The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a low-cost, credit-card-sized computer board that is designed to be used for a variety of projects and applications. It is equipped with a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, 1GB RAM, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and multiple connectivity options such as USB, Ethernet, HDMI, and GPIO pins. It can run various operating systems such as Raspbian, Ubuntu, and Windows 10 IoT Core. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is widely used for DIY electronics projects, IoT devices, media centers, game consoles, and more.

 

Package Includes:

• 1 x Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Development Board

 

Features:

1. Processor: The board is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, which offers significant performance improvements over the previous generation Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.
2. Memory: The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B features 1GB of RAM, which is more than enough to handle most applications and projects.
3. Connectivity: The board has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, which makes it easy to connect to the internet and other devices wirelessly. It also features multiple connectivity options such as USB, Ethernet, HDMI, and GPIO pins.
4. Operating system: The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B can run a variety of operating systems, including the popular Raspbian, Ubuntu, and Windows 10 IoT Core.
5. GPIO pins: The board has 40 GPIO pins, which can be used to connect to a variety of peripherals and devices such as sensors, cameras, and motors.
6. Video and Audio: The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B has an HDMI port that supports up to 1080p video output, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack for audio output.
7. Power supply: The board can be powered via a micro USB port using a standard 5V micro USB power supply.
8. Size and form factor: The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a compact, credit-card-sized board that measures 85mm x 56mm x 17mm and weighs just 50 grams.

 

Description:

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a versatile and powerful single-board computer designed for a wide range of projects and applications. It is the third generation of Raspberry Pi boards and builds upon the success of its predecessors with improved processing power and connectivity options. The board is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, which offers significant performance improvements over the previous generation Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. It also features 1GB of RAM, which is more than enough to handle most applications and projects. it has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. This makes it easy to connect to the internet and other devices wirelessly, without the need for additional hardware or cables. It also features multiple connectivity options such as USB, Ethernet, HDMI, and GPIO pins, which makes it easy to connect to a variety of peripherals and devices. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B can run a variety of operating systems, including the popular Raspbian, Ubuntu, and Windows 10 IoT Core. This makes it easy to develop and deploy projects using your preferred operating system. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is widely used for DIY electronics projects, IoT devices, media centers, game consoles, and more. It is also popular among students, educators, and hobbyists, who use it to learn about programming, electronics, and computer science.

 

Principle of Work:

A single-board computer (SBC) is a complete computer built on a single circuit board, with all the necessary components such as processor, memory, storage, and input/output interfaces. SBCs are designed to be compact, low-power, and affordable, making them ideal for a wide range of applications and projects. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a single-board computer that is based on the ARM architecture. It contains a system-on-a-chip (SoC) that includes a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, a VideoCore IV GPU, and 1GB of RAM. The board also features built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, multiple connectivity options such as USB, Ethernet, HDMI, and GPIO pins, and is powered by a micro USB port using a standard 5V micro USB power supply. Internally, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B works by running an operating system (OS) such as Raspbian, Ubuntu, or Windows 10 IoT Core, which is installed on a microSD card that is inserted into the board. The OS interacts with the hardware components on the board to enable various functions and capabilities. And there is a difference between single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi and microcontrollers (MCUs) which is primarily in their purpose and capabilities. SBCs like the Raspberry Pi are designed to be more powerful and versatile, with more processing power, memory, and connectivity options, which makes them suitable for a wider range of applications and projects. MCUs, on the other hand, are typically simpler and more specialized, with limited processing power and memory, but with low power consumption and real-time capabilities that make them ideal for embedded systems and control applications.

 

Pinout of the Module:

  

