Author Topic: Raspberry Pi Launched! (Read 6983 times)

SmallFry · « **on:** Wed, 29 February 2012, 18:10:59 »

The long awaited Raspberry Pi has launched...to only the United Kingdom. I personally applaud their achivements, but do not like their sales tactics. :sad:

Elrobo · « **Reply #1 on:** Wed, 29 February 2012, 20:31:51 »

I was sorely disappointed last night when I tried to get one. Was waiting for the countdown, which if I wasn't on top of things I wouldn't have known about because they never sent an email to me even though I was on the mailing list, and all I got was to see the frontpage of 2 euro part suppliers momentarily before they went down in flames : / Welp maybe in a couple months.

alaricljs · « **Reply #2 on:** Wed, 29 February 2012, 20:34:06 »

Well, both Euro suppliers have sisters sites in the US... and a whole lot more of these will be available, just not right off the bat. Seems production and distribution are going hand in hand as the new suppliers are now dealing with both.

Being that I can't do much with these things without most of the infrastructure in place to provide ready made software, I'm not disappointed at all. I want a couple units and I want to be able to accomplish something with them without too much hassle. I can wait a bit longer for that.

Grimey · « **Reply #3 on:** Wed, 29 February 2012, 22:31:55 »

Was bummed out on not being able to order this as well. I didn't really expect to be able to get one though as the hype was too high, maybe in the future.

As a side note we have been playing with different light-weight window managers at work for when we get our hands on these. Hacked box is looking like a good option if you don't mind configuring a *box

mkawa · « **Reply #4 on:** Wed, 29 February 2012, 23:16:58 »

i don't understand what the point of this is at all. how is this different from the millions of other arm SoC boards out there?

Elrobo · « **Reply #5 on:** Thu, 01 March 2012, 02:39:14 »

What was said already with a couple of these I could replace or repurpose some of the larger boxes I have doing things that no longer require a lot of power (like HTPC or other simple servers). But yeah The wait will just mean more support when I get one.

fossala · « **Reply #6 on:** Thu, 01 March 2012, 02:42:28 »

It is replacing my small mail server when I get one. I might also get one to play with.

Daniel Beaver · « **Reply #7 on:** Thu, 01 March 2012, 06:37:30 »

Quote from: fossala;531785

It is replacing my small mail server when I get one. I might also get one to play with.

Likewise, it will replace a bunch of my server boxes. A lot of the stuff I do requires a computer, but doesn't require much power. I usually use refurbished laptops, but even those are overkill power hogs.

alaricljs · « **Reply #8 on:** Thu, 01 March 2012, 07:41:19 »

Carputer...

Minskleip · « **Reply #9 on:** Sun, 04 March 2012, 07:12:15 »

It's not open. There's no documentation for the GPU, which is most of the device, and you need a binary blob driver.

insilica · « **Reply #10 on:** Sun, 04 March 2012, 07:57:04 »

I got dibs on two

, one invoiced, one *yet to be* invoiced

grasshopper · « **Reply #11 on:** Sun, 04 March 2012, 11:23:23 »

Quote from: mkawa;531559

i don't understand what the point of this is at all. how is this different from the millions of other arm SoC boards out there?

It's mostly intended to help school kids learn programming skills (link) but obviously many other uses will be found for the device.

kaen · « **Reply #12 on:** Fri, 27 April 2012, 07:18:01 »

got confirmation that mine is in the post, first batch of uk ones arrived last week!

smknjoe · « **Reply #13 on:** Mon, 21 May 2012, 19:51:56 »

Quote from: mkawa;531559

i don't understand what the point of this is at all. how is this different from the millions of other arm SoC boards out there?

It's $35.00.

I registered interest at RS on launch day and just got mine. It came straight from the UK. You would think that it would be through Allied in the USA, but apparently not.

$42 shipped!

metafour · « **Reply #14 on:** Mon, 21 May 2012, 22:25:52 »

Quote from: smknjoe;597190

It's $35.00.

I registered interest at RS on launch day and just got mine. It came straight from the UK. You would think that it would be through Allied in the USA, but apparently not.

