The Raspberry Pi is a series of credit card-sized single-board

computers developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi

Foundation to promote the teaching of basic computer science in
schools and developing countries
Several generations of Raspberry Pis have been released.
The first generation (Raspberry Pi 1 Model B) was released in
February 2012. It was followed by a simpler and inexpensive
model Model A. In 2014 the foundation released a board with an
improved design in Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+. The model laid the
current "mainline" form-factor. Improved A+ and B+ models were
released a year later. A cut down "compute" model was released
in April 2014, and a Raspberry Pi Zero with smaller size and
limited input/output (I/O) and general-purpose input/output (GPIO)
abilities was released in November 2015 for US$5. The Raspberry
Pi 2 which added more RAM was released in February 2015.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B released in February 2016 is bundled with
on-board WiFi and Bluetooth. As of 2016, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
is the newest mainline Raspberry Pi. These boards are priced
between US $2035.
All models feature a Broadcom system on a chip (SoC),
which includes an ARM compatible central processing unit (CPU)
and an on chip graphics processing unit (GPU, a VideoCore IV).
CPU speed ranges from 700 MHz to 1.2 GHz for the Pi 3 and on
board memory range from 256 MB to 1 GB RAM. Secure Digital
(SD) cards are used to store the operating system and program
memory in either the SDHC or MicroSDHC sizes. Most boards have
between one and four USB slots, HDMI and composite video
output, and a 3.5 mm phone jack for audio. Lower level output is
provided by a number of GPIO pins which support common
protocols like IC. The B-models have an 8P8C Ethernet port and
the Pi 3 has on board Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth.

The Foundation provides Raspbian, a Debian-based Linux

distribution for download, as well as third party Ubuntu, Windows
10 IOT Core, RISC OS, and specialised media center distributions.
[6] It promotes Python and Scratch as the main programming
language, with support for many other languages.[7] The default
firmware is closed source, while an unofficial open source is
available.
The Raspberry Pi 2 uses a Broadcom BCM2836 SoC with a
900 MHz 32-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor (as do many
current smartphones), with 256 KB shared L2 cache.
The Raspberry Pi 3 uses a Broadcom BCM2837 SoC with a
1.2 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, with 512 KB
shared L2 cache.
This means youre able to do most things a desktop
computer can do such as document editing, playing HD video,
playing games, coding and much more.
Obviously it wont have as much power as a desktop PC but
since it is a lot cheaper they make for great little computers you
can play around with. If you happen to break one theyre not
going to cost you a fortune to replace.
They are also great at doing a lot of things that you dont
really need an expensive computer to do such as run as a home
NAS (Network Attached Storage), web server, media center,
TorrentBox and much more.
The main operating system for the Pi is Raspbian and is
based of Debian. It is a distribution of Linux so you will probably
find it a little different if youre use to a Windows computer.

Even though the main supported operating system is

Raspbian you can install other operating systems such as Ubuntu
mare, Ubuntu Core, OSMC, RIS OS, Windows 10 IoT and much
more.
If youre looking for Raspberry Pi projects, then head over to
our main page as we have an ever growing list of fantastic
projects.

More about RaspEX

RaspEX is a full Linux Desktop system with LXDE (an
extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop
environment) with many other useful programs pre-installed.
Firefox is used as Web Browser and Synaptic as Package Manager.
You can use Samba and VNC4Server to connect to your Windows
computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your
Raspberry Pi 3 or Raspberry Pi 2 from your Windows computers
with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). You can
use Synaptic to install any extra packages you may need. For
example LibreOffice. RaspEX uses Ubuntus software repositories
so you can install thousands of extra packages if you want. NOTE:
Kodi is installed only in Build 160426.
Kernel
Kernel 4.4.21-v7 is used.
Key Improvements from Pi 2 Model B to Pi 3 Model B:

Next Generation QUAD Core Broadcom BCM2837 64bit processor

Processor speed has increased from 900MHz on Pi 2 to 1.2Ghz
BCM43438 WiFi on board

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) on board

Upgraded switched power source up to 2.5 Amps (can now power even more powerful devices
over USB ports)
Other Technical Specification:

40pin extended GPIO

4 x USB 2 ports
4 pole Stereo output and Composite video port
Full size HDMI output
CSI camera port for connecting the Raspberry Pi camera
DSI display port for connecting the Raspberry Pi touch screen display
Micro SD port for loading your operating system and storing data
Upgraded switched Micro USB power source (now supports up to 2.5 Amps)
The same form factor as the Pi 2 Model B, - the only difference is the location of the onboard
LEDs

How do I get the built-in WiFi and Bluetooth

connectivity to work with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B?
IMPORTANT: To enable the built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
you will need to update the operating system on the card to the
latest version. On first boot please click on the Terminal icon and
type:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
What versions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are supported?
The new Raspberry Pi 3 supports BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy 4.1)
and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.

