The Raspberry Pi 400 Teardown

[@mhammadalloush5104]

Finally someone made a modern day Commodore 64 style computer.

[@minhajsixbyte]

Yaaay

[@replikvltyoutube3727]

Or more like XZ Spectrum, since it is from Uk

[@dmitryponyatov2158]

It looks like this thing designers have medications a lot of -- next idiotic design without the vent system. What about the heat and throttling, bro?

[@joselu90]

@@dmitryponyatov2158 There are some test, it never reaches more than 52ºC, this is less than in an aircooled rpi4.

[@dmitryponyatov2158]

@@joselu90 I don't know your testing method. Run video encoding for 2 hours for example, and log CPU temperature and frequency. Also, it is interesting, how hot and stinky will be the plastic case after it.

[@whatdamath]

This looks great, but they should have wrapped a wifi antenna cables around the keyboard like it's done in laptops (usually around the screen) to increase the reception area. Built in wifi is still the Achilles's heel of all of the Pis I've used

[@neolynxer]

Hello, wonderful person.

[@jonathanquarles3708]

i was just watching a lot of your videos

[@bean_frog4565]

yeah i use ethernet in mine

[@poopooface3484]

I dont know why but it makes me really happy that your also interested in single board computers. Love your videos was just learning about Jupiters moons!

[@СергейВладимирович-б9з]

They do very wise decision not to use wifi built in board. Cheap wifi assembly tends to have different quality issues - either closed source drivers that works with tons of trubles and have conpatibility issues, or issues with recieving/transferring physical module, or issues with decoding/encoding chip or errors in frimware. So if you need wifi connection, they supply this device with additional standard usb hole, where you can insert any favourite usb wifi plug and have wireless connectivity experience. Very good, wise and lucky decision - user have freedom of choice - there plenty different usb wifi plugs on the maket.

[@MarkEmeryPhotography]

What I love about the module inside is that all the ports are on the same edge. I can see a few hardware hackers getting these and removing the case and keyboard.

[@usethefooorce]

6:40 Nope, the 400 number is not an homage to the Amiga 500. It's an homage to the Acorn Archimedes 400 series, which was the power user version of the Archimedes (the low-end version was the 300 series). All the Raspberry Pi names pay homage to early Acorn computers (the BBC Model A, Model B, Archimedes, etc.). The ARM processor was originally the Acorn RISC Machine CPU -- the first 32-bit desktop RISC processor, released with the Acorn Archimedes. The acronym was later renamed to Advanced RISC Machine. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Archimedes en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Micro en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture

[@Yahgiggle]

the guy who made the pi said he was inspired by the Amiga already, my guess is the 400 is for 4gig of ram like the amiga 500 the 500 stands for 500k of ram

[@usethefooorce]

@@Yahgiggle Did you read what I wrote? Please research the history of the BBC Micro. The creators of the Raspberry Pi were inspired by Acorn computers, not by Amiga. They are British, not American.

[@Yahgiggle]

@@usethefooorce yes I know all about the Acorn and you could be right as the information I was told was second hand, but from someone I would think would not tell BS his information was that the guy that made the pi 400 got his inspiration from the Amiga 500

[@Mmmm_tea]

they have all that space but still went with those crappy tiny HDMI sockets! could be design philosophy? make everything tiny then you notice the gpio header ok maybe not! they probably just did it to save money so they didn't have to stock regular hdmis

[@DenGuleBalje]

Two HDMIs are more than one. You know what they say: "The more, the more"

[@tauttechminusmanagedmusic3778]

@@FunHaverSD Robustness. Mini/Micro HDMI ports are known to be weak. Maybe that is why it has two, one spare for when the other inevitably dies.

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

@@FunHaverSD Because Mini and Micro HDMI SUCK. They are pretty fragile and break easily. Also, since those connectors suck and almost any device uses full size HDMI or uses USB C for Video (that connector is around a billion times better then Mini/Micro HDMI), nobody got those fucking Cables/Adapters on hand. No, less is not allways more. They really got more then enough space for at least one full sized HDMI on there. Or do it at least over a USB C port, that is actually a good connector. The recourses argument is pretty week btw. The difference between Micro and fullsize is very small, it basically didn't matter. But if those tiny amounts of material mean something to you, think about the adapters to fullsize people need to buy.

