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Raspberry Pi product series explained

30 October 2024 at 18:31

As our product line expands, it can get confusing trying to keep track of all the different Raspberry Pi boards out there. Here is a high-level breakdown of Raspberry Pi models, including our flagship series, Zero series, Compute Module series, and Pico microcontrollers.

Raspberry Pi makes computers in several different series:

  • The flagship series, often referred to by the shorthand ‘Raspberry Pi’, offers high-performance hardware, a full Linux operating system, and a variety of common ports in a form factor roughly the size of a credit card.
  • The Zero series offers a full Linux operating system and essential ports at an affordable price point in a minimal form factor with low power consumption.
  • The Compute Module series, often referred to by the shorthand ‘CM’, offers high-performance hardware and a full Linux operating system in a minimal form factor suitable for industrial and embedded applications. Compute Module models feature hardware equivalent to the corresponding flagship models but with fewer ports and no on-board GPIO pins. Instead, users should connect Compute Modules to a separate baseboard that provides the ports and pins required for a given application.

Additionally, Raspberry Pi makes the Pico series of tiny, versatile microcontroller boards. Pico models do not run Linux or allow for removable storage, but instead allow programming by flashing a binary onto on-board flash storage.

Flagship series

Model B indicates the presence of an Ethernet port. Model A indicates a lower-cost model in a smaller form factor with no Ethernet port, reduced RAM, and fewer USB ports to limit board height.

ModelSoCMemoryGPIOConnectivity
Raspberry Pi Model BRaspberry Pi Model BBCM2835256MB, 512MB26-pin GPIO headerHDMI, 2 × USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm audio jack, RCA composite video, Ethernet (100Mb/s), SD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi Model ARaspberry Pi Model ABCM2835256MB26-pin GPIO headerHDMI, USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm audio jack, RCA composite video, SD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi Model B+Raspberry Pi Model B+BCM2835512MB40-pin GPIO headerHDMI, 4 × USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm AV jack, Ethernet (100Mb/s), microSD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi Model A+Raspberry Pi Model A+BCM2835256MB, 512MB40-pin GPIO headerHDMI, USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm AV jack, microSD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi 2 Model BRaspberry Pi 2 Model BBCM2836 (in version 1.2, switched to BCM2837)1 GB40-pin GPIO headerHDMI, 4 × USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm AV jack, Ethernet (100Mb/s), microSD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi 3 Model BRaspberry Pi 3 Model BBCM28371 GB40-pin GPIO headerHDMI, 4 × USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm AV jack, Ethernet (100Mb/s), 2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi (35Mb/s), Bluetooth 4.1, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), microSD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+BCM2837b01GB40-pin GPIO headerHDMI, 4 × USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm AV jack, PoE-capable Ethernet (300Mb/s), 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (100Mb/s), Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), microSD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+BCM2837b0512 MB40-pin GPIO headerHDMI, USB 2.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5mm AV jack, 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (100Mb/s), Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), microSD card slot, micro USB power
Raspberry Pi 4 Model BRaspberry Pi 4 Model BBCM27111GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB40-pin GPIO header2 × micro HDMI, 2 × USB 2.0, 2 × USB 3.0, CSI camera port, DSI display port, 3.5 mm AV jack, PoE-capable Gigabit Ethernet (1Gb/s), 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (120Mb/s), Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), microSD card slot, USB-C power (5V, 3A (15W))
Raspberry Pi 400Raspberry Pi 400BCM27114GB40-pin GPIO header2 × micro HDMI, 2 × USB 2.0, 2 × USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet (1Gb/s), 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (120Mb/s), Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), microSD card slot, USB-C power (5V, 3A (15W))
Raspberry Pi 5Raspberry Pi 5BCM2712 (2GB version uses BCM2712D0)2GB, 4GB, 8GB40-pin GPIO header2 × micro HDMI, 2 × USB 2.0, 2 × USB 3.0, 2 ×  CSI camera/DSI display ports, single-lane PCIe FFC connector, UART connector, RTC battery connector, four-pin JST-SH PWM fan connector, PoE+-capable Gigabit Ethernet (1Gb/s), 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 (300Mb/s), Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), microSD card slot, USB-C power (5V, 5A (25W) or 5V, 3A (15W) with a 600mA peripheral limit)

For more information about the ports on the Raspberry Pi flagship series, see the Schematics and mechanical drawings.

Zero series

Models with the H suffix have header pins pre-soldered to the GPIO header. Models that lack the H suffix do not come with header pins attached to the GPIO header; the user must solder pins manually or attach a third-party pin kit.