$42 shipped!

Please keep us updated on your thoughts surrounding this project. I'm interested to see how well these work in the field and how successful the project as a whole ends up.

smknjoe · « **Reply #15 on:** Thu, 24 May 2012, 19:09:53 »

So far it's a pretty impressive device. It's a fully functional computer that only uses about 5w, is solid state, is upgradeable via the expansion ports, and it is very affordable. I will definitely purchase more when they are available. If you don't have a sufficient power supply you will likely run into stability issues. The wiki has a lot of helpful info that users should read.

http://elinux.org/RaspberryPiBoard
http://www.raspberrypi.org

props_go_round · « **Reply #16 on:** Tue, 29 May 2012, 17:15:39 »

I just got my raspberry pi in the mail today! After what seemed like an eternity, it's finally here. Mine took about a week to get to California from the UK. They ended up charging me ~$62 though :-/

smknjoe · « **Reply #17 on:** Tue, 29 May 2012, 17:49:46 »

RS or Farnell? That's a lot more than what I was charged by RS (just checked the invoice and it was $35 + $7 shipping.) I have another on the way from Newark. So, I may end up paying more for that one.

Have fun! Read the wiki if you have probs. I'll be glad to help also, but I doubt you'll run into major issues.

Metafour - I'm not sure how the foundation's original goal of teaching kids to program by supplying the Pi will turn out. It can't possibly replace the standard desktops or laptops available today. The Raspberry Pi would fit well in a class dedicated to programing and electronics/electrical engineering. The kids could easily work on software projects or hardware "hacks" at school and then take it home and continue the work without the fear of messing up their "big boy" PCs. It has also been argued that the Pis would do well in developing countries, but I'm not quite sold on that idea mainly because the total cost of ownership would probably be much higher in those situations. How many poor people have HTC cell phone chargers, HDMI cables, SD cards, keyboard/mouse, and TVs available?

props_go_round · « **Reply #18 on:** Wed, 30 May 2012, 00:21:45 »

That was my order through Farnell. I too should have another one coming soon from RS. That one should be less... I hope.

smknjoe · « **Reply #19 on:** Wed, 30 May 2012, 12:07:43 »

That's weird. Did they add taxes to your order or extra shipping charges? My card was just charged $43.30 by Newark. I'm curious because there haven't been any solid numbers on total cost in the US and Newark and RS don't tell you total cost until your card is charged (which is also when they ship the order.)

Have you had time to play with it yet?

smknjoe · « **Reply #20 on:** Wed, 30 May 2012, 13:03:31 »

Quote from: SmallFry;531276

The long awaited Raspberry Pi has launched...to only the United Kingdom. I personally applaud their achivements, but do not like their sales tactics. :sad:

Just FYI - sales were open to the entire world from launch day onward.

props_go_round · « **Reply #21 on:** Fri, 01 June 2012, 00:01:15 »

Quote from: smknjoe;603971

That's weird. Did they add taxes to your order or extra shipping charges? My card was just charged $43.30 by Newark. I'm curious because there haven't been any solid numbers on total cost in the US and Newark and RS don't tell you total cost until your card is charged (which is also when they ship the order.)

Have you had time to play with it yet?

There was no unit price mentioned on the invoice sip that came with my package. Kinda strange. My guess is they charged me extra cause I ordered through their International site, so maybe the shipping cost was different. It wasn't very clearly communicated if that was the case....

So far I just had time to get Debian "squeeze" running on it, configure my user, and get LXDE running on it. It could run a little smoother IMO, but hey, for the size and price point of it, I can't complain too much. It runs very smooth without the desktop GUI!

smknjoe · « **Reply #22 on:** Fri, 01 June 2012, 12:55:30 »

Their Debian distro should already have a default user and LXDE installed. It's no speed demon by any means, but it should be pretty responsive if you have sufficient power. I was having problems with sluggishness and freezing up until I realized it wasn't getting enough juice. The Pi requires 5v/700mA and all of my HTC chargers put out 4.76v/700mA (even though they are rated at 5v/1A.) That's barely within acceptable tolerances. So, when I would plug in a power hungry USB device, such as a bluetooth dongle or HHKB, the Pi would slow way down or just go totally ape ****. I resolved the problem by using a powered USB hub for setting everything up. Afterwards, with the bluetooth ONLY plugged directly into the Pi, it was stable. If I was to plug a keyboard directly in at this point it would start flaking out again.