[@mikefiatx19]

@@FunHaverSD they break easier

[@Ferkiwi]

Even USB-C ports with displayport support would have been better.... mini/micro hdmi ports are crappy and hard to come by.

[@buffteethr]

This perfect for the average home user. It has been frustrating "arguing" with family about them buying $500-$1000 computers to browse the web, watch videos, use Word and Excel.

[@Sebbl3]

I wonder why they didn’t use the new compute module. With that, it would be upgradable in the future.

[@zuryan]

I agree. the first thing I thought is that it's cheaper to produce the Pi 400 as a single part but they're making both anyways so it shouldn't matter.

[@MarkEmeryPhotography]

Imagine the physical abuse some Pi400s will get from frustrated kids. I think a single board is better.

[@electronics-girl]

@@zuryan There's still the cost of the connectors, on both the Compute Module and the hypothetical main board. The Pi is cheap enough that that sort of thing matters.

[@zuryan]

@@electronics-girl the compute module is already being sold with the connectors. so all they need is two connectors on the keyboard PCB. the only two reasons I can really think of is 1st, it technicly not being a "single board" computer anymore, and 2nd the compute module remains not as easily usable by tinkerers so that way they can don't run into stock shortage for industrial use as easily.

[@superjimnz]

Connector cost; also given they will be hoping to sell this in volume, a single PCB rather than two will save money.

[@benzeman118]

"Until next time, I'm Jeff Geerling" - so next time you'll be someone else?!

[@JeffGeerling]

Just wait and see ;)

[@benp439]

Yeah he's going to be red shirt Jeff.

[@chiragsukhala]

@@benp439 I can imagine everything either sliced open or on fire :)

[@AnilArya51]

@@JeffGeerling okay, I ran out of patience 😂 can you tell me how much I have to wait ?

[@LokiScarletWasHere]

He should be Rusty Shackleford next.

[@harshbarj]

Have to say, I REALLY want to see one of these with 8G of ram and an integrated M.2 sata port. Perhaps even with a beefed up SOC of 2Ghz+. I love these little low powered computers for running things during power outages, which happen often in my area. While my neighbors are running around with candles I have a powerbank with a led camping light and a ARM Chromebook running Ubuntu tethered to my phone. Priorities I guess ;-) .

[@G-ra-ha-m]

With a fast disk, just use it for swap! Strangely on the Pi4 4GB I rarely run out of memory, but on the Apple M1 8GB, it creaks!

[@chuckduey2661]

Thanks, Jeff, your video of how to get the keyboard off was very helpful. This work for the Raspberry PI keyboard as well. This comes in handy if you need to switch the keyboard language or have a damaged keyboard. The Pi keyboard and the Pi 400 keyboards are compatible. Also your selection of the tool to pop the seams on the keyboard is spot on. I have not found a better tool.

[@pathoslp]

Definitely buying this for my little brother for Christmas. He’s a littler tinkerer so he’ll love it.

[@DCM777.]

Maybe this is cool for him too : kzbin.info/www/bejne/rarZhGR8rbdnn8U

[@faranahmad]

What a nice brother!

[@johns3655]

aww, that's so sweet :)

[@jcesararc2419]

try buying him the crowpi2. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJjKequAatmBo9E

[@ninline2000]

I wonder if you'll be able to find one.

[@achannelhasnoname5182]

Looks really neat! I'm surprised they didn't just put a normal Pi 4 in there, I guess they are expecting to sell enough units to make up for the investment of a new PCB design.

[@JeffGeerling]

It also saves on the overhead of adding a bunch of extra jumpers/cabling to get the GPI, power, and HDMI plugs on the back of the unit. I think this design was the easiest way to get the whole thing in the same footprint as the Pi Keyboard.

[@zuryan]

I was actually hoping for a (raplacable) Pi 4 compute module. wouldn't it be amazing to be able to replace it in the future?

[@Grunchy005]

You know what's funny, there's a guy doing exactly that with an old TI-92 calculator, he's calling it a "PI-92". twitter.com/Hacksterio/status/1320913681610383361 (We're thinking of doing something similar with some second-hand Alphasmart keyboards, which would be similar to this PI-400, except with the LCD display as well).

