1. The World’s Smallest Computer for Programmers and App Developers
(Raspberry Pi)
N.Abirami1
, V.Goutham2
1
Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering,
Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chennai.
abi.profession@gmail.com
2
Student, B.E.(CSE) V-Semester, Computer Science & Engineering,
Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chennai.
gouthamvenkatesh95@gmail.com
Abstract— The Raspberry Pi (RasPi) is an ultra-low-cost, single-
board, credit-card sized Linux computer which was conceived
with the primary goal of teaching computer programming to
children. It was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation,
which is a UK registered charity. The foundation exists to
promote the study of computer science and related topics,
especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning
computing. The device is expected to have many other
applications both in the developed and the developing world.
Raspberry-Pi is manufactured and sold in partnership with the
world-wide industrial distributors Premier Farnell/Element 14
and RS Components Company.
The Raspberry Pi has a Broadcom BCM2835 system on chip
which includes an ARM1176JZF- S 700 MHz processor, Video
Core IV GPU, and 256 megabytes of RAM. It does not include a
built-in hard disk or solid-state drive, but uses an SD card for
booting and long-term storage.
The Foundation provides Debian and Arch Linux ARM
distributions for download. Also planned are tools for supporting
Python as the main programming language, with support for
BBC BASIC, C and Perl.
The gadget looks rather odd next to sleek modern offerings such
as the iPad, and appears to have more in common with the
crystal radio sets of the 1950s. However, the machine is a fully-
fledged computer and can be connected to a monitor, keyboard
and mouse, as well as speakers and printers.
Fig1 : Raspberry Pi Module
I. INTRODUCTION
Rob Dudley of The Raspberry Pi Foundation
designed this little board here, the Raspberry Pi, to
address a lost generation of computer programmers
and hardware engineers. So, this little board here is
low cost, it's easily accessible, it's very simple to
use. When you power it up you get a nice little
desktop environment, it includes all of the things
that you need to do to get started to learn
programming. There's lots of information out there
on the internet that you can take away and start
programming code in to make things happen.
The great thing about these boards as well is in
addition to software, you can play with hardware.
So these little general purpose pins here allow
access to the processor and you can hang off little
hardware projects that you build and you can
control via the code you are writing through the
software application. So, this is a great tool for kids
to learn how computers work at a grassroots level.
II.What is a Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer
that plugs into TV and a keyboard. It is a capable
little PC which can be used for many of the things
that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-
processing and games. It also plays high-definition
video. A Raspberry -Pi leads, a power supply or SD
cards that are not included but can be purchased
later. One can buy preloaded SD cards too. The
Raspberry Pi measures 85.60mm x 53.98mm x
17mm, with a little overlap for the SD card and
Proceedings of International Conference on Advancements in Engineering and Technology
ISBN NO : 978 - 1502893314
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International Association of Engineering and Technology for Skill Development
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2. connectors which project over the edges. It weighs
around 45g. Overall real world performance is
something like a 300MHz Pentium 2. Raspberry-Pi
cannot boot without an SD card.The Raspberry Pi
uses Linux kernel-based operating systems.
Raspbian, a Debian-based free operating system
optimized for the Raspberry Pi hardware, is the
current recommended system.The GPU hardware is
accessed via firmware image which is loaded into
the GPU at boot time from the SD-card. The
firmware image is known as the binary blob, while
the associated Linux drivers are closed source.
Application software use calls to closed source run-
time libraries which in turn calls an open source
driver inside the Linux kernel. The API of the
kernel driver is specific for these closed libraries.
Video applications use Open MAX.There are a
number of operating systems running, ported or in
the process of being ported to Raspberry-Pi. Like,
AROS, Android 4.0,Arch Linux ARM, Debian
Squeeze, Firefox OS etc.
Fig 2: Raspberry Pi Board
III. What’s the filling of a raspberry pi?
Initial sales were of the Model B, with Model A
following in early 2013. Model A has one USB port
and no Ethernet controller, and costs less than the
Model B with two USB ports and a 10/100 Ethernet
controller or the B+ with four USB ports.
