Raspberry Pi Hardware - Computerphile

[@Computerphile]

I have to admit to buying one after this filming! It arrived this morning :o) >Sean

[@Computerphile]

It was a 100mm macro, at that length shallow depth of field goes with the territory! >Sean

[@Computerphile]

Adding to the list - thanks! >Sean

[@KevinButler_for_real]

Is that a pint in the background? My kind of programming.

[@Sasbanonker]

I'm so happy that you did this video. I've been planning to buy a Raspberry Pi here in a week or so for my senior project.

[@DUCKDUDE4100]

We bought a few of these for our computing department to test them out. I don't take computing, so had no idea what these nifty little things were until now. Thanks for making a video about them.

[@ParoXsitiC]

As a learning computer scientist myself, there are things I already knew thus far in the computerphile videos but there is always something I learn from them that I didn't know before, or at least I wasn't fully aware of.

[@SubscribedToLife]

I think its great that the device connectors are effectively it's largest components.

[@TheAsaaj]

I am indeed watching this on my own Raspberry Pi. Awesome stuff

[@Modinthalis]

That's a good point. I use my Pi hooked up to my TV using it as a mumble server, SVN repo, etc. It just bothers me how the Pi is oversold, as if the stumbling block of beginner programming has been hardware, or as if the Pi is a practical home computer for people with little money, or as if the Pi is somehow especially well suited to learn about low-level computer architecture.

[@joeytje50]

This video REALLY makes me want to have one. This is just so epic.

[@kousoulides]

This little thing is actually amazing, (for £25) I've programed it to do the job of a £500 PC that needed OpenCV and openGL.. at first I thought it was impossible but it turned out really good actually.. and best thing is that you can program it to run your program right when you plug it on! :) really happy to see this popping out in my computerphile subscription

[@TorreFernand]

2:52-:40 This is 3D computing! this was the holy grail of computer architecture a very short while ago!

[@kurtpachernegg3140]

Just like to say thanks for all your hard work Brady. I know you had to deal with immature children whining about this channel's vids not being complicated enough for their narcissistic selves when they could of portrayed their concerns with more courtesy and politeness. It seems you have struck a level of sufficiency as there is none of that former bickery in this video's comments. As I know they all love to complain but never say thanks, I will do so on their behalf.

[@Taylor-cy3cd]

lol i have an old windows 98, big, gateway computer siting next to me with the same specs as that Pi. Its weird how fast computing technology has come. I wonder whats next.

[@billysgeo]

Very nice vid! I didn't know about the "stack mount" RAM / CPU design!

[@doougle]

Good Stuff Brady! It's hard to choose my favorite ___phile channel, but this one is definitely in the running!

[@dembro27]

As technology gets more obfuscated and abstracted away, it's cool to have this "blast from the past".

[@AlejandroMeri]

This is SO COOL!! I know nothing of programing but this really makes me wanna to learn!

[@redkb]

I spy a V-Cube 7!!

[@CoreyOgburn]

I'd love to see a video that breaks down how a compiler works. This could be part of a programming language series. First a basic program, say one that counts from 1 to 100, then how it's compiled to an executable, then how the cpu interprets the binary.

[@TASDeign]

Best video on the channel so far. This is the type of interesting topics I was hoping for :)

[@mattkenyon5756]

I am so glad I am subscribed to Computerphile :).

[@SeraphimKnight]

Oh man, using it as a media streamer for your TV sounds sweet. My TV is currently directly connected to my computer via HMDI so I don't really need it, but once I get around to buying another TV it'd be a sweet addition.

[@timsr]

If you run Raspbian make sure to backup your sd card before performing "apt-get upgrade". I messed up my operating system this way.

[@KemaTheAtheist]

There are a couple of things: 1.) Yes, you can get a USB hub. Get a small one that uses very little power, or it won't work. 2.) Get a wireless keyboard and mouse that run from the same bluetooth USB input. The one I got for my Pi is a Logitech keyboard with built in touchpad in place of the number pad. Works great.

[@SirBillyMays]

It is for learning computers, as it is a very simple computer in and of it self, and it also comes with an official Linux version that included an assembly compiler it is very userfriendly for learning these things, it also got some really good ways for an end user to make his or her own controllers/fun gear. (like the things for buttons, and also the expansion module part that allows for some very fun projects)

[@BenjaminAlexander]

Nonsense. There's plenty to talk about with the lambda calculus that is immediately accessible: the history of it, a description of its relevance today, the role it played in the invention of Lisp (and acknowledging that Lisp is the second oldest language still in active use today, after FORTRAN) It might be better on sixtysymbols instead of computerphile, but Brady does excellent work making the topic accessible! Yeah, Brady!