[@inthestudy]

Makes sense. It's being launched for £70-£100 just before christmas in a year where parents don't have a lot of money, and won't be able to go shopping in towns because of Lockdown2.

[@electronics-girl]

@starshipeleven It's relevant because *other* computers can be bought in town in normal years, so the lockdown puts the Pi 400 on an equal footing.

[@nachiketmhatre7411]

If you don't have access to a plastic spudger, a guitar pick or old/unused credit/gift card also work in a pinch. These materials have lower hardness compared to metal pry tools, so they won't mar the finish of the product you're disassembling. Terrific teardown and analysis, by the way. Love the attention to detail and the email exchange (actual journalism) you've put in prior to making this video. Keep up the good work.

[@JeffGeerling]

Glad you liked it! All the guitar picks I had on hand were too soft/flimsy to pop the connectors... but I think I'll invest in iFixIt's kit for the next go-round.

[@nachiketmhatre7411]

@@JeffGeerling better yet, we will write them emails to sponsor you. I am surprised they haven't approached you yet.

[@ZeeshanMuhammadX]

I noticed this pop up in my Google News feed and I was curious about its innards. Your video sated my curiosity and I liked the cheeky humour / skits mixed into the overall "box opening" video. Good job on making this video Jeff and keep it up! :)

[@JeffGeerling]

Thanks, I'll take it!

[@KSchawacker]

GAME CHANGER! For real. Tech only gets more compact and lightweight in time. This could be the first of a new breed of systems geared towards coding professionals and engineers of all kinds. Love it!

[@NigelGent]

The 400 might be a reference to old Acorn machines like the A4000 or even the A410 and A440. The A4000 was also a keyboard based machine. :¬}

[@JeffGeerling]

Lots of that form factor back in the day!

[@NigelGent]

@@JeffGeerling The Acorn machines are also Arm based and part of the Pi's heritage like the model B's coming from the BBC micro model B which was made by Acorn.

[@JeffGeerling]

@@NigelGent A lot of heritage there! I have still never seen an Acorn in the wild, but it seems like a lot of the Pi heritage dates back to that company.

[@NigelGent]

@@JeffGeerling In my loft I've got an Acron A310, A4000 and an A5000 and they all still work Thr RiscOS they ran was brilliant and you can run it on a Raspberry Pi.

[@Kynyos]

Or maybe Atari 400. That would make a bit more sense.

[@IamTheHolypumpkin]

I'm always amazed how powerful already the regular Raspberry Pi4 Model B is. An even better Pi wow!

[@nekdo_kavc]

It is quite easy to overclock Pi 4 Model B to 2 GHz, although it isthen recommended to cool it.

[@MrKarlyboy]

wow super super slick design, the build pi's 10 minutes from where I live in West UK (Southern Wales). Quality engineering at a great price.

[@Wythaneye]

FYI, if you're looking for a Pi in 2022, the Pi 400 is still available at a non-gouged price point. I just received my Pi 400 kit yesterday (Mar 2022) and I paid $100, same as retail when they were released.

[@Phenomz75]

more like a hommage to the old Atari 400 and retro home computers in general

[@SDWNJ]

Yeah, it just needs a cartridge port. Someone get Red Shirt Jeff...

[@m1geo]

That heatsink looks much more like an EMC shield that is serving a double purpose.

[@RastaHuis]

by the way it has been put together, it seems like they want you to tinker with it, so i expect lots of accessories and perhaps custom cases for this in the near future so this could be interesting.

[@superjimnz]

The bourns part is the ethernet magnetics (basically a couple of small transformers), on the regular pi they use a jack with integrated magnetics; this board is using a standard 8P8C jack with external magnetics, likely for lower profile.

[@rednassie1101]

I did not know this was a thing, glad to see someone already opening it

[@Wythaneye]

Thanks for the run-through. I've been curious about what's inside, but leery about disassembling my shiny new Pi 400. I'm glad we have other people on KZbin to do it for us.

[@marceloafgomes5767]

Something I've NOT noticed at first is that it lacks the CSI and DSI connectors. I guess it makes sense to leave out the DSI in such a design, since it already has two HDMI outputs; but maybe people would want a camera, even if only to use a videoconferencing app. Also, a microphone input would be a great addition. Of course one could add both the camera and the mike with a single USB port, but it would be nice if we could use whatever interface had become available by cutting out the DSI port to add a sound digitizer, and still keep the CSI port for a Pi camera.