Though the Model A does not have an 8P8C
(RJ45) Ethernet port, it can connect to a network by
using an external user-supplied USB Ethernet or
Wi-Fi adapter. On the model B the Ethernet port is
provided by a built-in USB Ethernet adapter. As is
typical of modern computers, generic USB
keyboards and mice are compatible with the
Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi does not come with a real-time
clock, so an OS must use a network time server, or
ask the user for time information at boot time to get
access to time and date for file time and date
stamping. However, a real-time clock (such as the
DS1307) with battery backup can be added via the
IC interface.
Hardware accelerated video (H.264) encoding
became available on 24 August 2012 when it
became known that the existing license also
covered encoding. Previously it was thought that
encoding would be added with the release of the
announced camera module. However, no stable
software support exists for hardware H.264
encoding .The New Raspberry Pi model B's would
be fitted with 512 MB instead of 256 MB RAM.
Fig4: Internals of Raspberry Pi
POWER
5v micro USB connector
There has been a lot of speculation about the
power supply design for the production Raspberry
Pi devices. The alpha boards use a pair of switch-
mode power supplies to generate 5V and 3V3 rails
from a 6-20V input on a coaxial jack, and LDOs to
generate the low-current 2V5 and 1V8 rails for the
analog TV DAC and various I/O functions.
Fig 3: Power
Audio/Video
1) RCA
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3. An RCA connector, sometimes called a phono
connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical
connector commonly used to carry audio and video
signals. The connectors are also sometimes casually
referred to as A/V jacks. The name "RCA" derives
from the Radio Corporation of America, which
introduced the design by the early 1940s for internal
connection of the pickup to the chassis in home
radio-phonograph consoles. It was originally a low-
cost, simple design, intended only for mating and
disconnection when servicing the console.
Refinement came with later designs, although they
remained compatible.
2)HDMI
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is
a compact audio/video interface for transferring
uncompressed video data and compressed or
uncompressed digital audio data from an HDMI-
compliant source device, such as a display
controller, to a compatible computer monitor, video
projector, digital television, ordigital audio device.
HDMI is a digital replacement for existing analog
video standards.
3) 3.5 mm
Personal computer sound cards use a 3.5 mm
phone connector as a mono microphone input, and
deliver a 5 V polarizing voltage on the ring to
power electret microphones. Compatibility between
different manufacturers is unreliable.
Fig5: Audio/Video
CONNECTIVITY
1)USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry
standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines
the cables, connectors and communications
protocols used in a bus for connection,
communication, and power supply between
computers and electronic devices.USB was
designed to standardize the connection of computer
peripherals (including keyboards, pointing devices,
digital cameras, printers, portable media players,
disk drives and network adapters) to personal
computers, both to communicate and to supply
electric power.
2)ETHERNET
In computer networking, Fast Ethernet is a
collective term for a number of Ethernet standards
that carry traffic at the nominal rate of 100 Mbit/s,
against the original Ethernet speed of 10 Mbit/s. Of
the Fast Ethernet standards 100BASE-TX is by far
the most common and is supported by the vast
majority of Ethernet hardware currently produced.
Fast Ethernet was introduced in 1995 and remained
the fastest version of Ethernet for three years before
being superseded by gigabit Ethernet.
3)GPIO
General-purpose input/output ( GPIO) is a
generic pin on an integrated circuit whose behavior,
including whether it is an input or output pin, can
be controlled by the user at run time.GPIO pins
have no special purpose defined, and go unused by
default. The idea is that sometimes the system
integrator building a full system that uses the chip
might find it useful to have a handful of additional
digital control lines, and having these available
from the chip can save the hassle of having to
arrange additional circuitry to provide them.
Fig6: Connectivity
INTERNALS
1) SOC
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4. A system on a chip or system on chip (SoC or
SOC) is an integrated circuit(IC) that integrates all
components of a computer or other electronic
system into a single chip. It may contain digital,
analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency
functions—all on a single chip substrate. The
contrast with a microcontroller is one of degree.
