#241

The new Raspberry Pi 3A+ is a stripped-down and cheaper version of the flagship RPI 3B+. Is it worth the money? Where are the things you have to pay attention to? Comparison to Raspberry Pi Zero and Raspberry Pi 3B+
Link:
www.raspberrypi.org/blog/new-...
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[@arnauddurand127]

Hi Andreas, why don't you use a USB to serial adapter on your Pi Zero? In my opinion, this is the easiest way see the boot sequence and configure a Pi without SSH.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you. You are right. I did not think about this possibility because I have these adapters here. But I pin your comment that others can learn about this possibility I forgot.

[@zmeygavrilych]

@@AndreasSpiess You have these adapters, so you don't think about them? :)

[@DCFusor]

@@zmeygavrilych It happens, believe me. When you have a big lab and tons of stuff and lots of active projects...things can hide either in meatspace or in your mind...;~)

[@AndreasSpiess]

@VG they are small ;-)

[@khashmeshab]

@@zmeygavrilych These adapters: Ethernet adapters. Them: USB-to-serial adapters.

[@Dronebotworkshop]

Another excellent video! Thanks to our current postal strike my Pi 3A+ is somewhere between the UK and Canada, looking forward to eventually getting it. And I notice that you just passed the magic 100k subscriber mark, congratulations on achieving the KZbin Silver level! You most certainly deserve it, love your channel.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your nice words. I am not sure if this is a magic number, but certainly, I liked it. You are also growing quite fast! Liked your video about the pixi2.

[@Argosh]

Thank you for this nice overview!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@charlesroberts3650]

Subscribed. Your channel is informative and FUN.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Welcome aboard the channel!

[@delta-game]

Hi Andreas, congratulations on 100k subscribers!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@dusnoki]

Great video again Andreas. I'll try to get my hands on one soon.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@Lyndon_K]

Another great video, very informative and concise. Thank you very much! Salome.

[@AndreasSpiess]

This video is quite old. Now we have different problems with the Pi: We do not get them anymore :-(

[@argon1490]

RPi 3B+ boards are frequently on sale for ~$29. Unless space is a premium, or if the 3A+ can run with significantly less power, or if you need to buy a lot of them, it's hard to make a strong case for this new version.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Never saw such a sale :-( Since the chips are all the same I did not test power consumption. I assumed it is more or less the same. I also would not replace a 3B+. Only for an additional one, I would think about this one instead of a 3B+.

[@jedandecko5585]

Power consumption is 1/2 of 3b+, for "normal tasks", that is big advantage if you need it outdoor. Solar+battery...

[@AndreasSpiess]

According to the German magazine ct the difference is 1.2W

[@jedandecko5585]

The power draw is significantly lower on the 3A+ compared to the 3B+. With idle load about half (approximately 1 W compared to 2 W), and draw under heavy computational load about 4 W compared to 5.5 W for the 3B+ source: Hacker space magazine So they measurement are about right on heavy load. But 1w on normal tasks, definitly is ok for standalone PS with solar, maybe you can make some setup, and you can program it easy in Python or even Lua. If it works in Swiss it will work in 80% of world :) its cold (not good for battery, and have less sun than most of world). Ill try to get one after NY, and make some airq (those sensor eat W pretty hard, heating them is pain) weather station with sun chaser (motor), but I live in building not house so I have pretty shady position for setting it up.

[@WacKEDmaN]

thank you Andreas.. thats info is very useful...ill stick with my rPi2+ for the time being.. new kernel for rasbian now has hardware acceleration for VLC out of the box.. now i can use it as a simple media system with ease :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

I also use a 2+ as an MQTT broker for the moment. We should not throw working things away and just buy new ones.

[@voneschenbachmusic]

Oh my! I was hoping someone would review this! Thanks! Hopefully they will update the CPU in the zero/zero w. I've been using mine for small battery powered file servers like Librarybox.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I liked the Zero when I saw it. So tiny and still a full computer. But now I do not use it too much because it is really slow for many applications which involve some Web pages. With a faster CPU, it probably would be ok...