[@HarmacyKorine]

Is the board still good for other things? I think it would be cool to get that board out of the keyboard and into something else.

[@SolaLupus]

4:47 That's not true, pi 4 (and also pi 3b+) both have ethernet magnetics with support for poe, it's just integrated into the RJ45 jack itself. The transformer middle taps needed for POE are routed to the 4 pin header next to the connector. You just need to attach to it the POE hat or other POE power module. But I agree with you, that they missed the opportunity to implement POE into the PI 400.

[@Daaanin]

Kind of sad to see its not compute module based. Otherwise it's rather cool.

[@JeffGeerling]

It would be really nice to have that, though I'm guessing the main culprit is the thinness-having a daughtercard to carry the CM4 would make it harder to fit that giant heat sink inside, and it seems the heat sink is necessary to keep the thing from overheating (which it does very well in this case). But it would be very interesting if someone could build a little carrier board for the CM4 that would fit inside (with some modifications to the heat sink).

[@frollard]

@@JeffGeerling Don't quote me on this...but I recall there being a sodimm socket that is essentially edge-connector in a recent laptop, allowing the ram to sit flush with the motherboard. Would be super cool to use that style and have a cutout for where compute would sit.

[@CarlosGomez-vt9pk]

Ok, I didn't expect a completely different motherboard. I thought it was just a pi 4 + breakout board to get to all the IO ports. That explains the missing 3.5 jack and missing camera connector. I was thinking that I would have to drill a hole to get to that. My reason is that I wanted the "RCA" video option for playing on olden TVs. They still exist and are a backup display option when you are out in the wild. I understand why they would ditch the 3.5 jack, but if you ditch the jack then maybe go with standard HDMI connectors.

[@spitefulwar]

Slap Amiga sticker on it, install Emulator, break out the Competition Pro (USB) and we're good to go.

[@keithmiller9665]

OK, after playing with this in the UK for several days doing lots of ffmpeg based h264 / 265 video transcoding I found that the Pi 400 can run up to +20C compared to using an Ice Tower with a regular Pi 4 4GB, e.g 66 C v 47C. Now most people don’t run video transcodes for hours like me. I ran ffmpeg libx265 CRF 20 for 15+hours (0.043x with 41 mins input file). So definitely usable from a temperature if not performance perspective. On the downside I had a boot USB 3 SSD connected and found that like the Sinclair ZX81 from the early 1980s the connector comes out far too easily thereby freezing the Pi 400. It is crying out for an internal storage option. Just move the keyboard and the USB 3 SSD interface link is interrupted. Sticking with MicroSD might be a better option.

[@morepowerr]

When I first saw this It reminded me of the Comodo C64. Thanks for the teardown.

[@dorjeboleskine4115]

Fantastic teardown, mate! 😊👍

[@mra682]

Good bloopers at the end. Thumbs up. Good video thank you

[@jumbleblue]

Thank you for this. Really well done review, answers all my questions, looks up chips, etc. Many many small details you do so well for conveying the picture of this device.

[@keithmiller9665]

No mention of audio jack in any of the early reviews. I checked the specs on datasheets.raspberrypi.org/pi400/pi400-product-brief.pdf and there does not appear to be an audio jack. So sound is HDMI only? Can you confirm Jeff?

[@JeffGeerling]

Yes, no built-in audio jack or composite video. Apparently since the space was lacking, they dropped that instead of something else. I am using audio through HDMI on my monitor, and most (all mine at least) have at least a 3.5mm audio passthrough, if not built in speakers. For those that don't, there are HDMI audio splitters, though that's an extra expense.

[@keithmiller9665]

Thanks Jeff for the confirmation and HDMI audio splitter tip, ordered from Amazon UK ;-)

[@LucasHartmann]

I wish it was CM4 based, for the options and upgradeability. Hitting the price point would be tough, however.

[@ricksarvas6563]

I'd been wondering about the formfactor of the actual PI inside the keyboard. I guess I was expecting to find a Raspberry Pi CM4 attached to a backplane providing all the IO ports. I did not expect to see an all new board design.