Microcontrollers typically have under 100 kB of
RAM (often just a few kilobytes) and often really
are single-chip-systems, whereas the term SoC is
typically used for more powerful processors,
capable of running software such as the desktop
versions of Windows and Linux, which need
external memory chips (flash, RAM) to be useful,
and which are used with various external
peripherals.
2)LAN
A wireless LAN controller is used in combination
with the Lightweight Access Point Protocol
(LWAPP) to manage light-weight access points in
large quantities by the network administrator or
network operations center. The wireless LAN
controller is part of the Data Plane within the Cisco
Wireless Model. The WLAN controller
automatically handles the configuration of wireless
access-points.
3) JTAG
The JTAG headers on the Raspberry Pi are
located near the audio jack. They are labeled P2 and
P3. JTAG stands for Joint Test Action Group.
Headers or pins with the JTAG label are mainly
used for debugging during the development of
embedded software and hardware.JTAG header P2
is connected to the Broadcom BCM2835. As you
may suspect from what I said about the DSI, It is all
closed source and there is virtually no way to use
this header. It is not a JTAG interface for the ARM
CPU like so many people always assume.JTAG
header P3 is connected to the LAN9512 LAN and
USB Hub chip. It is only on the model B Pi since
the model A does not use the LAN9512. The
LAN9512 is a USB 2.0 bus and 10/100 ethernet
controller.
4) CSI
The CAMIF, also the Camera Interface block is
the hardware block that interfaces with different
image sensor interfaces and provides a standard
output that can be used for subsequent image
processing.A typical Camera Interface would
support at least a parallel interface although these
days many camera interfaces are beginning to
support the MIPI CSI interface.The Raspberry Pi
Foundation has released their Pi compatible camera
module that connects to the CSI. It is a 5 megapixel
camera with a fixed focused lens.
5) DSI
The display serial interface, or DSI as I will refer
to it from now on, is a high speed serial connector
located between the power connector and the GPIO
header on the Raspberry Pi. The purpose of the DSI
connector is to give the end user a quick and easy
way to connect an LCD panel to the Pi. In this case
the chip being interfaced with is the Broadcom
BCM2835, which is at the heart of the Raspberry Pi.
Fig7: Internals
STORAGE
SD
Secure Digital (SD) is a non-volatile memory
card format for use in portable devices, such as
mobile phones, digital cameras.
Fig 8: Storage
A CONFESSION
IV.Uses Of Raspberry Pi
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5. 10.LIBRE OFFICE
LibreOffice is a free and open source office suite,
developed by The Document Foundation. It was
forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010, which was an
open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice. The
LibreOffice suite comprises programs to do word
processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams and
drawings, maintain databases, and compose math
formulae.
LibreOffice uses the international ISO/IEC
standard OpenDocument file format as its native
format to save documents for all of its applications
(as do its OpenOffice.org cousins Apache
OpenOffice and NeoOffice).
Fig 9: LibreOffice
9.PROGRAMMING
Python
Python is a widely used general-purpose, high-
level programming language. Its design philosophy
emphasizes code readability, and its syntax allows
programmers to express concepts in fewer lines of
code than would be possible in languages such as C.
The language provides constructs intended to
enable clear programs on both a small and large
scale.
Python supports multiple programming
paradigms, including object-oriented, imperative
and functional programming or procedural styles. It
features a dynamic type system and automatic
memory management and has a large and
comprehensive standard library.
SCRATCH
Scratch is a multimedia authoring tool that can be
used by students, scholars, teachers, and parents for
a range of educational and entertainment
constructivist purposes from math and science
projects, including simulations and visualizations of
experiments, recording lectures with animated
presentations, to social sciences animated stories,
and interactive art and music. Simple games may be
made with it, as well. Viewing the existing projects
available on the Scratch website, or modifying and
testing any modification without saving it requires
no online registration.
