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Raspberry Pi 2 - The Most Powerful Pi Yet

by Ira Endres on Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Raspberry Pi 2 - The Most Powerful Pi Yet

Here at Cosairus, we are always on the lookout for the latest in development platforms and the Raspberry Pi has been no exception. Since the initial release of the Raspberry Pi Models in 2012, the Raspberry Pi models A and B have quickly become a ubiquitous name in embedded computing and maker-space communities. Now, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the latest iteration of their product line up and it has the internet talking.

Technical Specifications

  • Broadcom BCM2836 SoC
    • Quad-core, 900 MHz ARM Cortex A7 CPU
    • VideoCore IV at 25 MHz GPU
  • 1 GB Shared Memory
  • 1 HDMI
  • 1 3.5mm audio
  • 1 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
  • 4 USB 2.0
  • 1 Camera port
  • 1 DSI port (Display Serial Interface)
  • 1 5v 1.5amp Micro USB power port
  • 1 MicroSD card slot
  • 40 pin GPIO
  • Same form factor as the Raspberry PI B+

Most Powerful, Least Power-Consuming Computer

To call the original Raspberry Pi models A and B computers was technically correct though many users made the assumption that these devices could simply launch FireFox or Chrome and just start surfing the internet and watching flicks on YouTube. While these things were certainly possible, the BCM2835 chipset didn't provide enough raw computing power meet some end-user's expectations. This was to be expected because the Rapsberry Pi devices were first aimed at educational purposes and eventually made it to many an embedded application, home automation, or maker-project. Some, like myself, were content with the processing power and its signature low power consumption and were happy to use the Raspberry Pi as a private cloud server, database or for other simple network services. Others were able to fully utilize the GPIO expansion to integrate with devices and sensors to manipulate the environment around it.

The new Raspberry Pi 2 is a step closer to making a debut as a true card-sized computer capable of tackling today's memory and CPU intensive, interactive web sites and maybe soon you will get to watch your YouTube videos straight from the browser. With the more powerful BCM2836 chipset, the Raspberry Pi 2 will be able provide enough processing power to render full applications without having to simplify code. With the built in Ethernet or attached USB wireless connectivity, this new iteration of the Raspberry Pi will be able to render dynamic and interactive user interfaces from the web without experiencing the lag times that we became so accustomed to working with. With full 1080p 30fps video playback, embedded applications will appear sharp and crisp on output displays.

Exciting Prospects for Low-Power, Embedded Applications

Already savvy Pi owners have spotted embedded applications utilizing the Raspberry Pi devices for transit advertisements and other user-facing applications, but with the bump in processing power, we may begin to see these devices able to interact by touch, sound and motion in the same ways that we now see our game consoles or security systems trigger by the human presence. As the UK producers introduce more Raspberry Pi 2 units into the market, we are sure to see 40-node Hadoop clusters and possibly even answer the fabled question "Can I run a Minecraft server on the Raspberry Pi?" but what will be most exciting are these embedded applications that continue to meld the physical and the digital realms through advances in human computer interaction.

Read More on the Release of the Raspberry Pi 2

Where to Buy the Raspberry Pi 2