[@littlejohn2708]

Unfortunately the 3.5mm audio jack and related circuity is missing.

[@indrajitg]

Yes, but there is always the Bluetooth to connect the headphones/earbuds!

[@littlejohn2708]

Not everyone has BT headphones; nor do they want to go to the expense of buying a set considering their limited battery life. However, wired headphones always work, do not need charging and are cheap.

[@indrajitg]

@@littlejohn2708 quite true and I too prefer wired headphones especially for desktop/fixed systems. However, I think not having the headphone jack on the Pi 400 is really not a big deal. In case someone dose not have Bluetooth headphones then there is always the headphone out jack on almost all montors/TVs that the Pi would connect to via HDMI.

[@ky5666]

An adapter like this would do the trick. www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Convertor-Adapter-Ultrabooks-Camcorders/dp/B01ALGJS32

[@AndrewAHayes]

I was hoping there would be an EMMC on this Pi4 variant, I'm hoping someone finds a way to shoehorn a drive in there!

[@GurkenbauerTim]

5:10 How he just kept talking after that voice crack

[@Davedarko]

thank you for opening it!

[@JeffGeerling]

I'm glad I was able to get it back together so easily, too! It's always 50/50 the first time I open something like a keyboard whether I cut myself on it or break off a few tabs. Luckily the Pi 400 is pretty dang robust!

[@jankkhvej]

@4:40 it's not an IC, it's a simple transformer, that is compatible with PoE, if you want to do PoE.

[@jackpatteeuw9244]

Thanks for the teardown. I wanted to see the "innerards" as soon as I saw the announcement ! Sure wish it had 8GB.

[@douglasgoodall3612]

I was wondering about that myself. I guess they were attached to their target pricing and didn't feel they could take the modest bump and put in the bigger ram.

[@alvallac2171]

*innards

[@FrugalShave]

Maybe next month

[@salsabeel2108]

Why not add a small battery in it

[@alifilhan1769]

At 6:02, I think that's a PCIe lane without the connector.

[@hrnekbezucha]

You know what they say - _Don't turn it on, take it apart!_

[@JeffGeerling]

You, me, and AvE!

[@AMalas]

@@JeffGeerling nooooo more like eevblog!

[@JeffGeerling]

@@AMalas eevblog too!

[@Grunchy005]

Snaps into four pieces, "there you go!"

[@JeffGeerling]

@@Grunchy005 Ah, the red-shirt-jeff approach.

[@Flavius-Tech]

Maybe 400 stands from lenght of board or keyboard? 400mm?

[@wshow6787]

Reminds me of the Acorn Atom... the casing was first used for just holding the keyboard for the Acorn System 1... then Acorn banged together a simple all-in-one microcomputer, which fitted into the same casing to become the Atom.

[@roua.]

i was sort of hoping that it used the computer module, that would of been interesting for future upgrades. but still pretty cool, ty for the vid

[@spambot7110]

i was hoping so too, but i guess that would be more thermally dense? although then it would be easier to heatsink the extra chips... maybe they're just wanting to save the cost of the additional PCB + board-to-board connectors

[@alvallac2171]

*module. That *would've (contraction of "WOULD haVE")

[@godfreyw5412]

I wonder what the little rectangular hole near the RJ45 is for. It is not connected to any port on the motherboard.

[@davadoff]

Kensington security slot To prevent theft

[@LoganT547]

Looks like a perfect board for a laptop. I'm sure someone will make it into one.

[@prodbypo_]

agreed except for the gpio, wonder if anyone makes a gpio plastic cover or something that can easily slide on and off and is sleek

[@KuntalGhosh]

Yes i always wanted to replace the board of my atom laptop bcz that cpu is so fucking slow like it performs like a pentium 4 from 2000... & A board like this with a custom lcd and keyboard , mouse driver and sata interface with battery controller and omg!! .. it would be so nice but having that custom interface for the keyboard is going to be tough. Lcd controllers r easy to find on ebay and there is millions of them . The laptop has a really god display and keyboard .. & also 47watt hr battery which should be enough for the pi to run about 3 to 4hr.