[@ArbitraryDoom]

It depends what you are trying to learn. I am a computer engineering student and one of the main things we do is low level programing without an operating system, using assembly or c, which is platform dependent. This kind of programing can be used to control all sorts of things and responds much faster than a pc even when it has much cheaper hardware. What makes the Pi confusing and awesome is it bridges the gap between that kind of applications specific computing and general purpose computing.

[@Neeboopsh]

done a few xboxes. paste isnt the only problem, its a reflow issue sometimes. if the board flexes and the bga loses connectivity you can overheat it like janis said, but sometimes it'll just re-fail quite quick. proper reflow is the way to go and there are some kind of kits to stiffen the board so the xclamp doesnt flex the board in the future

[@ParoXsitiC]

I personally feel the scope of computerphile has to be honed in. The computer scientists wan't things that can be seemingly over the head of the majority of youtube users - yet I feel a computerphile channel should close the gap between what some would consider computer savvy and computer experts/scientists. Numberphile is a good example of being tailored to those who like math, but not geared strictly for mathematicians. However, mathematicians can still learn and appreciate the videos.

[@dailydols]

Will there be OpenCL for the Pi?

[@ParoXsitiC]

I should go more in depth with what I meant since you made valid points in other replies about needing a keyboard and such. Most of the things you would need is assume you would have lying around or would borrow from another setup temporarily. a HDTV, a keyboard and mouse from another computer, etc. A Pi isn't meant to be your first computer or one for everyday use. It has a valid market, and can be easily cheaper than a new laptop if you have the essentials that most do

[@trapfethen]

you might do a filming about the arduino now, he mentioned it in the video and it is one of the most widely used project circuit boards on the planet.

[@lazymandoplayer]

If you Google "Raspberry Pi Cluster" you will find a number of projects where people are doing just that. Many of the world’s super computers are made from clusters of standard, off the shelf machines working together running Linux and the Pi is becoming a useful educational tool for people learning about the technology. The beauty of the system is that you can learn with the correct software tools as you are using the same operating system.

[@TomboFry]

I think the camera has a 1080p resolution, though they've likely changed it since last November

[@hellnawnaw]

So far this channel has been more of electrical engineering phile than computerphile

[@SolidIncMedia]

I just ordered my own. $45 in Australia (with a case, 512mb Micro-SD card and shipping) and I can't wait to get started. Tried to order one in January, but they were sold out for five whole months. At that price for a powerful machine, can't blame it..

[@linkVIII]

Coming soon

[@sjwimmel]

Ah, another cameraman. I was thinking the macro-, small depth of field stuff was a little non-brady. Nice touch. Will you be shooting more video's?

[@Esudao]

the sound output is very good too ( a friend has the thing plugged into a high end audio system)

[@IstasPumaNevada]

I'm enjoying this new channel.

[@actigene2]

one other issue - the compile time. atm my favourite arm soc board is odroid x running linaro for $129. it reduces compile time (and in turn development time) but a huge factor. odroid x also has some issues with booting consistently, but more reliable than rpi. it's good to develop on odroid x and deploy to rpi.

[@mkaatr]

One idea that comes to my mind is to create a cluster of these machines, and install a framework for distributed processing on them. So, if you can use say 4, 8, or 16 of these. Add to that a switch to connect them all via network, and try running a distributed app on them. The thing I am wondering about is how well such a cluster could perform compared to a simple server machine in terms of speed.

[@PieceMaker1]

I hope you talk about the GNU/FSF movement that sparked much of the growth and usage too, they need some love!

[@Gigawipf]

yes the raspi is awesome for almost any network job or even as a media center :)

[@iamstickfigure]

Musasapientumfixa has a good point about the laptops. XD. But also, yes, microcontrollers are good for projects, but if you want larger scale projects in a smaller size, it still helps A LOT to have more computing power and the ability to code in C++ using all sorts of extra API's that you can import making coding MUCH easier. Frankly, I think it's amazing! I only knew about the Arduino before watching this video, but I had no clue that a whole computer could be shrunken down to that size!

[@puupipo]

That is amazing. I guess it shouldn't be, considering that I carry a computer or two (phone and iPod) in my pocket everywhere I go, but somehow the "rawness" of that Raspberry Pi and the incredibly low price boggle my mind, knowing that it is a real, functioning computer.

[@Zon326]

Awesome video! Maybe do one about specific things that can be don on it and how to do it.