Moral of the story, use your multimeter - even if it seems okay.

Got my second Pi from Newark/Farnell today. The packaging was sub-par in my opinion. Just a paper thin cardboard box inside a thin bubble bag. RS shipped inside of 2 heavy cardboard boxes and form fitting foam. The circuit board is slightly different as well. The one from Newark/Farnell seems cleaner, has a Samsung chip instead of Hynix, and it has more markings as well such as a CE mark printed on the board.

props_go_round · « **Reply #23 on:** Fri, 01 June 2012, 19:49:22 »

I too received my second pi earlier today. This one was from RS Online as well and the I gotta agree that the packaging was much much better than the one from Farnell. You could probably mod it a bit and use it as case. Thanks for the power tip. I'll check my source with a multimeter next time!

smknjoe · « **Reply #24 on:** Sat, 02 June 2012, 22:11:13 »

A couple of pics of Pi. One from Farnell/Newark and one from RS/Allied.
[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 52140[/ATTACH] [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 52141[/ATTACH] [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 52142[/ATTACH] [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 52143[/ATTACH]

WhiteFireDragon · « **Reply #25 on:** Sun, 03 June 2012, 03:25:15 »

I'm highly considering to get one of these. Those those few "beta testers" that already have one, how fast can it boot from the time it's powered on until an internet browser is usable? Any lags when loading website contents or youtube playback?

REVENGE · « **Reply #26 on:** Sun, 03 June 2012, 03:42:18 »

Quote from: WhiteFireDragon;606563

I'm highly considering to get one of these. Those those few "beta testers" that already have one, how fast can it boot from the time it's powered on until an internet browser is usable? Any lags when loading website contents or youtube playback?

I would highly recommend an APC instead.

smknjoe · « **Reply #27 on:** Sun, 03 June 2012, 13:56:04 »

Quote from: REVENGE;606568

I would highly recommend an APC instead.

I thought they were selling those under the VIA name. The GPU on the Raspberry Pi is far better than the VIA's, but the VIA has double the RAM. Other than that they are very similar.

Don't be fooled by all of the hype. Neither of these will replace a PC. They are just teaching tools and toys for children and electronics hobbyists. Unless you are willing to whip out your multimeter and compile programs just to possibly get it working, steer clear.

REVENGE · « **Reply #28 on:** Sun, 03 June 2012, 15:18:54 »

Quote from: smknjoe;606767

I thought they were selling those under the VIA name. The GPU on the Raspberry Pi is far better than the VIA's, but the VIA has double the RAM. Other than that they are very similar.

Don't be fooled by all of the hype. Neither of these will replace a PC. They are just teaching tools and toys for children and electronics hobbyists. Unless you are willing to whip out your multimeter and compile programs just to possibly get it working, steer clear.

The APC is more of a consumer device than the Pi. The advantage of the Pi is that it's smaller and has GPIO. Otherwise, I'd say their media capabilities are about the same (given that someone hacks 1080p into the APC).

smknjoe · « **Reply #29 on:** Sun, 03 June 2012, 15:44:21 »

I still think you get more bang for your buck with the Pi (what do you expect me to say?). Plus, they are available now without pre-order. The Pi wasn't designed for consumers. It was designed for education.

Since there has been such a huge demand for the Pi (over 100,000 were ordered within the first couple of days) there are bound to be dozens of copy cats like the one from VIA. That's a good thing though. Hopefully someone will produce an ultra low cost PC that consumers can use out of the box.