[@williamp6800]

@@KuntalGhosh have a look at the Pinebook Pro. Quad core ARM based. Runs Manjaro from the factory. $200USD Optional NVMe storage. (requires adapter ~$20)

[@KuntalGhosh]

@@jq6413 i dont think so.. its an older laptop & has enough depth to fit a board of raspberry pi without any of those usb and ethernet ports.

[@KuntalGhosh]

@@williamp6800 no no , i am talking about replacing the motherboard of an existing net book that i have laying around. i also have an lenovo ideapad from 2010s with core 2 duo t7200 , and i think i can fit a ryzen sbc in there with a flat heat pipe laptop heatsink maybe.

[@drmosfet]

It's a commodore vic-20 replacement, the vic-20 had a connector for a common 44 pin edge connector card of its day, for expansion and experimentation. This version of the raspberry pi seems to capture the essence of the Vic-20 but with modern capability. The commodore 64 was more of a gaming rig back then in the old 8-bit days.

[@dreamvisionary]

Thanks for the video. There were plenty around for the Pi 400 when it first released, but none of them opened it up, which is what I wanted to see.

[@thebigt42]

What kind of interface is that keyboard ribbon connector? could a larger keyboard attach to that same interface?

[@middle_pickup]

Please tell me that internal usb 2 header is a standardized connection I can use to wire the pi 400 to a mechanical keyboard. We know we all want this.

[@MarkStinsons]

This is exactly the form-factor folks need for making Raspberry Pi 4 ‘blade’ clusters as the key ports are all on one sides for various cluster mainboard configs: - headless network boot config - ethernet (for pxeboot), power, gpio (serial, i2c, gpio to trigger reboots, etc), - boot with storage - ethernet (for pxeboot), power, gpio (serial, i2c, gpio to trigger reboots, etc), sdcard option, and USB drawn out for USB stick, usb3 sata, usb3 m.2 nve, and other peripherals I also see this slim form-factor helpful for projects helpful for those where a “3×5” style board cannot fit. If the Raspberry Pi foundation or licensees do not release this form factor without the “keyboard wrappings”, makers will gut the keyboard which will be landfill plastic eventually. And that would be bad, m’kay. Jeff, please provide the Pi Org some feedback to sell this mainboard form-factor on its own. They could even optionally leave the keyboard ribbon adapter off.There is a demand for this configuration.

[@Scrogan]

That’s really neat, didn’t know they made one. But I’d never use the power of a pi4 unless I was trying to make it run proper CAD software or whatever, so would probably prefer a cheaper one with a pi3. A trackpoint in the middle of the keyboard would be a nice touch.

[@mtcrun]

Hey Jeff, my Pi 400 is the computer I could afford right now. When I get something more powerful, is there a way to use the pi 400 as a keyboard for it? (to reduce cost, clutter, and e-waste)

[@shaunmoneil]

Is that a PoE module on the far left? The big chonky one? I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere, not even the product brief.

[@JeffGeerling]

Yes, but the Pi 400 lacks the required power circuit to allow PoE passthrough.

[@shaunmoneil]

@@JeffGeerling ahh bummer. Well, there's a mod waiting to happen!

[@davadoff]

That chunky ‘chip’ is not an IC, it is just a transformer. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could make it work with POE with a mod. I guess you need to connect a DC converter to the correct pins and the DC converter (5 volts output?) goes to power the board.

[@vojtavili]

Did they drop 3.5 mm Jack?

[@CyclingSteve]

Ouch, I had not noticed this.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

No analog audio in/out. Audio has to go through Bluetooth or USB. Or Ethernet...

[@poopooface3484]

Whoever came up with the idea to put the pc inside the keyboard was genious.

[@smorrow]

The schematics aren't out yet. What chip is between the keyboard connector and the USB controller? Is it something that can be reflashed? (To drive a ThinkPad keyboard matrix.) Is there a trace from it to anything other than the keyboard and USB? (i.e. How does this power button work?) Is it something that can present as a composite device? (To be both keyboard and trackpoint.)

[@PaulBakewell]

I wonder if it will come with a 16kb memory pack to plug into the back at a later date.

[@nialltracey2599]

There's enough pins in the GPIO port to support it...!

[@SachinBalan_PB]

How to build Magic Mirror with Raspberry Pi 400 ? Will it be possible with ice-tower cooler ?

