Raspberry Pi gets power and connectivity upgrades
1 min read
The Raspberry Pi has seen its first significant change, with the launch of the B+. With more sensors and accessories, users of the B+ can now build bigger and better projects.
The board features upgraded power management and connectivity. Up to 1.2A can be delivered to the USB ports to support up to four devices, whilst a 40pin extended GPIO socket enables more sensors, connectors and expansion boards to be added. The first 26 pins remain identical to the original Raspberry Pi Model B for 100% backward compatibility. The new board is available from element14 and RS Components.
"The Raspberry Pi B+ marks the first major redesign of what has been one of the stand out tech products in the last few years," says Claire Doyle, global head of Raspberry Pi at element14. "We've already seen the board drive some amazing designs, but the B+ model opens up the opportunity to push the boundaries of complexity and innovation to make even bigger and better projects. It is also the board that can open up a whole new area of learning for young people."
While the board retains the Broadcom BCM2835 chipset and 512Mbyte of RAM, the B+ has a micro SD slot. According to element14, the B+ board consumes less power than the Model B.
Eben Upton, CEO of Raspberry Pi Trading, comments: "We've been blown away by the projects that have been made possible through the original B boards and, with its new features, the B+ has massive potential to push the boundaries and drive further innovation."