[@DavidGlaude]

@@AndreasSpiess If you consider the PiZero for use with CircuitPython, Bare bone MicroPython or PiratePython, and you remove the price of adaptor (because you only need one set and do not keep them permanently, then the PiZero has a new set of usecase. One of the power of the PiZero is to use it as a GPIO extension to a desktop using remote GPIO, it can even boot without a microSD. Another power, normally shared with the Pi3A+ is the USB OTG. They can pretend to be a keyboard, a network adaptor, a storage. This permit very interesting usage, like turning a digital photo display into a connected digital photo display...

[@ristomatti]

@@AndreasSpiess I've had the exact same experience. But I believe I've had the wrong expectations after getting used to the speed of RPi3. They aren't very useful for most interactive projects. I would think they'd be best suited for similar projects as we tend to use microcontrollers for, but instead of small LCD/OLED/LED matrix displays, they just can drive a bigger displa. I just don't have the need for such myself. They do however have just enough CPU to run an instance of PiKrellCam to be used as used as a highly configurable webcam. Another thing to consider is that they're often used with inefficient interpreted programming languages...

[@AndersJackson]

@@AndreasSpiess but I don't see why they are slow as a MQTT-server? That isn't a huge program. Should be no problem if you don't run any GUI (that is, a X11 server) on it, which isn't needed on a server. Just an SSH server and some X clients (like xterm and emacs), then you can connect to them and run some text or graphical programs on the Zero and have your stronger machine display them. From your machine with X11, try this (you can use a RPi3). ssh -X yourlogin@zeropi zeropi$ xterm & zeropi$ emacs & Then you will have xterm and emacs show up on your screen, if you have a X11 server running on your machine. (Easiest to do this from a Linux machine). The -X switch will tunnel the X11 graphics to your RPi3 from the zeropi.

[@norm1124]

Danke Andi, gute Sache

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bitte. Hab gedacht es interessiert den Einen oder Andern...

[@AtomkeySinclair]

Hmm - Andreas a few things. My pi zero-w works back and forth with my pi 3B ssd image with no issues. So I'm not sure what's up there. I'm going to go double check that in a minute to make certain... But I just did it last week working on the Lightcrafter projector eval module. Odd. And the pi zero-w also woks with my logitech wireless mouse and keyboard. I just plug in the single micro-dongle into a usb cable type changer and I can configure the zero with a standard monitor while using a terminal in the gui. I just install ssh and from then on I can login remotely for whatever I need. I usually enable samba or vsfptd for moving files around. But I had no clue about the pi-3A having the same processor. That's a great thing to be aware of. Thanks again for the work sir.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did not do extensive checks. And maybe my memory is bad ;-)

[@NicoDsSBCs]

To run the RPi 3B+ OS you probably need to do rpi-update so it can install the new specs for the A+. Also if you don't use a fan and it goes over 60°C is only runs at 1.2Ghz, while the governor still shows 1.4Ghz. It's always 60°C when in use without a fan. Greetings

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the info. I just read an article where they wrote they had to do a 15-minute benchmark on all cores to get the CPU to throttle. But this was in Germany and it is winter ;-)

[@NicoDsSBCs]

Hi @@AndreasSpiess here you can see what happens. Check the last part. Above 60C it shows 1400Mhz, but actually it`s 1200Ghz. ix.io/1ism Here with a fan it`s a lot faster, and stays at 1400Mhz. I don`t have an A+ but I expect the same. ix.io/1isD The problem is that the governor lies, so many people don`t notice. But if they would compare results with a fan vs without they would see the difference. I made a video about it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnW6p2N3aJuKb9U Greetings

[@drmocm]

After an apt-get update and apt-get upgrade my raspian card worked on the A+. The update installed among other things a new kernel and firmware.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I only used the newest Raspian download. So maybe this was the problem. I have to test later on again.

[@justinmoncier9716]

Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@avejst]

Nice, jep, it seams as a better choice for me too 😀

[@AndreasSpiess]

I just read in a magazine that browsers only run slow on the 512M RAM...

[@Emillos82]

That Usb hub with ethernet is ok, but only buy 1 maximum. I bought three and they all had the same MAC-address. And even after spoofing the MAC to something else in raspbian they pulled my network down some times. Yes nice device indeed. But I miss the LAN connection, so I will stick with the 3b+.