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

6:43 Also Atari 400/800, basically a number of machines around that era had x00-style model numbers.

[@daveslater9141]

Good post, i looked at the boxed pi 400 the other day, a wired mouse should be a choice between wired or wireless

[@ollllj]

nice board, but why no pci slot? drivers to add a god graphics card (with pci to larger pci adapter) should be a matter of time.

[@bytesabre]

Wonder if this has an option of an iso layout keyboard. I can’t get on with those American style enter keys

[@petermichaelgreen]

Yes, the Pi 400 is currently offered in American, British, German, French, Italian and Spanish layouts (though some layouts may be out of stock). I suspect more versions will follow later.

[@nialltracey2599]

Different keyboard options are the same physical layout with different key prints, as far as I can tell.

[@petermichaelgreen]

​@@nialltracey2599 www.wired.co.uk/article/raspberry-pi-400-review has a picture of the UK layout while this video shows the US layout. Compared to the US layout the UK layout has an extra key between the left shift and z keys and a different arrangement in the enter key area. I believe the other European layouts are physically the same as the UK layout.

[@whkee]

Very happy with my Pi400👍 My next will be Pi400/8G or Pi Notebook😎

[@vovical]

If you take this + a basic $50 1080p monitor (considering you'd be buying in bulk) and you buy like 20 of them, you've spent $150 per setup for a total of $3000 on your entire office's computing needs. People don't talk about how good Pis are for office work; this, built into a keyboard, for $100, pushes it over the edge. More offices need to use Pis for computing. They're quick for office work and they're cheap. If I ran an office I'd be using this for sure.

[@energyideas]

Just noticing the 400 doesn't have an audio jack. Do you recommend 32 bit or 64 bit Rpi OS? And any overclock specifics for the 400 different from 4B? Thanks. I'm thinking back to my all in one Texas Instruments CC-40 compact computer. Yes, late 80's.

[@energyideas]

Found your previous video, over_voltage = 8, a_freq = 2200, force_turbo=1.

[@John.0z]

I would really prefer my laptop and tablet to have those slots to open the case! I am in agreement about adding thermal pads for a few of the other chips.

[@gordon861]

This would have been a perfect platform for the new Pi4 Compute Module. Instead we have a unit that is only available in 4GB with wifi and no option for eMMC to avoid the need for still using microSD cards (I assume it isn't USB boot from the box).

[@lonsbury]

Na, Pi4 does USB boot by default. Pi3B+ does it too, and so does the Pi3B but you need SD boot to enable it for the first time

[@АлексейДмитриев-ш1ф]

Yeah, this is a little bit disappointing. Why release CM4 and shortly after that release Pi400 which is not CM4 based? I don't get it. A great machine though

[@rickriffel6246]

Any tempting thoughts of clustering and overclocking the Pi 400 boards?

[@merrymonkey5172]

The 400 only is sold out on pishop already, lol. I think it's fair to buy the kit this time around

[@SharkLasers380]

much better! I've seen all of these reviews coming out today but... I KNOW WHAT A PI CAN DO! TAKE THE DERN THING APART! I wanna see what's up that petticoat!

[@MrDarksachet]

Was there any significant difference in the thermals (and maybe in turn performance) after reassembly?

[@JeffGeerling]

Nope! It seemed to perform just as well, no sign of a difference. The only contact between the heatsink and the Pi is the little thermal pad on the SOC, and it's easy enough to replace it.

[@dces4212]

Not sure how is the heat propagation, maybe they've tested that the heat won't be sensed by the user when typing the keyboard with the board at high loading, or they should place the heat plate beneath the main board.

[@sophievandevelde6269]

I would like to change the micro HDMI and USBC ports. Can you show me how?

[@willgilliam9053]

I was wondering, can the USB power port also be used as OTG like in the pi4? one of the features I find very useful

[@Kakka666712]

Always wondered what's in my Pi400. Now I know. Thank you.

[@3osufdh4rfg]

Huh. I could have sworn I've read somewhere that it's nearly impossible to put this thing back together again because of something with the heat sink so it's recommended not to open it but this looks very easy. Suddenly I'm not so worried about wear and tear on the ports.