Is there a MircoSD Card available the new model?

We recommend customers purchase a Micros SD card with the
operating systems pre-installed, as its the easiest way to get
started.
A new 16GB NOOBS MicroSD card, including all of the software
you would need to get started quickly and easily is available from
element14.
To enable the built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity you will
need to update the operating system on the card to the latest
version. On first boot please click on the Terminal icon and type:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
Will the 16GB NOOBS MicroSD Card I receive work with other
models?
Yes, it will be backwards compatible.
Will the microSD card and Operating System from my previous
model of Raspberry Pi work with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B?
No, if you are using Raspbian you will have to update it first. On
your existing Raspberry Pi you can run the following commands
from the terminal while connected to the internet:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

sudo rpi-update
Alternatively, you can download the latest SD Card image from
raspberrypi.org/downloads.
Will the Raspberry Pi support more than just the Raspbian
operating system?
Yes, the Raspberry Pi already supports 7 official operating systems
including:
Raspbian
Windows 10 Core IoT
OpenELEC
OSMC
Arch Linux
RISC OS
Pidora
Is WiFi and/or Bluetooth available on earlier models of the
Raspberry Pi?
This functionality is not built-in to the previous models (Pi2, B+,
etc.), but you can gain access to WiFi and Bluetooth by using an
appropriate USB dongle (we recommend the WiPi dongle).
Can the Pi 3 be overclocked?
Overclocking the Raspberry Pi 3 is not recommended and you
may void your warranty attempting to do so.
Is the Raspberry Pi 3 benefiting from ARMv8 or ARMv7
architecture?
The Raspberry Pi 3 uses the latest BRCM2837 processor,
containing a quad 64 bit A53 processor running at 1.2GHz. The

processor instruction set is compatible with the ARMv8-A

architecture which includes backwards compatibility with the
previous ARMv7-A architecture. The Raspbian distribution will
only support ARMv7-A instruction set but other distributions will
be able to take further advantage of the ARMv8-A instructions and
64 bit support.
Is there a size limit on the microSD Card with the new board?
We have successfully tested cards up to 64GB with the new
Raspberry Pi 3 board.
What power supply do I need?
We recommend you use the new official 5.1V, 2.5A Raspberry Pi
power supply available from element14. This power supply will
enable users to power their Pi and other accessories from one
power source, thus maximising the benefits of the Pi 3s improved
power management capabilities.

Graphics
The Pi's graphics core exposes OpenGL ES 2.0, which is supported
by Processing P2D and P3D renderer, thanks to specific
enablement in the underlying library, JOGL. The graphics driver
are built around a closed-source driver (found in /opt/vc), which
limits our ability to troubleshoot bugs for the moment.
Due to a limitation of this driver, P3D is currently limited to using
2 lights.
Certain sketches might run out of video memory and throw an
exception mentioning GL_OUT_OF_MEMORY. You might be able to
work around this by changing the memory split - the amount of
memory allocated for the GPU from all system memory. To do so,
open the Raspberry Pi Configuration (under Menu,
Preferences), navigate to the Performance tab, change the
amount of "GPU memory" and then restart your Pi.

If your windowed sketches are displayed slightly offset to the

window decoration on HDMI displays, try setting
disable_overscan=1 in the file /boot/config.txt and restarting. This
is a known issue at the moment.
Starting with the February 2016 version, Raspbian also includes
an experimental, open source OpenGL driver for the Pi 2. This
driver is still in development, but might be worth trying out when
experiencing issues with the default one. To enable or disable the
driver, run sudo raspi-config and select the GL Driver option under
Advanced Options. Note that the new driver currently lacks many
features of the existing one, such as the ability to drive screens
attached to the DSI interface, support for camera modules or
hardware-enabled video decoding.
Hardware I/O
Processing has a new Hardware I/O library that was extensively
tested with the Pi.
GPIO
There is no special configuration necessary to use the digital pins
with digitalRead(), digitalWrite() etc.
Keep in mind that the Pi uses 3.3V level, rather then the 5V of
the Arduino Uno. The pins are said not to be 5V tolerant, so make
sure to keep your voltages to 3.3V.
Each pin is rated up to 16 mA per pin, with 50 mA total, across
all pins. (The Arduino UNO is 20 mA @ 5V per pin.) Make sure not
to draw more current.
The Hardware I/O library's GPIO class uses GPIO numbers with its
methods. Those are not the same as the physical pin numbers of
the pin header. (see pinout)
I2C
The Pi has one (publicly exposed) hardware I2C interface. To use it
in Processing (with the I2C class in processing.io), open the

