Tag: Raspberry Pi 3

Overview of the Raspberry Pi 3B+ board

1. Processor and Memory
   • CPU: Broadcom BCM2837B0, Cortex-A53 (64-bit)
   • Clock speed: 1.4 GHz
   • RAM: 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM
   • The Raspberry Pi 3B+ is powered by a Broadcom BCM2837B0 chipset, which includes a 1.4 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU.
   • The BCM2837B0 also includes a VideoCore IV GPU, which is capable of hardware-accelerated video decoding and encoding, 3D graphics rendering, and image processing.
   • The Raspberry Pi 3B+ comes with 1 GB of LPDDR2 SDRAM memory, which is shared between the CPU and GPU.
   • The LPDDR2 SDRAM on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ runs at 900 MHz, providing a maximum memory bandwidth of 7.2 GB/s.
   • The Raspberry Pi 3B+ also supports virtual memory, which allows it to use a portion of its SD card storage as swap space to increase the available memory.
   • The BCM2837B0 chipset includes a level 2 (L2) cache of 512 KB, which is shared between all four CPU cores.
   • The L2 cache on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ runs at the same speed as the CPU cores (1.4 GHz), providing fast access to frequently used data and instructions.
   • The BCM2837B0 chipset also includes a hardware random number generator, which can be used for cryptographic applications that require secure and unpredictable random numbers.
2. Connectivity
   • Ethernet: Gigabit Ethernet over USB 2.0 (maximum throughput 300 Mbps)
   • Wireless: 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11.b/g/n/ac wireless LAN
   • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
3. Storage
   • microSD card slot for loading operating system and data storage
   • The Raspberry Pi 3B+ has a microSD card slot that supports the use of microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC cards.
   • The microSD card slot on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ supports UHS-I bus speeds, which can provide faster data transfer rates than standard SD cards.
   • The Raspberry Pi 3B+ also supports booting from USB mass storage devices, such as USB flash drives or external hard drives.
   • The Raspberry Pi 3B+ supports the use of file systems such as ext4, NTFS, and FAT32 on external storage devices.
   • The maximum recommended microSD card size for the Raspberry Pi 3B+ is 32 GB, although larger cards can be used with some limitations.
4. Multimedia
   • Video: H.264 (up to 1080p60), MPEG-4 (up to 1080p30), H.263 (up to 1080p30)
   • Audio: Stereo audio via 3.5mm jack, or HDMI
5. GPIO
   • 40-pin GPIO header with support for SPI, I2C, and UART protocols
   • 40 GPIO pins are available in two rows of 20 pins each on the GPIO header.
   • The GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ operate at 3.3V logic levels and are not 5V tolerant. Connecting 5V devices directly to the GPIO pins can damage the Raspberry Pi.
   • The GPIO pins can source or sink up to 16 mA of current.
   • The GPIO pins can be configured as inputs or outputs, and can also be used for hardware PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) and hardware SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) communication.
   • The GPIO pins are grouped into several GPIO banks, each with its own set of features and capabilities. These banks include the General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) bank, the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bank, the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bank, and the Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART) bank.
   • The GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi 3B+ can be accessed using a variety of programming languages and libraries, including Python, C, C++, and Node.js. The RPi.GPIO library, which is included with the Raspbian operating system, provides a simple and easy-to-use interface for controlling the GPIO pins using Python. Additionally, it is possible to access the GPIO pins using bare metal programming, which involves programming the Raspberry Pi directly without using an operating system. This method provides more control over the hardware and can be useful in applications where performance and real-time control are critical.
6. Power
   • 5V DC via micro-USB connector, or GPIO header
7. Form Factor
   • Dimensions: 88 x 56 x 19.5 mm
   • Weight: 46g