[@henrymach]

Will they be selling this board without the rest of the kit? I always wanted a Raspi with all the I/O on the same side of the board

[@JeffGeerling]

So far it looks like you could just get the keyboard/board for $70 separately, but if you just want the IO and board you'd have to rip it out of the keyboard shell.

[@Diggnuts]

@@JeffGeerling Even then, it seems like a good price for this specific type of form factor. It is nice that all the connectors are on one side and that it is a fairly thin and flat strip. It seems completely doable to reclaim the USB2 connection from the HiD chip for other (internal) use and it isn't a stretch to imagine using 1 of the USB3 connectors to reroute them to the inside of a project for a nice and spiffy USB3 SSD.

[@alananderson884]

OK next question. What is the best way to attach a USB SSD drive to the case? Duct tape or Velcro?

[@ryuquen]

When will they use the same SoC on regular RPi 4s... It runs so cool with passive.

[@TimothyChapman]

Explaining Computers: Does thermal stress test. This guy: Looks at coolant system.

[@phydeux]

I wonder if EK has a water block for it yet?

[@cgraham6]

And doesn't redo the thermal paste upon reassembly. 😲

[@jimster1111]

@@cgraham6 thaaaaaats what was keeping it on lmao.

[@90DaysOfDevOps]

I wonder if we could mod the colour of the case....

[@nialltracey2599]

Is there any scope to hack in the missing sound and composite video outputs? As a retrogamer using an old CRT for maximum contemporary visual (in?)fidelity, the lack of composite and audio out is what makes this a "don't buy" for me.

[@electronics-girl]

You can get an HDMI-to-composite (and left/right analog audio) converter on Amazon for $17.

[@amnesie6615]

I love this design!

[@makuikui]

The individual keyboard give you extra USB ports. But the Pi400 reduced one. Would it be better if all USB connector use type-C?

[@hikaru-live]

If they put CSI and DSI connectors back, we can get a motherboard for a Pi-based ultra thin laptop. They also would need a GPU driver for a DSI to eDP chip since most laptop displays uses that interface. Also includes should be an internal USB 2.0 hub for a trackpad, USB sound card for implementing internal speakers and the keyboard.

[@GiorgioCamozzi]

7:11min aren't you Jeff Geerling also after next time?

[@bufordmaddogtannen]

Thank you for the video, I was really curious to see what was inside. I use guitar picks to open electronics, they work well and you can buy a set of 40 for very little money on amazon. Each set includes picks of different thickness. 🙂

[@JeffGeerling]

The key for this particular case was rigidity. Unfortunately all my guitar picks on hand were too flimsy, and my normal spudger and credit card were both slightly too thick to fit into the gap. But yes, a good solid guitar pick would probably be perfect, and result in less risk to my digits!

[@bufordmaddogtannen]

@@JeffGeerling then I can recommend guitar picks sets from amazon as they go from super thin and flimsy to thick and sturdy. I used a medium/thin pick to take apart a keyboard with a similar latching mechanism as I needed to change its internal battery.

[@FNIX_Productions]

nice that all the ports are down one side , would make it easy to design a cluster baseboard for it

[@dl8cy]

There is also no AUDIO port - i would miss it - no speaker or headset native ...

[@sp0el]

When I first saw it, for whatever reason I was sure it will have a compute module 4 inside. New PCB makes more sense though, as it definitely is cheaper than separate I/O board. Can't wait for new Pi-laptop builds with this new form factor!

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

With the DSI port being removed, there won't be any laptops based on this hardware.

[@zappbrannigen4177]

If you crack open the official keyboard is the ribbon cable the same, and is it physically the same (snap in points) as the keyboard on the Pi 400? I'd definitely buy a black keyboard and swap it to the Pi 400 for a different look. Thanks in advance, and thanks for the tear down! I'm looking forward to grabbing one of these now.

[@JeffGeerling]

This is on my list of things to try... I just haven't had time to grab my original keyboard and crack (well hopefully not literally *crack*) it open.

[@zappbrannigen4177]

@@JeffGeerling Thanks for the reply Jeff. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the right kind of cracking of plastics.

[@te0nani]

FINALLY, a usable Board with all external Connectors on one side. I got tired trying to Integrate Pi's in Systems and routing the HDMI-Cables with Adapters to the back. All I need now is SMT for external antenna and a internal USB-header.