Maarten · « **Reply #30 on:** Mon, 04 June 2012, 01:11:54 »

Pi cheaper... pi smaller... pi better.... hmmmmmmm pie......

smknjoe · « **Reply #31 on:** Fri, 08 June 2012, 17:45:16 »

No more Pi(s) in the house? Well over 50,000 in the wild.

xcrx · « **Reply #32 on:** Wed, 13 June 2012, 05:43:54 »

I got my Pi on Friday. I have been pretty impressed with what it can run so far. Has anyone else had problems with it ignoring/skipping keystrokes?

jdcarpe · « **Reply #33 on:** Wed, 13 June 2012, 06:58:43 »

I registered my interest on launch day with RS and received my code to order a Pi on 5/24. I ordered that day, and it said "despatch expected within 3 weeks." Still nothing yet.

I actually ordered a Pi from Newark on launch day, but it seems they lost that order. I ordered again on 6/6 and it now says expected delivery is 8/16.

Just a waiting game.

smknjoe · « **Reply #34 on:** Fri, 15 June 2012, 12:44:28 »

Quote from: xcrx;612555

I got my Pi on Friday. I have been pretty impressed with what it can run so far. Has anyone else had problems with it ignoring/skipping keystrokes?

Plug your keyboard directly into the Pi, not a hub. Also, TEST YOUR POWER SUPPLY! I can't stress this enough. I tried 5 of the "good" ones according to their wiki and they weren't providing enough voltage. Even slightly low voltage will cause it to act strangely in completely random ways, including what you describe.

Got a Cyberpower USB hub for 15 bucks at Microcenter and it's been solid ever since. You can use it for power and as a hub simultaneously.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0314345

smknjoe · « **Reply #35 on:** Fri, 15 June 2012, 12:54:03 »

Quote from: jdcarpe;612567

I registered my interest on launch day with RS and received my code to order a Pi on 5/24. I ordered that day, and it said "despatch expected within 3 weeks." Still nothing yet.

I actually ordered a Pi from Newark on launch day, but it seems they lost that order. I ordered again on 6/6 and it now says expected delivery is 8/16.

Just a waiting game.

Strange, did you have RS ship to a P.O. Box? DHL won't deliver if you did. I didn't get my order placed at Newark until 10 P.M. on launch day due to the site constantly crashing in the middle of trying to check out. Maybe that's where they lost it.

jdcarpe · « **Reply #36 on:** Fri, 15 June 2012, 13:48:11 »

Quote from: smknjoe;614175

Strange, did you have RS ship to a P.O. Box? DHL won't deliver if you did. I didn't get my order placed at Newark until 10 P.M. on launch day due to the site constantly crashing in the middle of trying to check out. Maybe that's where they lost it.

If I remember correctly, RS won't let you enter a P.O. box for a shipping address.

I think the Newark order got "lost" because the debit card I used to place the order was destroyed, and I had to order a new one, which came with a new number. I placed the original order with Newark by calling in to their sales telephone number, since the website was hosed.

FYI, don't leave a debit/credit card in the sunlight inside a parked car. They WILL melt!

smknjoe · « **Reply #37 on:** Fri, 15 June 2012, 14:41:52 »

Quote from: jdcarpe;614194

If I remember correctly, RS won't let you enter a P.O. box for a shipping address.

I think the Newark order got "lost" because the debit card I used to place the order was destroyed, and I had to order a new one, which came with a new number. I placed the original order with Newark by calling in to their sales telephone number, since the website was hosed.

FYI, don't leave a debit/credit card in the sunlight inside a parked car. They WILL melt!

They will let you enter a PO - I did and had to go pick my RS Pi up from the airport (pretty far from Downtown!)

FYI - especially in Texas heat.

smknjoe · « **Reply #38 on:** Thu, 10 January 2013, 19:28:58 »

Adafruit industries has some pretty cool add-ons and other stuff Raspberry Pi related. Their pre-made breakout board is great for those hardware hackers that don't like to solder (or don't want to.) http://adafruit.com

Has anyone done any hardware hacks with their Pi yet? I did the one where the PI turns different, external, LEDs on and off when I have new messages in my inbox. Pretty fun stuff.

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Author Topic: Raspberry Pi Launched! (Read 6983 times)

fossala