[@averestless]

If mac spoofing for the NICs was not stable, you might think of some (annoying) workarounds such as putting every NIC in a different vlan and using a different subnet per adapter... Another option is to filter the burnt-in MACs on the switch port level so in the case when the OS doesnt override the MAC, the switch will drop the frames inbound... These options require using capable stwitches and/or routers and maybe not even worth the hassle... A manufacturer reusing supposedly universally unique MACs is not worth buying their products. Amateurish tbh.

[@AndreasSpiess]

@Emil: Thank you for the info. So far I only used one at a time. But it is good to know. Saves lots of time because I would not have searched an error in this direction...

[@AndersJackson]

Oh, that isn't unique for this stuff. We hade a 3COM card reuse an older 3COM cards MAC-address, which was a huge problem before it was discovered. Yes, they was at least 5 years between the products, and the risk of that they would have sold a card with same MAC address as a previous sold one is small, but it happens. Yes, it is a large network, was at the university I work at. We guess we had around 500-1000 of those cards, as it was from the time when computers didn't have built in LAN connections. :-)

[@dvdd1139]

Waiting for any project using the Rpi 3a+

[@AndreasSpiess]

It will be used interchangeably with my 3b boards.

[@ArjanvanVught]

A SDCard with the latest bootloader will run on all Raspberry Pi boards. There is nothing special for the Zero. When you have a SDCard working with the 3B+ and it is not having the latest bootloader, then it will not run on newer boards like the 3A+ . This 3A+ is pretty expensive as well.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did the test for that video with a freshly downloaded Raspian image. The first time it booted, of course. But then it expands the file system and maybe does other things. After that, it did not want to boot on the A+ if I did it on a B+. But maybe I made a mistake.

[@yardwolves2773]

The basic bootloader has all the files necessary for the zero, 3b, 3b+, and 3a+. Once it is loaded however, it becomes configured for the specific ports of that model. It saves space, confusion, and operating speeds to not have all the possible ports of separate units loaded and open for every unique device.

[@AndersJackson]

@@yardwolves2773 this I didn't knew about the "optimization" of the SD card after installation. Thanks!

[@kokoscom]

hi Andreas and everybody! RPis are the standard and of course they have great support (and also large community) - However for many applications you cannot depend on the SDCARD (which can get damaged - not so reliable) since RPis dont have onboard MEMORY (eMMC etc) (i wished they had!)- I agree 100% the zero is toooo slow as compared to B+ (everything depends on your application however)

[@MiniRockerz4ever]

I am waiting for delivery of RPi 3 B+ and cables and hope I can get Raspbian OS running from HDD with it's own power source

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did a video about RPI and an HDD. It works fine as long as you pay attention to the power... eMMC would be nice. However, I also do not know how often this can be written.

[@AndrewBorrill1]

Hi Andreas, I have MQTT working on a Pi Zero W. I did have to use a different O/S than the normal Rasbian, went for DietPi which is a cut down linux O/S.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I once used dietPi on an Orange Pi zero. But my version suddenly was no more supported :-(

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

Yes. I wish they had shipped the A+ about three months ago. I had a project where I built four of something for a customer, each used a Pi 3B+. The 3A+ would have done the job perfectly well, and I would have made $40 more.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe next time ;-)

[@john-r-edge]

Good comparison, well explained. But question, what is MQTT ?? Thanks.

[@AndreasSpiess]

MQTT is a lightweight protocol which is used to connect IOT devices. You find many videos, also on this channel, about it.

[@GeorgeOu]

Just use a CP2102 adapter to get to the console port. You will never want to hook up an HDMI monitor and keyboard again once you use the console port. The Raspberry Pi Zero can even be powered at the same time you connect the console port, I think. The Orange Pi One is still a much better deal than any of the Raspberry Pis. The Pi Zero is only cheap in name but by the time you pay for the mandatory connectors you've paid 4X the price for a Zero. The sellers won't even sell you more than one Pi Zero at a time and they will not sell you Pi Zero at wholesale.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I never used the Serial connection, but you are right, of course. And also with the pricing of the Pi Zero. I never saw one for 5$ :-(

[@AndersJackson]

Just so you don't forget to calculate for the size of the community.

