Choices
It's been roughly two months that I spent around Raspberry Pi. For that time I've been tweaking it (primarily on software level), read two books (and started three more), browsed tens of articles, project and auxiliary components sites. Now it is hard for me to say that all the initiatives I've read about are strictly Raspberry Pi projects. Although the Pi inhabits the heart of any single one of them and most of the development revolves around it, it feels like the small computer gently steps away in the background, so the unique features of the specific project stand out. Still they can fully be dubbed Raspberry-Pi-Driven. Take TARDIS for example - the Pi is running the show, but it actually is a stratosphere traveler. Or any installment similar to what is built in this tutorial or the RaspBMC project - Raspberry Pi is utilized, but these are a NAS solution and a media center.
In that sense, it is a bit incoherent to define what the Pi needs in order to make it a running system. Of course there is a bare minimum of additional components that you can't go without. These are power supply, SD card for the OS and a networking method - only three mandatory components in fact. Apart from that only your project decides what else is needed as a peripheral. In any case you are faced with numerous small "design" choices and decisions. Here is an unordered (and not final) list of what might become a cause of wondering about.
In that sense, it is a bit incoherent to define what the Pi needs in order to make it a running system. Of course there is a bare minimum of additional components that you can't go without. These are power supply, SD card for the OS and a networking method - only three mandatory components in fact. Apart from that only your project decides what else is needed as a peripheral. In any case you are faced with numerous small "design" choices and decisions. Here is an unordered (and not final) list of what might become a cause of wondering about.
The Network Access
Mentioned as a mandatory component it is not a crucial one in fact. This is true only if some other peripherals are in place (at least the keyboard/mouse pair) or it is a part of some autonomous robotic system, that have other means to interconnect with the outside world.
The Raspy (only model B) has a built in RJ-45 connector that can cable you to the nearest LAN. At first this was not an option for me since I prefer going wireless, especially when there is a way. There are some. I chose what was provided by the same guys that brought the Raspberry Pi to existence, and this choice is called Wi-Pi. At first I was very excited about it, but the disappointment came too quickly - its signal range is too short for my needs. There are some more thing to be said about it and wireless as a whole, but that'll be in a dedicated post.
The Raspy (only model B) has a built in RJ-45 connector that can cable you to the nearest LAN. At first this was not an option for me since I prefer going wireless, especially when there is a way. There are some. I chose what was provided by the same guys that brought the Raspberry Pi to existence, and this choice is called Wi-Pi. At first I was very excited about it, but the disappointment came too quickly - its signal range is too short for my needs. There are some more thing to be said about it and wireless as a whole, but that'll be in a dedicated post.
The Input Peripherals
The bare minimum - mouse and keyboard. Two devices. Must be USB connected. In some situations you'll use a USB flash-drive to store some data, if not sending it to remote drive through the network. In that case you're still short with one USB connector. There are two choices here:
- USB hub
- Mouse and Keyboard on a single USB connector - in my case wireless ones.
And finally I chose the third variant - Remote Desktop access. Requires XRDP server to run on the Pi (or other VNC like solution suitable for your needs), and RD client on the remote machine (rdesktop on my LinuxMint workstation). This is one way which makes the keyboard & mouse duo not a mandatory component of the setup - at least after the Raspberry Pi OS is made available online through SSH access.
The Monitor
Once I had the Pi, I decided to look at the back of my SONY SDM-E76D monitor. At that moment I realized that it is an almost seven years old monitor, and it didn't have HDMI connector. It had the usual VGA and a DVI. So if wanted to use it I had to supply the Pi with HDMI to DVI (the better choice I think) cable.
Another option (since the regular HDMI cable lies around in some box) is to use the TV as monitor, which is not a bad possibility at some point. Especially if you intend to use the Raspy as a media center.
Another option (since the regular HDMI cable lies around in some box) is to use the TV as monitor, which is not a bad possibility at some point. Especially if you intend to use the Raspy as a media center.
The Operating System
Currently the default one is Raspbian Wheezy. On the same page there are several more choices., but the most comprehensive list seems to be here. A more structured (but not that complete list) can be found on Wikipedia.
One pretty clever option to go with is the BerryBoot. I personally am very fond of Bodhi Linux, because of its default X-Window system - Enlightenmet - light, fast and beautiful.
The SD Card
The choice of memory card should be a piece of pie but might be tricky. Here there is a big list of what is good and what is not. I can confirm (for addition to this list) another brand/model SDHC card that currently gains uptime on my Raspberry Pi with Raspbian Wheezy on it. In the style of the mentioned list:
Currently the default one is Raspbian Wheezy. On the same page there are several more choices., but the most comprehensive list seems to be here. A more structured (but not that complete list) can be found on Wikipedia.
One pretty clever option to go with is the BerryBoot. I personally am very fond of Bodhi Linux, because of its default X-Window system - Enlightenmet - light, fast and beautiful.
The SD Card
The choice of memory card should be a piece of pie but might be tricky. Here there is a big list of what is good and what is not. I can confirm (for addition to this list) another brand/model SDHC card that currently gains uptime on my Raspberry Pi with Raspbian Wheezy on it. In the style of the mentioned list:
| OK | Manufacturer | Type | Size (GB) | Class | Model | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OK | (Intenso) | SDHC | 16 | 4 | ||
| OK | Adata | microSDHC | 8 | 10 | MicroSD w/ adapter |
I guess this post might have some updates in the future as long as new options and points of choice appear on the platform.
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