All Zero models have the following connectivity:

  • a microSD card slot
  • a CSI camera port (version 1.3 of the original Zero introduced this port)
  • a mini HDMI port
  • 2 × micro USB ports (one for input power, one for external devices)
ModelSoCMemoryGPIOWireless Connectivity
Raspberry Pi ZeroRaspberry Pi ZeroBCM2835512MB40-pin GPIO header (unpopulated)none
Raspberry Pi Zero WRaspberry Pi Zero WBCM2835512MB40-pin GPIO header (unpopulated)2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi (35Mb/s), Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Raspberry Pi Zero WHRaspberry Pi Zero WHBCM2835512MB40-pin GPIO header2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi (35Mb/s), Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WRaspberry Pi Zero 2 WRP3A0512MB40-pin GPIO header (unpopulated)2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi (35Mb/s), Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

Compute Module series

ModelSoCMemoryStorageForm factorWireless Connectivity
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 1Raspberry Pi Compute Module 1BCM2835512MB4GBDDR2 SO-DIMMnone
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3BCM28371GB0GB (Lite), 4GBDDR2 SO-DIMMnone
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+BCM2837b01GB0GB (Lite), 8GB, 16GB, 32GBDDR2 SO-DIMMnone
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4SRaspberry Pi Compute Module 4SBCM27111GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB0GB (Lite), 8GB, 16GB, 32GBDDR2 SO-DIMMnone
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4BCM27111GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB0GB (Lite), 8GB, 16GB, 32GBdual 100-pin high density connectorsoptional: 2.4/5GHz dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5 (300Mb/s), Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

For more information about Raspberry Pi Compute Modules, see the Compute Module documentation.

Pico microcontrollers

Models with the H suffix have header pins pre-soldered to the GPIO header. Models that lack the H suffix do not come with header pins attached to the GPIO header; the user must solder pins manually or attach a third-party pin kit.

ModelSoCMemoryStorageGPIOWireless Connectivity
Raspberry Pi PicoRaspberry Pi PicoRP2040264KB2MBtwo 20-pin GPIO headers (unpopulated)none
Raspberry Pi Pico HRaspberry Pi Pico HRP2040264KB2MBtwo 20-pin GPIO headersnone
Raspberry Pi Pico WRaspberry Pi Pico WRP2040264KB2MBtwo 20-pin GPIO headers (unpopulated)2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi (10Mb/s), Bluetooth 5.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Raspberry Pi Pico WHRaspberry Pi Pico WHRP2040264KB2MBtwo 20-pin GPIO headers2.4GHz single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi (10Mb/s), Bluetooth 5.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
Raspberry Pi Pico 2Raspberry Pi Pico 2RP2350520KB4MBtwo 20-pin GPIO headers (unpopulated)none

For more information about Raspberry Pi Pico models, see the Pico documentation.

If you’re interested in schematics, mechanical drawings, and information on thermal control, visit our documentation page.

The post Raspberry Pi product series explained appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

Building a Raspberry Pi Pico 2-powered drone from scratch

16 October 2024 at 14:59

The summer, and Louis Wood’s internship with our Maker in Residence, was creeping to a close without his final build making it off the ground. But as if by magic, on his very last day, Louis got his handmade drone flying.

3D-printed CAD design

The journey of building a custom drone began with designing in CAD software. My initial design was fully 3D-printed with an enclosed structure and cantilevered arms to support point forces. The honeycomb lid provided cooling, and the enclosure allowed for embedded XT-60 and MR-30 connections, creating a clean and integrated look. Inside, I ensured all electrical components were rigidly mounted to avoid unwanted movement that could destabilise the flight.

Testing quickly revealed that 3D-printed frames were brittle, often breaking during crashes. Moreover, the limitations of my printer’s build area meant that motor placement was cramped. To overcome these issues, I CNC-routed a new frame from 4 mm carbon fibre, increasing the wheelbase for better stability. Using Carveco software, I generated toolpaths and cut the frame on a WorkBee CNC in our Maker Lab. After two hours, I had a sturdy, assembled frame ready for electronics.

Not one, not two, but three Raspberry Pis

For the drone’s brain, I used a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 connected to an MPU6050 gyroscope for real-time orientation data and an IBUS protocol receiver for streamlined control inputs. Initially, I faced issues with signal processing due to the delay of handling five separate PWM signals. Switching to IBUS sped up the loop frequency by tenfold, which greatly improved flight response. The Pico handled PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) calculations for stability, and a 4-in-1 ESC managed the motor signals. The drone also carries a Raspberry Pi Zero with a Camera Module 2 and an analogue VTX for real-time FPV (first-person view) flying.

All coming together in the Maker Lab at Pi Towers

Programming was based on Tim Hanewich’s Scout flight controller code, implementing a ‘rate’ mode controller that uses PID values to maintain desired angular velocities. Fine-tuning the PID gains was essential; improper settings could lead to instability and dangerous oscillations. I followed a careful tuning process, starting with low values for each parameter and slowly increasing them.

To make the process safer, I constructed a testing rig to isolate each axis and simulate flight conditions. This allowed me to achieve a rough tune before moving on to actual flight tests, ultimately ensuring the drone’s safe and stable performance.

The post Building a Raspberry Pi Pico 2-powered drone from scratch appeared first on Raspberry Pi.

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