[@D4no00]

You should take a look at alternatives to raspberry, there are quite a few today on the market. I got a orange pi zero for 16$ and it has better specs than a rasberry pi3, the only downside of the zero version is that it doesn't have many output ports, but they have like 8 versions of the board with different price ranges.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I have an Orange Pi, but was not extremely happy with dietpi. Since I do not have too much time I stick with the RPI because it has the biggest community, not because it is the best board.

[@electron-1979]

@@AndreasSpiess Try Armbian

[@ionciubotaru]

I use Rpi 3A+ as internet radio and internet TV. It's more expensive than esp32 radio but more stable

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea!

[@stewartrv]

Pi Zero W is good for some specific cases, for example when you need a lot of them and price is then a big factor (assuming they are powerful enough). Then you only need one set of Kbd connections etc and once the development is done make multiple copies of he SDCard for each PiZeroW and config via Serial or SSH. A good example is the PiZero works good in the JumboSpot DMR Hotspot. Are you on DMR? de HA5RV

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree with specific needs and the Zero. No, I am currently not an active HAM operator :-(

[@SandeepSolankis]

Could you also make a video on industrial grade computing device ? Rasberry pi cant be used in industrial iot applications

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is a maker channel and, "industry grade" usually also means "expensive". This does not fit this channel, I think. And I am no expert either.

[@SandeepSolankis]

@@AndreasSpiess Ok fair enough, but when i think to use it in real life productive applications.. i have to research a lot.. but thats ok.. i truly appreciate your effort in sharing knowledge on senaors and microcontrollers. Cheers !

[@peppekerstens]

Check MickMake, he reviews them... kzbin.info/door/7GMT3ohvYEAJFDenzj9EMQ

[@ytfp]

Pimoroni.com sells cases. For me the price is not worth it for 512mb ram, sure its cheaper but this really limits the projects. I will wait for Pi4 if they get it right. The 3 A+ would have been viable at $15 (or roughly $5 more than a pi zero w) or $20 at a stretch but it looks like the foundation got greedy on this one. $25 is too high, here in the states the difference between pi3 b+ and pi3 A+ is $9.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the tip with Pimironi. Maybe I will order one. Or I wait for a clone ;-)

[@DrKnow65]

Greedy? Please, do throw together a list of com comparable quad-core maker boards that support 5v GPIO, HDMI, WIFI, CSI, DSI, and have anywhere near the ease of software configuration of the PI 3A+... I won't hold my breath. Maybe you could whip up a quick one-off 6 layer board using a 0.4mm pitch UFBGA POP (Package On Package) SOC (System On Chip), get it fabricated, assembled, packaged, shipped, and available in nearly every maker store on the planet for less than $25 a unit and show us all how the Pi Foundation should step up their game :-/

[@ytfp]

@@DrKnow65 There are plenty sorry and much much more powerful. YOu have to remember that raspberry Pi has more supoort however. This is due to their early success and adoption and their client base of newbies. I think you answered your own question but without knowing. Look up the price of BCM2837B0, can you find it, its closed to only the pi foundation, and their blob is closed too but I don't really expect you to know what that is. If the pie foundation is so wonderful, you go ahead and look up the source and build your own, great luck with that. The sad truth is the Pi foundation has closed off this market for anyone else, so there is no competition in a direct chip to chip. However you will find plenty of less expensive and more powerful boards at this price point with better features if you look around. If you knew the price by volume that these cost compared to what they are asking, you would see this price is a bit too high for the offering. If it fits your niche and you don't need a full 1ghz ram as Andreas and you want to stick with raspberry pi and shave off 9-$10 bucks because those features of your project do not require it, I think that is a wonderful idea. The pi foundation can step up their game by increasing their ram size, decoupling the ethernet from their usb and offering a full gigabit ethernet, something they still can't manage to do even with their 3b+ offering. Stop putting artificial limits on their boards such as the zero series, offering usb 3, as well as external drive support (sata,msata, m.2, pick your flavor). The Raspberry Pi foundaton seems to think these things can't be added without increasing the price but this is exactly what other companies are doing at this price point, surely they can fill a few of these holes to make their product more marketable. If support and price is all you have to boast about your product over other competing products and now your price is starting to falter...your left standing on one, (although strong) leg, not where I would want to be if I were a producer, and being restricted on parts purchasing, not a serious maker either if I want to produce products in volume with a pi zero.