[@RobertG595]

Brady, I never understood how the 0-s and 1-s become actual programs. I mean how do you tell the comuper in 0 and 1 to rules to handle the 01-s themselves? So basically what I don't get is how computer itslef understands all the 0-s and 1-s...

[@diesrabb]

LOVE that you have a pint in the back! cheers!

[@SkukS]

lynux

[@dI0x0Ib]

small question: Why were ther so many cuts in the video? What did you leave out? :P

[@Dithyrambos-h5e]

I had no idea you could use something like that to stream movies and stuff from your network to your TV. I guess I know what my next project is.

[@paulojorge8624]

yes, my powered 6 port USB hub by Dlink is very compact and also powers the raspberry pi itself via one of the USB ports, thus eliminating the need for another connection to the wall power socket.

[@xxhellspawnedxx]

You should read up on airflow, and also check your clocking. More fans doesn't necessarily mean better cooling. It's all about getting the air to flow efficiently through the computer, making sure that fresh air goes in in one end (usually the front) and goes out in the other end (Top/backside). If, for instance, you have all your fans sucking in air, your computer will overheat because the heat won't be pushed out.

[@madAlric]

I just looked up (googled) the power requirements for current desktop processors, and then the thermal efficiencies. I couldn't find anything on RPi's thermal efficiency, but I did find some pretty extensive documentation of its power requirements in watts. You may want to look up cluster computing; it's a good way to use inexpensive computers to get a lot of processing power, but what it gains in thermal efficiency, it looses in complexity, as complexity needs to be managed.

[@LonelyNaturalist]

What programming languages are used to code electronics, like the changing lights shown in this video? I'm not very familiar with coding, so forgive my ignorance.

[@cpmocha2458]

Great video thanks for all of the awesome info.

[@jakx2ob]

Its not a beginner question if you take some layers of simplification away. There are underlying theories you have to know like performing arithmetic operations with boolean algebra or how quantum mechanics of a field-effect transistor applies to memory cells.

[@mwildish]

Ram is used while running programs etc. Its considerably faster than and SD card. However it does not retain the memory after its powered down. Even your smart phone has ram for actually running things and loads from the SD memory as required.

[@Dolkarr]

I agree with both of you... There are just too many things to cover and only some of them are interesting to a particular group of people. I would personally like a channel covering various algorithms and interesting data structures (If anyone knows about one, please let me know), but I understand that majority might find that uninteresting or even boring.

[@chaquator]

How much ram is on the pi? Are you able to add more through those pins?

[@ArbitraryDoom]

that is one of the most mind blowing things about computers. the main thing is that the right numbers get to the right place and it only means something to the right hardware. Ignoring the data, code eventually gets turned into machine code in the form of a .hex file. This code is different depending on the chip it is for. For arm each instruction is 32 bits, that instruction contains an operation code which tells the processor what to do and operands which tell it what registers to do it with.

[@TheMultiminded]

A deeper explanation of what a CPU actually is and how it works could make a good video. It could, for example, explain what machine-code, micro-code, registers, the ALU, pipelines, etc., are, and the difference between RISK and CISC. Most do not know this and it's not that complicated.

[@kilkeeper]

Are you also going to make a video about the arduino?

[@ShaunDreclin]

So because it's a commercial product they're not allowed to talk about it? This is a really amazing little computer and they talked about a good amount of the technical stuff behind it.

[@YangSunWoo]

Is it not possible to play 1080p network videos without the raspmbc? I was thinking of getting a Debian Wheezy image.

[@snyke1995]

Really liking the channel! Keep up the good work!

[@CaptCremin]

You should do a short series on programming in assembly and how computers actually work

[@RealCadde]

Blender exists on Windows too though. AFAIK it's equally fast to start on Windows too. And i hear you on multithreaded loading, unfortunately there is a lot that needs to be loaded in order when booting a computer because some things rely on others.

[@trapfethen]

you try computing without hardware. computing comes from the carefully planned interaction between the hardware and the software. if software is an art-form, then hardware is your canvas. some canvas' are better than others. and the hardware lends itself directly to computing; it has to. but just to clarify, were you calling for him to cover programming? or the basic theory behind a computer, like the Von Neumann machine?

[@Mike10131994]

Its video output is compact video (like the ones for game systems that dont use HDMI), and your monitor most likely uses VGA. You would need a converter for it to work, or just use a television and switch it to AV mode.

[@breadmanbrad]

0:27 they interrupted him while he was relaxing with a nice cold beer

[@Kram1032]

Can we have insight to the list so we know whether a suggestion made it there? :D I did a whole lot of suggestions back on the computerphile preview video and there was no such feedback.

