Saw my first Raspberry Pi last night..

[Vipersan]

I guess it will be a while before these nifty little boards become generally available ..
Aimed at getting kids in schools interested in computers and programming from an early age.
I have to say I was very impressed ..
Has on board a lan connection
Sd card slot for whatever software you want to run/boot
In this case the SD card had a beta version of XBMC
..but it could just as well have been a basic interpretor ..for use in schools etc

2 usb ports ..
Audio out port
Video out port
..and hdmi

Didn't get to play with it much ..but was seriously impressed with the Pis ability to handle hdmi high def video to to a TV ..
Smooth as silk and little heat generated in the process.
Small enough to build into a TV ..or add on box to make a tiny media player..

My only gripe with this setup was the lack of phono digital out or spdif to output 5.1 audio to an amp ..but there are pin header i/o port connections ...so add on units may surface eventually..
Hopefully one day I'll get one to keep ..and play around with.
When you think how I was first introduced to computing back in the days of the VIC20 with an amazing 3K of memory..
..and yet I wrote commercial games in such a tiny space.
Well ..all I can say is ...
..kids today ..never had it so good or so easy to get to grips with tech..
rgds
VS

 

[Captain Jack]

Agreed. My friend finally received one of them - after waiting for months for it to arrive. Cracking piece of kit. Amazing how much technology can be squeezed into such a small amount of space.

 

[A nonymous]

I have had one on order now for about three weeks. Hopefully it shouldn't be long before it arrives.

You have to register your interest with RS and a few weeks later they send you an email with a link/code you use to order it with. I'm seriously looking forward to playing with it

Nano

 

[PaulR]

I'm impressed by the capability for HD media straeming and would like to play around with one for that...

but...

I'm not a programmer and I fear that I would find myself with nowhere to go with it.

 

[cokeaddict]

I'm impressed by the capability for HD media straeming and would like to play around with one for that...

but...

I'm not a programmer and I fear that I would find myself with nowhere to go with it.

I ordered 1 at 6am on 29th Feb, and it arrived sometime in may.

I used it for a day and then put it back in it's box (as above i'm not a programmer, and with my pc being windows based it was difficult to get anything working on it, other than an early build of xbmc that someone compiled but was very slow).

Someone made me an offer for it a couple of weeks ago that I couldn't refuse as they were fedup of waiting for RS to despatch theres so I let it go.

But now people that know what they are doing with them are finally getting hold of them, i've decided to order another, in the hope that by the time it arrives, I will finally have a use for it

 

[sonnetpete]

Saw my first Raspberry Pi last night..

Suppose it would be too obvious to ask if they do them in other flavours.........



















thought so.......




consider coat donned and door closed after exiting........

 

[A nonymous]

It could be possibly related to a Blackberry or maybe even an apple

I wonder if it would work in a crumble

 

[Lazarus]

Hark at the pear of you.

 

[A nonymous]

Your bananas you are

 

[Vipersan]

...These 'fruit' jokes are just grape ....but the humour is begining to droop..

Perhaps we _should_ be raisin the standard a little..
A little less Pi in the sky .....more Ham where we am...
A meaty alternative to get yer teeth into ..
...Go ManGo...
over to you fruity lot..
I may just be a Goosebery fool ...and in a bit of a jam...but I suspect one of these Pis will eventually make its way onto my shopping list.
;)

 

[Lazarus]

Well I hope you don't end up with a lemon.

 

[remlap]

The MK802 seems a better option if you want to use it as a media playback with Android ICS

[video=youtube;3U3ztxu82FM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U3ztxu82FM[/video]

 

[Vipersan]

The MK802 seems a better option if you want to use it as a media playback with Android ICS

[video=youtube;3U3ztxu82FM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U3ztxu82FM[/video]

Hi Remlap...the beauty of the pi is it versatility for use in other applications ..
Not just media playing ..
Its I/O ports being of particular interest ..
20 plus years ago I wrote my first version of a bandscanner/spectrum analyser using the 8 bit port of a comodore 64 to control dedicated Ato D and Dto A hardware designed by me ..
And although slow ...amd barely useable ...it functioned..
I went on to make a PC version using the same controlled hardware but with a bi directional printer port ..again 8 bit..
If such a board as the PI had existed back then ..
..imagine what could have been acheived on a purely amateur level.

So you see ..its the versatility of this little board that impresses...but anyone could make use of it ..and programmers moreso..
rgds
VS

 

[2cvbloke]

I've registered interest in the Raspberry Pi myself, yep, all by myself...

Anyway, joking aside, I like small computers, I bought into the Mini-ITX systems a little over half a decade ago, and they were brilliant for what they were, and since then, I've wanted something decent, and affordable, that is just as flexible as they were, and this Pi fits the bill...

I've read about several uses that they're being put to, one is being planned to autonomously sail across the Atlantic (I'll be impressed if it managed it!!), one has been up to 40KM into the atmosphere by hydrogen balloon, and they're being used to educate in proper computing too, so they're a great little all-rounder...

And, reading their blog, it looks like you can order them now without having to wait for an e-mail to be sent to you inviting you to buy, and as many as you want too...

Nice of RS to tell me that...

 

[remlap]

Hi Remlap...the beauty of the pi is it versatility for use in other applications ..
Not just media playing ..
Its I/O ports being of particular interest ..
20 plus years ago I wrote my first version of a bandscanner/spectrum analyser using the 8 bit port of a comodore 64 to control dedicated Ato D and Dto A hardware designed by me ..
And although slow ...amd barely useable ...it functioned..
I went on to make a PC version using the same controlled hardware but with a bi directional printer port ..again 8 bit..
If such a board as the PI had existed back then ..
..imagine what could have been acheived on a purely amateur level.

So you see ..its the versatility of this little board that impresses...but anyone could make use of it ..and programmers moreso..
rgds
VS

Oh I understand what the Pi is really for, just if someone was looking for a easy way to play media.

Just your first post made light of the media playback capabilities of the Pi, something personally I think Android is better suited to.

Speaking of Commodore 64 did you ever come across one of these?

_http://www.mos6502.com/friday-commodore/the-commodore-c64-as-a-satellite-decoder/

Cheers

 

[Vipersan]

Oh I understand what the Pi is really for, just if someone was looking for a easy way to play media.

Just your first post made light of the media playback capabilities of the Pi, something personally I think Android is better suited to.

Speaking of Commodore 64 did you ever come across one of these?

_http://www.mos6502.com/friday-commodore/the-commodore-c64-as-a-satellite-decoder/

Cheers

Sadly No ...
But would have definately been interested at the time ..had I seen it ..
I remember saving up and having to part with over £200 for my Churchill d2mac decoder ...and then cards had to be manufactured (pre goldcards) ...using a thin pcb ...pic and eprom.
Those were fun days ...and sadly missed.
rgds
VS

 

[sonnetpete]

Well I hope you don't end up with a lemon.

Don't you think we've squeezed all the pip's out of this subject??

 

[Analoguesat]

Some info about the balloon ascent

Pi in the sky?




-http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18900862

 

[A nonymous]

Your just taking the pith now

 

[2cvbloke]

And that's my order for a Raspberry Pi in, though RS say it'll take 18 weeks to bake it ready for delivery...

Can't wait, though by the time I get it, I'll have forgotten about it I'm sure... O-Ha