[@DrKnow65]

I'm aware of quite a few other board producers, and even setting the eco system aside, just from a hardware standpoint, please list some higher spec boards that are lower price than a $24 Pi 3A+. Your claim is "greed" from the Pi guys, and I'm just not seeing it. And I'm not aware of the "plenty and much much more powerful" you reference. I'm no fan boy either, I primarily have interest in ARM processors and spend much of my time with STM32 MCU's.

[@DrKnow65]

I will concede that OrangePi does make a few comparable boards that can be found "slow boat from China" for comparable prices but they do not qualify as "much much more powerful" in the $25 bracket. If you are into sorting out driver and kernel issues for them :-/

[@jaredkindred]

Andreas would you recommend using the Raspberry Pi Zero W with a camera module and battery to make a wifi connected camera? Or are there better options. Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

I never used a camera on a Pi. But I will do tests with an IR camera. Maybe I will test it on a Zero.

[@electron-1979]

Yes, but use the lite OS

[@misaalanshori]

I hope they make a more powerful pi zero. More RAM and cores

[@oldtwinsna8347]

If you crave such things, you can just buy a mini computer for not much more money.

[@misaalanshori]

@@oldtwinsna8347 I have a mini computer, but im hoping they could make a pi zero with specs similar to a normal full sized raspberry pi.

[@electronic7979]

Super 👍

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@Ed19601]

I am a. It surprised at what you said about needing different image for the zero, I have exchanged cards between a zero and a raspberry B without problems. But.....could be I only did that between the zero and an old raspi 1B, not the 3B

[@AndreasSpiess]

After reading a few comments I am no more sure. The tests were done a while ago and you know, I am no more the youngest ;-)

[@Ed19601]

@@AndreasSpiess me neither. If my head wasn't attached to my neck I would forget where I left my body

[@vylbird8014]

You didn't consider a major advantage of the 3A+ over the 3B: Power consumption. They have the same processor, but the 3B/+'s USB-hub-and-network chip is a real power sucker, so the 3A+ should consume a lot less power - making it a good option for portable applications if the Zero doesn't quite have the processing power needed. Maybe you could get some current measurements in a future video?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I just read in a magazine (German ct) that the current consumption is indeed lower for the 3A+ (1.2W less if I remember right).

[@taowang5270]

for low power consumption,for space ,for iot service ,for money,i using rpi zero(no w). plus a usb hub module($3),a wifi dongle($3),if needed. simple & save money.

[@Okurka.]

How much space and power does the USB hub need?

[@AndreasSpiess]

@Tao: I agree

[@taowang5270]

Okurka， space smaller than pi zero, with five USB Ports (one in four out),u can add 5V power supply (if needed).

[@DCFusor]

Looks ideal as a remote camera or other sensor/controller on my LAN of things. How's the power consumption? I'd guess it was somewhat lower than the 3B+ due to missing the USB/ethernet hub and some ram?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Because it uses most of the same chips I did not check. But I would assume only minor changes in power consumption.

[@DCFusor]

@@AndreasSpiess I'll get one and test...I'd have gotten at least one anyway.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I found it now. It is 1.2 W less (According the German Magazine ct)

[@DCFusor]

@@AndreasSpiess Thanks! I'd suppose it's a little dependent on how hard it's working and so forth.

[@AndreasSpiess]

They had three points and the difference was very similar

[@RickMunday]

Andreas - I could not think of anywhere to post or ask and this video just came up in my feed tonight. What is the best way to power multiple raspberry pi's from a single power supply? I'm not sure if hard-wiring them would be the best way, vut I'm kind of leaning that way. So I guess my question is, what's the best way to go about this? How would you do it?

[@AndreasSpiess]

You can connect as many Pis in parallel to a 5V source. Of course it has to be able to provide the needed current. I would count 2A per Raspberry to be safe.