Raspberry Pi Configuration (under Menu, Preferences),

navigate to the Interfaces tab, enable I2C and then restart your Pi.
After restarting, I2C.list() should return one interface: e.g. i2c-1 on
the Pi 2. The interface is located on pins 3 (SDA) and 5 (SCL) on
the Pi's header. (see pinout) Ground is conveniently located right
next to it, on pin 6. Use it together with the 3.3V supply on pin 1,
since that is the level that the Pi expects.
LEDs
The Pi has two on-board LEDs, led0 and led1, which can be
controlled through the LED class in Processing.
Since the regular user (named pi) is by default not permitted to
write to the LED device, you must enable this once by running
sudo sed -i 's|exit 0|chmod -R a+rw /sys/class/leds/*\nexit 0|'
/etc/rc.local
After a restart, the devices should be read- and writable by any
user. (This can be confirmed by running ls -l
/sys/class/leds/led0/brightness. The resulting line should start with
-rw-rw-rw-.)
On the Pi, led0 is the green (I/O activity) light, while led1 is the
red (power) light. They only can be turned on and off, so
brightness() values besides 0.0 and 1.0 have no effect.
SPI
The Pi two hardware SPI interfaces, but which share all but the SS
(Slave Select) pins. To use it in Processing (with the SPI class in
processing.io), open the Raspberry Pi Configuration (under
Menu, Preferences), navigate to the Interfaces tab, enable SPI and
then restart your Pi.
After restarting, SPI.list() should return two interfaces spidev0.0
and spidev0.1.
The interfaces' pins are located on the Pi's header on pins 19
(MOSI), 21 (MISO), 23 (SCLK), 24 (SS, aka CE0) and 26 (SS, aka

CE1). (see pinout) When using spidev0.0, pin 24 (CE0) is being

pulled low during a transaction, while pin26 (CE1) remains
unchanged. When using spidev0.1, pin 26 (CE1) is being pulled
low, while pin24 (CE0) remains unchanged. (This is to be able to
address two devices on the same data & clock lines.)
Servo motors
Using the Hardware I/O library's SoftwareServo class, any pin can
be used to control standard RC servo motors.
It is recommended to power the motors from an external power
source, as shown in this wiring diagram. See the ServoSweep
example for more information.
Upload to Pi tool
The Upload to Pi Processing tool automatically uploads sketches
to attached Raspberry Pi devices and executes them there. (also
available from the Contribution Manager)
See the Readme file for all features and configuration options.
Please file issues here.
Serial
The Pi has one serial port, exposed on pins 8 (TXD) and 10 (RXD).
(see pinout) Like all other pins, these operate on 3.3V TTL levels,
instead of the RS-232 voltage levels normally expected from a
computer's "serial port". By default, the serial port is used to be
able to command the Pi remotely, by offering a "shell", through
which one can type in commands and receive screen output as on
a local terminal.
To use it instead with Processing's Serial library, open the
Raspberry Pi Configuration (under Menu, Preferences),
navigate to the Interfaces tab, disable Serial and then restart your
Pi. The serial port will be called /dev/ttyACM0.
Using USB-connected Arduino boards, etc., is possible without any
configuration. They will show up as /dev/ttyUSB0, etc.

Touchscreen
The simpletouch library makes it possible to use any multi-touchenabled display or trackpad with Processing, as long as the device
is supported by the Linux kernel. This library is available through
the Contribution Manager under the name "Simple Touch".
This works well with the official Raspberry Pi display, and allows
for tracking of up to 10 fingers.
Two example sketches the library comes with explain how to use
it. Please file issues here.
Video library
Use the new GL Video library to make use of the Raspberry Pi's
accelerated video decoding hardware. (also available from the
Contribution Manager)
Examples show the various ways the library can be used. Please
file issues here.
Video library: Capture
If you're receiving the error IllegalArgumentException: No such
Gstreamer factory: v4l2src with the (regular) Video library, try
installing the necessary packages by executing sudo aptitude
install gstreamer0.10-plugins-good in a terminal.
Alternatively, the GL Video library also contains some (very
limited) functionality for using capture hardware. See this
example for details.
If you want to use the Raspberry Pi camera with the GL Video
library, add the following line to your /etc/modules file and reboot:
bcm2835_v4l2
After the reboot your camera should show up as /dev/video0.