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Geek Culture / Which Raspberry Pi Kit? (UK)

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BatVink
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Posted: 27th Feb 2016 09:21
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I have my eyes on this Raspberry Pi kit. Can anyone advise if this is value for money? Or if there is a better kit for a beginner?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/model-b-raspberry-pi-advanced-kit-with-wireless-keyboard-n34qg
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revenant chaos
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Posted: 27th Feb 2016 10:39
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I would suggest finding a kit that comes with the Raspberry Pi 2 model B, They are only slightly more expensive but with considerably better specs (900mhz Arm7 quad-core , 1gb ram, 4 usb ports). In addition, Pi2's Arm7 processor has a wider range of software available while still being able to run all of Pi1's Arm6 stuff.
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budokaiman
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Posted: 27th Feb 2016 11:35
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What do you plan on using it for? What you need to get totally depends on what it's purpose will be.
"Giraffe is soft, Gorilla is hard." - Phaelax
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Phaelax
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Posted: 27th Feb 2016 20:14 Edited at: 27th Feb 2016 20:26
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Do you need a whole kit? Chances are you already have a power cord laying around (micro-usb). I use the extension cord from my powerbook with an ipad usb adapter on it.
Do you need wifi? A new keyboard? A usb hub? (there's already 4 on there). I got my pi 2 model B for $30 and would also agree with revenant in recommending you get that model instead of the first one.

Just came across this, the Pi 3 will be out some time this year. Maybe in a few months, sooner, maybe fall? I don't know.
http://www.i-programmer.info/news/91-hardware/9485-raspberry-pi-3-with-wifi-and-bluetooth.html

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BatVink
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Posted: 27th Feb 2016 22:09
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Ah, I made a silly mistake, I mixed up Model B and Pi 2. I didn't notice this was a Pi V1 Model B.
Thanks!
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wattywatts
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Posted: 28th Feb 2016 00:54
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Pi 3 could be out in a week, might want to wait a bit.
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 28th Feb 2016 02:11 Edited at: 28th Feb 2016 02:34
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Sweet puddle drums, you can buy a Pi for 5 bucks. You can literally purchase a 1 GHz computer for 5 dollars.
"Most people don't even know what sysadmins do, but trust me, if they all took a lunch break at the same time they wouldn't make it to the deli before you ran out of bullets protecting your canned goods from roving bands of mutants." - Mashable
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CJB
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Posted: 1st Mar 2016 11:24
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Pi 3 launched yesterday. £30 - includes faster 64bit processor, bluetooth and wi-fi! I want!
V2 T1 (Mostly)
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BatVink
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Posted: 1st Mar 2016 14:48
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I got!

Hurry, only 6.660 left in Stock after my purchase. Direct from the (British) manufacturer, everybody else seems to be sold out...

http://cpc.farnell.com/raspberry-pi/raspberrypi-modb-1gb/sbc-raspberry-pi-3-model-b-1gb/dp/SC14012
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 1st Mar 2016 22:19
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Looks like you found a source most don't know about! Still 6,252 left. I really should get one of these. How easy would it be to write an OS for one from scratch (aside from the obvious difficulties of writing any OS)? That would be pretty fun.
"Dark Java Dude 64 wrote this sentence" - Dark Java Dude 64
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wattywatts
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Posted: 1st Mar 2016 22:42
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I kind of want to make some sort of handheld emulation system, but I know after I bought the parts it could be a year before I actually got around to it, by which time the parts would be outdated anyway. sigh.
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BatVink
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2016 10:17
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Quote: "Looks like you found a source most don't know about! Still 6,252 left"


CPC sell mainly to trade, so you wouldn't come across them in the usual ways.
They are selling about 50 an hour then. For an unknown site, that's pretty fast.
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2016 15:05 Edited at: 2nd Mar 2016 15:08
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Quote: "For an unknown site, that's pretty fast."
Ah, true.
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Seditious
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2016 17:30 Edited at: 2nd Mar 2016 17:30
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You should take a look at aliexpress.com and banggood.com for cheap electronics at very low prices (and with free shipping, although the shipping time is rather high). Just have to watch out for the fakes.

Quote: ""You can literally purchase a 1 GHz computer for 5 dollars.""


Clock speed isn't really an indicator of anything but clock speed; it won't necessarily be as powerful as a typical 1ghz desktop processor.
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BatVink
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2016 19:02
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Don't forget anything over £15 (in the UK) is subject to import duty. You can't pay it beforehand, so you also get charged an admin fee. I was previously charged £22 import duty and fees.
I also paid for extra tracking on a BangGood purchase, so I could keep an eye on it. They take your money, but don't provide the tracking.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2016 20:36 Edited at: 2nd Mar 2016 20:39
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Quote: "Sweet puddle drums, you can buy a Pi for 5 bucks. You can literally purchase a 1 GHz computer for 5 dollars."

If you're referring to the Pi Zero, good luck finding one. I've searched for months!

Only thing that bugs me about the pi is the internal usb hub. From what I've read, the 4 ports share the same channel thus only having a max bandwidth of 480mbps combined on all 4 ports together. Probably not a huge deal for some if you're only using controllers on it, but it might be a downer for others trying to connect more powerful devices.

Microcenter will have the new Pi 3 soon they say.

"I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended." - Linus Torvalds
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2016 22:06
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Quote: "it won't necessarily be as powerful as a typical 1ghz desktop processor."
I'm aware; regardless, it's neat in any case if you have any sort of computer running at 1 billion clockz per second for 5 dollars.

Quote: "If you're referring to the Pi Zero, good luck finding one. I've searched for months!"
Just found a place near where I live with 10 in stock. Granted, that's not many, and everywhere else does indeed seem to be out of stock. That's what I'd expect for a 5 dollar 1 GHz computer.
"Dark Java Dude 64 wrote this sentence" - Dark Java Dude 64
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Seditious
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2016 08:40
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Quote: "Don't forget anything over £15 (in the UK) is subject to import duty."


Ah yes, I forgot that. I'm not sure if that law applies to France since I've never had to pay such fees, but I've heard of others (in other parts of the world) having to.

Quote: "I also paid for extra tracking on a BangGood purchase, so I could keep an eye on it. They take your money, but don't provide the tracking."


I've not personally experienced this issue; of the 3 things I've ordered from there so far I've been able to see tracking information. It's a bit of a crappy system on these Chinese websites though, sometimes redirecting you to some tracking website that doesn't work properly.

Quote: "I'm aware"


Just checking.
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BatVink
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2016 11:24
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It arrived
All I need now is 8 days in a week so I can play with it.

Sorry, I don't do the whole YouTube unboxing thing (So, the address label is here, and there is a piece of sellotape here that you have to cut...Oh look, it has a delivery note inside and a piece of foam...)
It's a PCB in an antistatic bag, in a box about the size of a Cigarette box. Actually, with the raspberry on the front, it looks like a box of throat lozenges.


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Phaelax
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Posted: 7th Mar 2016 14:46
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Lol I hate those YouTube videos. You look for a video review and all they do is take thing thing out of the box. Like, and here folks is what it looks like, thanks for watching.

"I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended." - Linus Torvalds
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