[@RickMunday]

@@AndreasSpiess I assume you mean with a bench type power supply? 2 amps per. I'll take a good look and see what I can find. I do have a bench supply but it's 12v only. Ich benutze dieses Netzteil für mein Kurzwellenradio. 🤓

[@AndreasSpiess]

You do not need a bench power supply. Any 5 volts power supply will do. Keep your 12 volt one for the intended purpose ;-)

[@abdullahyousef3596]

what is better raspberry pi 3a+ or raspberry pi 2w?

[@AndreasSpiess]

If you mean the ne zero 2W: the pi 3 has more memory.

[@AliensInc.]

Hi I got a Rasp 3B+ and was thinking of using that for a USB connected webcam to show on connected screen, do no website involved. There's no need for audio. I've tried Cheese but it has enormous lag in the video like dropping half or probably more of the frames. Do you have any ide what I might be doing wrong or if there is another software I should try out? Heard about VLC but haven't tried that. If there is a change for recording only when movement is involved it would be great. //Thanks In Advance

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am by no means an RPI or Linux expert. So I cannot help here.

[@dougwilkinson4624]

Have you looked at using a picam instead of USB? I hear USB has a lot of compute overhead vs. the picam which has a lot of built in video processing.

[@AliensInc.]

@@dougwilkinson4624 No but I will now, thanks

[@phinok.m.628]

Huh, all my raspberry pis run headlessly anyway. I'm not sure why I should need a screen or keyboard. And a permanent network connection is easily possible with wifi if you have a zero W with integrated wifi (though depending on what you wanna do it can be a little slow). Of course the pi zero isn't all that fast. But raspberry pis generally aren't that fast, so if you really need CPU power you would probably not necessarily use a reaspberry pi in the first place. Therefore I would say pi zeros definitely have a lot of uses and they're quite a big cheaper than the regular pis. But obviously it depends on your applications. There are a lot of cases where I would prefer a regular raspberry pi or even something a little more powerful.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe I was a little unclear. I already have a few zeros laying around because I replaced them with bigger boards. So even if I have a perfect project for a zero, I do not need to buy one.

[@phinok.m.628]

Ok, fair enough... Though you suggested the price difference isn't all that big if you buy all the "necessary" adapters etc. Which of course is true. For many projects however, the adapters are rather unnecessary in my opinion, therefore I do think the pi zero can in many cases be good cheaper alternative.

[@KunalGautam]

Official case might get available from December

[@Okurka.]

They never made a case for the Raspberry Pi 1 A+? It's the same form factor except for the LEDs.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Viewers posted a link to a case below.

[@dannystanley7962]

could I connect a ethernet to usb adapter

[@AndreasSpiess]

Yes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sICTZYGFatGhh5I

[@wyqid]

I run 4 3D printers using Pi3A+’s with custom printed cases the are hidden inside the printers.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Cool!

[@magnets1000]

Does an MQTT broker really use that much CPU power? I would have thought a pi0w would handle it just fine

[@AndreasSpiess]

I also use node-red for the logic and the display.

[@ristomatti]

@Undefined Lastname I didn't bother double checking but I believe RPi 3 is not that much beefier than RPi 2. Zero on the hand is closer to RPi 1 B+.

[@AndersJackson]

​@@ristomatti RPi3+ is beefier than the RPi2. It has a 64bit CPU and the RPi2 has a 32bit CPU (but the 64-bit is running in 32-bit mode because of compability). The rest is mostly the same. That is, the four USB ports and the Ethernet port is running on one USB-port on the CPU, which is same for all RPi:s, that they use one USB-port. The SD-card is on a channel by it self. The new with WiFi do use the CPU support for that, so they don't load down the USB port. The Zero uses a one core CPU like the RPi 1, which everything after the model 2+ is 4 core CPU. But read up here if you are interested on the differences. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi#Specifications

[@ristomatti]

@@AndersJackson Thanks, I had read the specs earlier but just didn't bother double checking while on mobile. What I said still holds, both model 2 and 3 are pretty fast compared to model 1 or Zero.