[@BloodyJackOfDiamonds]

I'm pretty sure there's a video on numberphile for that.

[@Fragffs]

With all due respect, i don't think this channel is for those kind of beginners questions. Perhaps a better question or suggestion is if computerphile can do a video on the history of the CPU and RAM.

[@madAlric]

high-powered desktop computers tend to use somewhere between 100 and 250 watts simply to power the processor, and a lot of that power is lost to heat waste (somewhere between 40 and 70 percent), hence the fans. The RPi uses about 5 or 6 watts total, depending on what it's doing at the moment. Even if 90% of that is lost to heat, it's not going to heat up much.

[@ChrisSPCs]

Is this possible to turn into a sort of capture-card for recording input on its way to the screen?

[@SimplyDilski]

Hi, i bought a pi model B last year with the intention of programming with it. I use my PC at the moment for my java/python so i aim to use my pi for things such as the lights. Did you make then lights boards and if not where did you get them from? What would you suggest would be a good project with them too?

[@maw136]

Video about Windows NT Kernel architecture (drivers/subsystems) would be very nice to see.

[@ArnimSommer]

Could you do an interview with the person making your transitional graphics?

[@otakucode]

The Raspberry Pi is an epic project, absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to get my 6yo nephews into understanding computers with them. I'm only a bit disappointed that the GPU isn't fully open and documented like the rest of the hardware is. If I had the time I'd like to reverse engineer it so that everything could be open.

[@stellarfirefly]

For those wondering, since it isn't linked in the description, more information may be found at raspberrypi(dot)org including where to buy one.

[@actigene2]

okay, i'm a huge pi fan (when it came out, and now) and it's great to play around with the gpio. i know it's a learning tool, but i couldn't resist deploying it. upon deploying it completely headless, there trouble having it boot consistently. ie, boot fails after 20 power offs and ons, and i need to connect it to my monitor and kb to debug. reliability is my only major issue with the pi. it's probably not built for such deployments as it's a learning tool.

[@daedra40]

This guy is a hero. And I only say that pretty often because they are :P I love this stuff man.

[@tjshmeed]

can you make more videos about the projects people are doing

[@TheGrassyBush]

Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called “Linux”, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project. There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use.

[@sth128]

I think these chips (or something similar) are used in dashboard cameras for cars... They just put a camera in front and load in a simple encoding software.

[@Yakushii]

I build a RBP into an old broken NES. Dug out the insides of the NES, installed the RBP into it, and build a nostalgic emulator. Best investment I ever made.

[@iCorlitotv]

I want more of these!

[@Alex_Off-Beat]

Well I guess Brady needs all the help he can get, hes got like 20 channels that need videos every week

[@acy48]

I don't know whether this fits into the channel but i am extremely interested in a video on how to programm the raspberry pi in assembler:)

[@BenjaminAlexander]

I **do** agree with you that understanding hardware is important, I would argue software is (at least a little bit) more important. Hardware enables software, and it is important to understand some gross limits of hardware, but at both the societal level and the application level it doesn't really matter whether the machine is made of silicon, gallium, arsenic, or tinker-toys. Many, many people are able to do amazing things with computers without learning to solder, or even opening the case.

[@lazymandoplayer]

Due to the way the Raspberry Pi is designed it doesn't generate much waste heat. You can comfortably put your finger on the processor when it's going flat out. In addition the cases are generally designed with ventilation hole just to be on the safe side. I have a Pi and the Pibow case and can confirm it causes no problems.

[@impossiblemission4ce]

I like the V-cube in the background.

[@PaulVinell]

You have a really good point. But as a programmer (which from my perspective, you likely are too), I know that you can achieve amazing things software-wise without any knowledge about hardware. But, I think that learning about hardware too is a much healthier approach and can help you when designing and structuring the inner workings of your program(s).

[@HenkJanBakker]

could you direct me to some site or literature on this? I am wondering about the difference or better correlation of wattage and computing power. Or as a side step: If I were to line up 20 of these they would consume about the same as my table top PC but at almost no heat loss. I could have some amazing transputer type 'thing that could do some amazing simulation calculations at a cost of 500 ($?) Or am I to optimistic as to the slice's potential in that way?

[@KemaTheAtheist]

How did you get it to do that? I've got Raspbian, overclocked to 1Ghz, and got gnash installed with midori. I can pull up youtube, but the buffering is like ever 2 seconds... Completely unwatchable.

[@lbochtler]

Im running a Minecraft Server on one of those...