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 | ||
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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.
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