[@Rothammel1]

Ich habe einen Orange pi pc bei mir im Einsatz, MQTT, mariadb, fhem, pihole, läuft einwandfrei und bootet von SSD. Der Preis ist spitze. Raspberrys nehme ich nur noch für 'professionelle' Projekte

[@AndreasSpiess]

Danke für die Info. Ich hatte einen kleinen Orange Pi mit dietPi. Plötzlich wurde das image nicht mehr unterstützt und ich musste alles neu installieren. Aber sonst lief er auch ok.

[@gr7480]

I think it ins t a big evolution. For this price I prefer the zero w. Maybe te rpi 4 for 2020. I wait with impacience. BYE

[@AndreasSpiess]

I would it even call it "repackaging". Glad to hear that for you, the Zero is not too slow...

[@akj7]

So that's why you were really interessted in Micropython for Arduino/ESP.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am always interested in new things and check them for their potential to make my life easier or more fun ;-)

[@jhtapia]

I feel fortunate for myself and bad for you guys that have to pay so much for raspberry pi's. In Chicago & suburbs and anywhere there is a Micro Center (United States only, I think) any day of the week we can walk in and pick up an RPI 3B+ for $30, a zerow for $5. With the A+ I'd rather spend $5 and double the ram from 512M to 1024M because I use these as general purpose devices. I It's a little bit of a drive but no shipping and they have lots of other stuff (3d filament for $15 filament everyday and sometimes less with sales).

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are really lucky! The only thing I could argue is that you have to pay for that with a freezing winter (at least last time when I was there ;-)

[@svenpetersen1965]

Bei Reichelt kostet der Zero 15,50€, der 3 A+ kostet 24,50€ und der 3 B+ kommt auf 33,90€. Preislich liegt er also genau in der Mitte. Wenn ich mal wieder privat bei Reichelt einkaufe, dann wird mir aus purem Suchtverhalten der Neue in den Warenkorb kippen :-)))

[@AndreasSpiess]

Das war vermutlich Absicht. Wobei ich den hohen Preis des Zero nie verstehen werde. Der wurde ja gross als 5$ RPI angekündigt... Da muss der Euro noch zünftig steigen.

[@MartinBgelund]

The RasPi Zero has to be seen in context. It was released short after announcement of the C.H.I.P (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHIP_(computer) ) and can be seen as the Raspberry Pi Foundations defensive action to maintain SBC dominance on the market. It has its uses, but main focus is low price and small size.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did not know the story. I just saw that it always was announced as a 5$ computer and I never got one for that price :-(

[@MartinBgelund]

They even gave it away on the cover of the official Pi magazine in the beginning, so the $9 price tag of the CHIP must have worried them a lot. At todays rates, a RasPi Zero is $6.79 in Denmark. I really can't complain about that price, considering all the other benefits our tax, VAT, and other tariffs give us. I wonder if the Raspberry Pi Foundation sees the ESP's as dangerous competitors, especially now with (Micro-) Python becomming available and a viable choice there.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

DOOD! Some new LoRa boards out from Sparkfun.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the information!

[@erikschiegg68]

Too expensive, I use one for my pi hole and programming stuff, suitable for robotics. I like the seven dollars energy consumption per year. Although, an old smartphone for less than 50 bucks as a S4 offers much more calculation power and a complete user interface and sensors for robotics. Together with some esp for less than ten stutz you can do almost any job with margin.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think old Smartphones could be a good source of powerful hardware. But I do not see many Maker projects. Maybe they are not very standardized or not easy to connect (to sensors and alike). But I do not know the reason.

[@MiniRockerz4ever]

I am waiting for delivery of RPi 3 B+ and cables and hope I can get Raspbian OS running from HDD with it's own power source

[@AndreasSpiess]

Should be ok, I think.

[@4.0.4]

The $5 computer that only is in stock as a kit with "surprisingly" expensive cables is a rip-off. For cheaper than a Raspberry Pi you can get a NanoPi, OrangePi etc. Usually you get some extra perks with other boards too, since there's more variety.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I have no issues with the price of the zero. I just do not like if it is announced as a 5$ computer and never sold for this price. I use Raspberries because of the community. I am still a beginner on Linux. So I need a lot of help.

