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New 1.5 GHz CPU, up to 4 GB RAM, and USB 3.0. Will rival the performance of low-end desktops.

Read all about it on the Raspberry Pi website.

In reply to Norm

still 35$?


Edit..it is

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

The model with the least memory (1 GB) still is. The new gorilla (4 GB) is $55. Still not bad. Looks like the 4 GB models won't be shipped to US customers until 01 August.

These little computers will take over the desktop space if projects like Wine make porting Windows executables to Linux a workable solution. Windows still dominates the desktop, by far, and heavy-duty science / engineering software still need the desktop.

In reply to Norm

Have you use it to control household equipment? like a camera? pet feeder?

I run solidworks/autodesk360/ Camworks/mastercam on a predator 19" Laptop. It is a beast

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

I use my Pi as a web server. At one time I was hosting 2 websites on it.

I run AutoCAD on my laptop, for when I am on the road. It runs satisfactorily, but nothing beats a mouse for drafting, or even editing text documents.

I also run modelling software, on both my desktop and laptop. A model run using dataset of about 50 years of hourly rainfall data would run in about 1 minute on my desktop, and in about 5 minutes on my laptop. Five minutes seem like eternity when you have to run dozens of simulations to optimize designs.

The desktop will be around for some time yet.

I also have a backup stone axe in the garage. Just kidding about the stone axe!!!

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

All that? Are those company licenses or your personal licenses??
Used to work in the field, but been out of it for 10yrs now. The last CAD software I used was Solid Works. I’m looking for something to play around with at home. What do you recommend? My brother who is in field said I could do a subscription!

In reply to StumpCam

Autodesk 360 gives a free 3 year. This is Autodesk attempt to gain market share.
I have a free Educator's License(125)

They give companies with revenue of under 100k for free. It has more features than solidworks. It has a CAM software in it. HSM

Solidworks has a free 1 year. If you are in for the industry, This is what dominates Mechanical Eng.

The 2018 Solidworks comes with Camworks.

I blogged here over the years about the Raspberry Pi.

Sample: LINK from a couple years back
Sample: Link from 2016
Sample: Spectrum analysis

Amazing device. I have created countless projects with the Pi. Last one being a RIF reader to keep check of patient wait times in clinic. I also use it in my Piper as an ADS-B receiver.

The next Pi project is a solar water pump controller with smartphone interface. At $35 - it is a revolution in computing.

Join me in handing out many kits to secondary schools in our region.

cheers

In reply to Dan_De_Lyan

Thanks for info!
What about Hardware ?

In reply to pelon
Thanks, Pelon.

In my days, the kid scientists experimented with crystal radios. Basically, string up a wire for antenna and another for ground, together with salvaged parts from broken radios.

Nothing as sophisticated or capable as the Raspberry Pi.

These days, kids have it good in some ways!

Only thing I wish they would have maybe tried would have been the option of EMMC memory.SD Cards are no fun.

The PI 4 finally getting rid of the shared Ethernet/USB makes me super happy though ! Can build some iperf + vaping/smokeping boxes and push config through via saltstack or ansible.

In reply to pelon

I'm looking to outfit 2 computer labs with them. Any advice?

In reply to StumpCam

16gig ram...i7...separate video card.

In reply to culpepperboy

Depends on the needs of the computer labs. What do you intend to do with them bro?

Build projects around them, or as stand alone PC????

In reply to pelon

Great question and i wanted to ask Norm too

What can we do with them here in poor Guyana Norm?
I have not played around with RPs at all

In reply to doosra


The Pi is more (and less*) than a "PC". The GPIO pins (General Purpose Input Output) allow you to use a language like Python and interface DIRECTLY with devices (that u built or bought) at low cost and "relative" ease.

Also has advanced interfacing pins:

* PWM (pulse-width modulation) pins - used for controlling servos (like on Robotics) or dimmers etc.
* SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)- used to send data between microcontrollers and small peripherals such as shift registers, sensors, and SD cards. I use SPI frequently in projects that have multiple device interfacing.
* I2C (simpliar to above, better??)
* Serial TX/RX

also has:

4 USB ports, Ethernet, audio in/out etc etc. etc.

at $35, it is a no brainier for any computer lab.

IT HAS computing power limitations. Don't expect it to crunch or multitask like a $2k computer - but it is fairly versatile and powerful.

At last count I had about 13 devices in my home doing everything from stream media, to a web server, to a ADS-B Aircraft receiver, to a pool temp monitor... on and on and on...

MAJOR PROJECTS RELATED TO CRICKET: (that I built from scratch)

1. Using a single PI, I built a fully functional cricket score board, with large bright LEDs and controlled by smart phone/browser
2. I built an "Umpire Assistant" handheld, using the very small PI Zero board, with a 2 inch screen. It fits on your wrist (very small) and does everything for the umpire: over management, wickets, score etc. I use it locally frequently.

I hope all of this above serves to MOTIVATE at least one of ya!!!


Side note: in conjunction with my 3D printer... the only limitation is time available to build crap.

In reply to pelon

Thanks Pelon
I am sold on it, literally
Will explore in August

In reply to pelon

Time?

I hear you. Same story here. I wish I had more time to build, test, design, code, write, etc.

Anyway, great list of Pi projects there, Pelon.

The only thing I could add is that the Pi is powerful enough to to run programming IDEs such as Codeblocks, Lazarus, with which you could create sophisticated native GUI software in C, C++, Pascal, etc, as well as console programs in all of those plus Fortran, etc.

Eclipse and NetBeans will also load and compile but I am not into Java much.

This plethora of programming tools is great for education efforts, especially in remote locations where there is no electricity, or it is unreliable. Even where there is electricity, the convenience of having several portable units set up just how you want them is hard to beat for teaching purposes.

I have found the Pi to make be a decent web server for low volume traffic, hosting something as demanding as Drupal. WordPress on the Pi is a breeze.

I haven't explored the Pi's hardware control capabilities, but it has the ability to parallel the older Arduino. It could function as a sophisticated electronics kit, but you would need to obtain additional parts (generally inexpensive).

Needless to say, all of this has the capacity to inspire the younger generations to excel intellectually, sort of like having Walcott living and working in Berbice while the likes of a young Kanhai, ripe and ready to be inspired.

So, if someone wants to start a tech support company, such as Geek Squad, for example, a small trade school making heavy use of Pi's might be a good way to start - for example.

In reply to pelon

A bit of both. Are they powerful enough to run arcgis or AutoCAD?

In reply to culpepperboy

Short answer: no, to both.

You would have to install Windows 10 on your Pi to even have a chance of running ArcGIS or AutoCAD. From what I heard, the Windows 10 for the Pi was not meant to run desktop software.

The Pi Linux operating system would probably not run DraftSight (an excellent proprietary AutoCAD clone) either, because it may not be compiled to run on an ARM chip.

If QGis would suffice as a clone of ArcGIS base functions, then that would probably run - well - on the Pi.

In reply to culpepperboy

No and no.