Fig 10: Python
8.GAME CONSOLE
A video game console is a device that outputs a
video signal to display a video game. The term
"video game console" is used to distinguish a
machine designed for consumers to use for playing
video games on a separate television in contrast to
arcade machines, handheld game consoles, or home
computers.
Fig 11:Game console
7.MINECRAFT
Minecraft is a sandbox indie game originally
created by Swedish programmer Markus "Notch"
Persson and later developed and published by
Mojang. It was publicly released for the PC on May
17, 2009, as a developmental alpha version and,
after gradual updates, was published as a full
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6. release version on November 18, 2011. A version
for Android was released a month earlier on
October 7, and an iOS version was released on
November 17, 2011. On May 9, 2012, the game
was released on Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade
game, as well as on the PlayStation 3 on December
17, 2013. Both console editions are being co-
developed by 4J Studios. All versions of Minecraft
receive periodic updates.
Fig 12: Minecraft
6.TOR ROUTER
Tor (previously an acronym for The Onion
Router) is free software for enabling online
anonymity and resisting censorship The term
"onion routing" refers to application layers of
encryption, nested like the layers of an onion, used
to anonymize communication
The NSA(National Security Agency) has a
technique that targets outdated Firefox browsers
codenamed EgotisticalGiraffe,and targets Tor users
in general for close monitoring under its XKeyscore
program.
Fig13: Tor Router
5.HTPC
A home theater PC (HTPC) or media center
computer is a convergence device that combines
some or all the capabilities of a personal computer
with a software application that supports video,
photo, audio playback, and sometimes video
recording functionality. An HTPC system typically
has a remote control and the software interface
normally has a 10-foot user interface design so that
it can be comfortably viewed at typical television
viewing distances. An HTPC can be purchased pre-
configured with the required hardware and software
needed to add video programming or music to the
PC. Enthusiasts can also piece together a system out
of discrete components as part of a software-based
HTPC.
Fig 14: HTPC
4. Bartender
A robotic drink-dispensing rig is aiming to steal
your customers while pouring cocktail creations at
the push of a touchscreen button. Its creators call it
Bartendro.
Operated through an iPad interface, the open
source, synthetic Al Swearengen holds up to 15
bottles of beverage plumbed into custom-designed,
Raspberry Pi-controlled pumps. It’s capable of
mixing dozens of drinks, including black Russians,
Kahlua mudslides, or almost any other classy
beverage of your choosing.
A tiny Raspberry Pi serves as the brain, operating
up to 15 dispensers, which essentially suck booze
out of whatever bottles you’ve got handy, then mix
Proceedings of International Conference on Advancements in Engineering and Technology
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7. it to your specifications.
Fig 15: Bartender
3.CAMERA
The Raspberry Pi camera module can be used to
take high-definition video, as well as stills
photographs. It’s easy to use for beginners, but has
plenty to offer advanced users if you’re looking to
expand your knowledge. There are lots of examples
online of people using it for time-lapse, slow-
motion and other video cleverness. You can also
use the libraries we bundle with the camera to
create effects.The camera module is very popular in
home security applications, and in wildlife camera
traps.You can also use it to take snapshots.
Fig 16:Camera
2.CLOCK
This simple project was to replace a radio clock
working from MSF with a clock based on NTP. It
just so happened that an older 10.2-inch LCD TV
became free, and I wanted to have a go at
programming the Raspberry Pi and learn just a little
(not too much) more about Linux.
The project involved setting up the Raspberry Pi
to display correctly on the TV (I converted a
Windows Testcard program to run on Linux to
check the display size), using the Free Pascal and
Lazarus IDE to compile a suitable wall-clock
program, learning how to auto-login on the
Raspberry Pi, and how to start a program
automatically on the desktop (i.e. using the GUI).
Fig 17:Clock
1.PIBOLT
One of the coolest little developer boards out
there is the Raspberry Pi. That board can be used
for any project needing electronics for control that
you can dream up. A new robotics kit made for use
with the Raspberry Pi is getting ready to hit
Kickstarter.