[@africantwin173]

Pi2b is still the best.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@emreozkan4195]

i will definitely buy a+. because b+ is expensive even in your country. as a comparison my country sells 4 time expensive. i have zero w and using it with lite raspbian. if you don't need desktop zero is very good.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The 512M RAM of the A+ seems also to be small for the graphical user interface.

[@interestingspagetti]

For another £10 it seems a no brainer just to get PI3B+

[@AndreasSpiess]

This principle can become very expensive :-) I think you are right if you search for a general purpose RPI

I don't think any demo board is worth the money unless you use its GPIO. Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, Banana Pi etc. are good and worth the money only if you connect it to a sensor or any other electronic device via GPIO. For all other purposes you can use Android TV Box and install Armbian on it. So, it's unnecessary to use Raspberry as an MQTT Broker or Samba server etc. And also advertised prices usually don't include SD Card, power adapter and enclosing case which you will need anyways. You can buy an Android TV box for at least 50% cheaper with 2 times more memory (2+ GB ) and 16GB emmc. Box includes power adapter and enclosing case. It comes with Android but you can easily install Armbian on it. And also 10$ Raspberry Pi Zero is never 10$.

[@MiniRockerz4ever]

I wouldn't take eMMC based device even if I got paid 4 it, those die like moths near lightbulb

[@AndreasSpiess]

@Cüneyt Interesting idea. I do not see many Maker projects using these Android devices (or old Smartphones). Do you know where I could get the info to get MQTT and node-red on an Android TV box? This would be an interesting project because I have one laying around...

​@@AndreasSpiess I would not recommend using Android directly. You can install a headless Armbian on most of those machines. It's like Raspbian but it's Armbian OS :) if you head over to forum.armbian.com you might get enough info for your device. Then you can install either Python or NodeJS to run your MQTT broker. But sure you can still use Android directly. Using Termux, you can SSH into the device and install whatever you need. I use NodeJs mostly but not sure if Node Red can run in headless systems since it's GUI based.

[@yash1152]

hey..... why dont u put even a single advt ??

[@AndreasSpiess]

If advt means advertisement: I do allow advertisements, but Google decides if they have one.

[@electron-1979]

You can use Ethernet over USB on all models, but you won't Gigabit speeds! The Ethernet port on a Pi3 AND all the USB ports are connected via a single USB channel on the Broadcom chip! Another (slow, but cheap) option is to use the ENC28J60, raspi.tv/2015/ethernet-on-pi-zero-how-to-put-an-ethernet-port-on-your-pi, raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/38622/whats-the-cheapest-way-to-get-network-connectivity-to-the-pi-zero or terminal28.blogspot.com/2015/12/cheap-ethernet-on-raspberry-pi-azeroall.html?m=1

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right.

[@jyvben1520]

Case for 3A+, see shop.pimoroni.de/?q=Coup%C3%A9 Coupé Rainbow and others ...

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the link. I only checked the "usual sources" ;-)

[@acrodrigues1]

Check Digitec.ch sometimes they have nice promotions(aktion)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you. So far, I only bought other stuff from them...

[@brzydka_i_bestia]

Initially souns good for a cheap 24/7 minecraft server for a few friends, but without the ethernet port it is useless for that.

[@vylbird8014]

Ethernet aside, Minecraft can be a very memory-hungry server, especially if you start using mods - you'd need the B anyway, and even then you would have to tweak the server configuration to use less ram.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. If you need Ethernet then you need a 3B

[@brzydka_i_bestia]

@@vylbird8014 To be honest I had no experience with running a server or even ever using RPi, but I thing the 3B should be good enough for no more than 5 people in total, with lower render distance, no mods.

[@vylbird8014]

@@brzydka_i_bestia Yes, I think the 3B would be good enough for that. A basic modless server, five people.

[@mikesnapper9001]

Do you know why it's called the Raspberry Pi Zero?.... because you have zero use for it

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)) I think you are a little harsh!

[@polymorphicprocrastination5345]

Why are you mentioning the Swedish accent

[@Okurka.]

Because the accent is so thick that you mishear Swiss as Swedish?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Actually, it is my Swiss (Switzerland) accent ;-)

[@Arek_R.]

else Dislike

[@AndreasSpiess]

Better is stop watching. Saves you time and me frustration ;-)