a good point and I have no issue with it except for that minor quibble.
Re: (Score:3)
I'm using my model A for frosty pissing.
Go ahead.. plug it into a 220 V outlet first tho.