That robotics kit is called the PiBot. PiBot will
have a range of features that electronics fans will
appreciate including voice recognition, face
recognition, and live HD streaming from the PiBot
camera. The robot will be controllable from a
smartphone and tablet.
PiBot will also be able to follow lines, measure
distance, and use GPS. The company behind the
PiBot also plans to have workshops that will allow
people to come in and play with the robotics kit.
There are a few things we don't know at this time
such as when the PiBot will hit market and how
much it will cost.
Fig 18:PiBot
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8. V.Advantages of the Pi
1. Power consumption - The Pi draws about
five to seven watts of electricity. This is about one
tenth of what a comparable full-size box can use.
Since servers are running constantly night and day,
the electrical savings can really add up.
2. No moving parts - The Pi uses an SD card
for storage, which is fast and has no moving parts.
There are also no fans and other things to worry
about.
3. Small form factor - The Pi (with a case) can
be held in your hand. A comparable full-size box
cannot. This means the Pi can be integrated inside
of devices, too.
4. No noise - The Pi is completely silent.
5. Status lights - There are several status lights
on the Pi's motherboard. With a clear case you can
see NIC activity, disk I/O, power status, etc.
6. Expansion capabilities - There are numerous
devices available for the Pi, all at very affordable
prices. Everything from an I/O board (GPIO) to a
camera. The Pi has two USB ports, however by
hooking up a powered USB hub, more devices can
be added.
7. Built-in HDMI capable graphics - The
display port on the Pi is HDMI and can handle
resolutions up to 1920×1200, which is nice for
making the Pi in to a video player box for example.
There are some converters that can convert to VGA
for backwards compatibility
8. Affordable - compared to other similar
alternatives, the Pi (revision B) offers the best specs
for the price, at least that I've found. It is one of the
few devices in its class that offers 512 MB of RAM.
9. Huge community support - The Pi has
phenomenal community support. Support can be
obtained quite easily for the hardware and/or
GNU/Linux software that runs on the Pi mainly in
user forums, depending on the GNU/Linux
distribution used.
10. Overclocking capability - The Pi can be
overclocked if there are performance problems with
the application used, but it is at the user's risk to do
this.
VI.Drawbacks of the Pi
With all of the positive things about the Pi, there
are a couple of items that I feel are very minor
drawbacks:
1. ARM architecture - While ARM is a highly
efficient and low powered architecture, it is not x86
and therefore any binaries that are compiled to run
on x86 cannot run on the Pi. The good news is that
entire GNU/Linux distributions have been compiled
for the ARM architecture and new ones are
appearing all of the time.
2. RAM not upgradable - The main
components of the Pi are soldered to the
motherboard, including the RAM which is 512 MB.
This is not a problem though as GNU/Linux can
easily run on this. I've found the Pi uses about 100
MB of RAM while running as a small server (this is
without running X11).
VII.Conclusion
Today virtualisation is very popular so some may
say that the cost of spinning up a virtual machine is
less than running a Raspberry Pi. But, calculate the
power consumption for your hypervisor, and weigh
out the differences to see which method in fact
costs less overall. Sometimes, a physical box or
physical segmentation is needed, or avoiding high
costs of running a full hypervisor is a factor, and
this is where the Pi can step in.
REFERENCES
1. Wikipedia
2. Online guidelines regulated by the members of
3. Schneider Electric.( 132 Fairgrounds Road, West
4. Kingston, RI 02892 USA).
5. Preferred links from www.google.com
6. Raspbian Technology Services
7. raspberrypibooks.net/
8. raspberrypi.org
9. Raspberry Pi User Guide (2nd Edition)
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ISBN NO : 978 - 1502893314
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International Association of Engineering and Technology for Skill Development
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9. 10. Raspberry Pi For Dummies
11. Raspberry Pi Manual: A practical guide to the revolutionary small
computer
12. Raspberry Pi Projects
13. Some Notes Are Prepared By Myself
.
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ISBN NO : 978 - 1502893314
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