Raspberry Pi B+ Review

There has been some commotion over a new version of the credit-card-sized computer; it is labelled as Raspberry Pi B+. News about it came up when there was an apparent mistake in shipment wherein a customer received the model B+ before its official release. Looking at the model B and model B+ side by side, the updates in the B+ version are mostly centered on port count, and general layout. USB port count is doubled and there are additional 19 gpio pins. Specifications provided below are based on datasheets.

Attribute	Model B		Model B+
Chip	Broadcom BCM2835 SoC		Broadcom BCM2835 SoC
Core Architecture	ARM11		ARM11
CPU	700 MHz Low Power ARM1176JZFS Applications Processor		700 MHz Low Power ARM1176JZFS Applications Processor
GPU	Dual Core VideoCore IV® Multimedia Co-ProcessorOpen GL ES 2.0, hardware-accelerated OpenVG1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode 1Gp/s, 1.5Gt/s, 24GFlops with texture filtering and DMA infrastructure		Dual Core VideoCore IV® Multimedia Co-ProcessorOpen GL ES 2.0, hardware-accelerated OpenVG1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode 1Gp/s, 1.5Gt/s, 24GFlops with texture filtering and DMA infrastructure
Memory	512 MB SDRAM		512MB SDRAM
OS	LINUX: Boots from SD card		LINUX: Boots from Micro SD card
Dimensions	85.6 x 53.98 x 17 mm		85 x 56 x 17 mm
Power	Micro USB: +5V, 1.2A		Micro USB: +5V, 2A
Ethernet	10/100 BaseT		10/100 BaseT
Video Output	HDMI, Composite RCA		HDMI, Composite RCA
Audio Output	3.5mm jack, HDMI		3.5 mm jack, HDMI
USB 2.0	2 ports		4 ports
GPIO Connector	26-pin (2×13 strip)	8 GPIO	40-pin(2×20 strip)	27 GPIO
		I2C, SPI, UART
		+3.3V, +5V, GND		+3.3, +5V, GND
Camera Connector	15-pin MIPI Camera Serial Interface		15-pin MIPI Camera Serial Interface
JTAG	Not populated		Not populated
Display Connector	DSI 15 way flat flex cable connector (2 data, 1 clock channel)		DSI 15 way flat flex cable connector (2 data, 1 clock channel)
Memory Card Slot	SDIO		SDIO

Connector schematics for the model B+ have been released. The schematic shows a 4-pole A/V port and no Composite RCA. Additionally, from the model images, an absence of the RCA jack is observable. It looks as though they really intend on removing the RCA in the new model.

Considering that news about this version came before Raspberry Pi Foundation planned to announce it, this may just be a missed edit in the datasheet in the rush to release information. The schematic also shows availability of the I2C, SPI, and UART channels despite omission of that particular specification from the datasheet.

On power consumption, the model B+ looks to be more efficient as it can be observed that the 3.3V and 1.8V lines are supplied through a switching supply compared to the linearly regulated lines in the model B. A mechanical schematic for the model B+ is available as well.

Raspberry Pi Foundation has already officially announced the launch, stating that the model B+ will be available for order immediately.

https://gizbeat.com/4779/raspberry-pi-b-review/https://gizbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Raspberry-Pi-Bplus.jpghttps://gizbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Raspberry-Pi-Bplus-150x150.jpg2014-07-15T15:43:33+07:00Nicky ArriolaRecentTechpi,raspberry,reviewThere has been some commotion over a new version of the credit-card-sized computer; it is labelled as Raspberry Pi B+. News about it came up when there was an apparent mistake in shipment wherein a customer received the model B+ before its official release. Looking at the model B...Nicky ArriolaNicky Arriola[email protected]EditorNicky is a full-time student and full-time lab worker. Her passion is anything to do with gadgets or tech and has high hopes to get all roads in the world paved with solar LED panels.GizBeat