View source for Purchase a Raspberry Pi

[[Category:Pidora]][[Category:SBR600]]
The Raspberry Pi is an under-$50 computer developed by the [http://raspberrypi.org Raspberry Pi Foundation] in the UK.

The [[OSTEP]] project within [[CDOT]] maintains [[Pidora]], a Fedora Remix for the Raspberry Pi.

== Minimum Requirements ==

To set up a Raspberry Pi, you will typically need at least these pieces:

# A Raspberry Pi board. There are two models available:
#* Model A - with 1 USB port, no ethernet, and 256M of memory - this is a good model for some embedded applications (e.g., building into a robot, or using for a car media centre)
#* Model B - with 2 USB ports, 10/100 Mbps ethernet, and 512M of memory - '''this is the model that most users will want'''
# A micro-USB power supply (same as a smartphone charger) or a USB cable to connect to an existing USB port or charger
# An SD card of 4 GB or larger
# An ethernet cable and a wired network connection

== Interactive Use ==
To use the Pi interactively as a desktop computer or media centre, you'll need:
# A USB keyboard and mouse
# An HDMI connection to a TV or monitor (you can connect to most monitors with an HDMI-DVI cable)

(Alternately, you can use the Pi remotely over the network connection, interface various devices to it, or use it as a small server).

== Interfacing the Pi ==

To experiment with interfacing the Pi to electronic circuits, it's recommended that you get:
* A Pi ribbon cable set
* A solderless breadboard
* The device(s) you wish to interface. For basic experimentation, a few LEDs and a matching number of 220 ohm resistors, plus a few switches and some 2 kilohm resistors will get you started.

== Where to Buy ==

You can buy the Pi and accessories at:
* The [http://www.senecac.on.ca/community/bookstore.html Seneca bookstore] (except interfacing supplies)
* [http://creatron.com Creatron, Inc] at 255 College St
* Online from [http://canada.newark.com Newark/Element14]
* Online from [http://adafruit.com Adafruit]

It's not necessary to spend a lot of money on the basic accessories:
* [http://www.dollarama.com/store-locator/ Dollarama] sells HDMI cables (with gold-plated contacts!) for $2-$3 depending on the length.
* The SD cards don't have to be ultra-fast or very big. Basic Class 4 or higher cards from [http://canadacomputers.com Canada Computers] or [http://walmart.ca WalMart] will work fine.
* It's important to get a decent power supply; bad supplies can cause difficult-to-diagnose glitches. However, it's really hard to know if a given power supply is any good or not -- some cheap ($0.79) power supplies have performed poorly, but so have some expensive ($39) ones. Some $3-$7 supplies from dollar stores have worked fine.
* You may have a USB keyboard and mouse lying around.