Pin	Name	Function	Physical	Physical	Function	Name	Pin
1	3V3	Power	2	1	Power	5V	2
3	GPIO2	General Purpose Input/Output	4	3	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO3	4
5	GPIO3	General Purpose Input/Output	6	5	Ground	GND	6
7	GPIO4	General Purpose Input/Output	8	7	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO14	8
9	Ground	Power	10	9	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO15	10
11	GPIO17	General Purpose Input/Output	12	11	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO18	12
13	GPIO27	General Purpose Input/Output	14	13	Ground	GND	14
15	GPIO22	General Purpose Input/Output	16	15	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO23	16
17	3V3	Power	18	17	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO24	18
19	GPIO10	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI MOSI	20	19	Ground	GND	20
21	GPIO9	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI MISO	22	21	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI Clock	GPIO25	22
23	GPIO11	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI Clock	24	23	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI MOSI	GPIO8	24
25	Ground	Power	26	25	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI MISO	GPIO7	26
27	GPIO0	General Purpose Input/Output	28	27	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO1	28
29	GPIO5	General Purpose Input/Output/PWM	30	29	Ground	GND	30
31	GPIO6	General Purpose Input/Output/PWM	32	31	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO12	32
33	GPIO13	General Purpose Input/Output/PWM	34	33	Ground	GND	34
35	GPIO19	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI MOSI	36	35	General Purpose Input/Output	GPIO16	36
37	GPIO26	General Purpose Input/Output	38	37	General Purpose Input/Output/SPI Clock	GPIO20

 

Applications:

1. Home automation: With its ability to connect to various sensors and other devices, the Raspberry Pi can be used to automate various tasks around the home, such as controlling lights, temperature, and security systems.
2. Media center: The Raspberry Pi can be turned into a media center, allowing users to stream and play music, movies, and other multimedia content.
3. Gaming: The Raspberry Pi can be used to create a gaming console, with the ability to run a variety of retro and modern games.
4. Education: The Raspberry Pi is widely used in education to teach programming, electronics, and other technology-related topics.
5. Robotics: The Raspberry Pi can be used as the brain for various robots, with its GPIO pins providing connectivity for sensors, motors, and other components.
6. Internet of Things (IoT): The Raspberry Pi can be used to create IoT devices, such as smart home appliances, environmental sensors, and more.
7. Server: The Raspberry Pi can be used as a low-cost server for various purposes, such as hosting websites, databases, and other applications.
8. Art installations: The Raspberry Pi can be used to create interactive art installations, such as displays and sound installations.

 

Circuit:

To blink an LED connected to pin 7 (GPIO4) and the ground pin (pin 6) of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B through a 1k resistor, you will need the following:

1. Raspberry Pi 3 Model B board
2. LED
3. 1k ohm resistor
4. Breadboard (optional)
5. Jumper wires
6. Raspbian OS installed on the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B board
7. Access to the terminal or command line interface of Raspbian

 

Library:

If the library is not already installed install the RPi.GPIO library on your Raspberry Pi, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the terminal or command line interface on your Raspberry Pi.
2. Run the following command to update the package lists:
3. sudo apt-get update
4. Run the following command to install the RPi.GPIO library:
5. sudo apt-get install python-rpi.gpio
6. Wait for the installation to complete. Once done, the RPi.GPIO library should be ready to use in your Python scripts.
7. That's it! You should now be able to use the RPi.GPIO library in your Python scripts to control the GPIO pins of your Raspberry Pi.

 

Code:

code example to blink the LED on the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B using the RPi.GPIO library in Python: Connect the LED to pin 7 (GPIO4) and ground (pin 6) through a 1k ohm resistor as described in the previous answer. Open the terminal or command line interface of Raspbian. 

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setup(4, GPIO.OUT)

while True:
    GPIO.output(4, GPIO.HIGH)
    time.sleep(1)
    GPIO.output(4, GPIO.LOW)
    time.sleep(1)

Press Ctrl+C to stop the blinking.

This code uses the RPi.GPIO library to control the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi. The LED is connected to pin 7 (GPIO4), which is initialized as an output pin using the GPIO.setup() function. The while loop continuously turns the LED on and off with a delay of 1 second between each state change using the GPIO.output() function.

 

Technical Details:

• Quad Core 1.2GHz Broadcom BCM2837 64bit CPU
• 1GB RAM
• BCM43438 wireless LAN and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) onboard
• 40-pin extended GPIO
• 4 USB 2 ports
• 4 pole stereo output and composite video port
• Full-size HDMI
• CSI camera port for connecting a Raspberry Pi camera
• DSI display port for connecting a Raspberry Pi touchscreen display
• Micro SD port for loading your operating system and storing data
• Upgraded switched Micro USB power source up to 2.5A

 

Resources:

Datasheet

 

Comparison:

 

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and the Arduino Uno are both popular development boards, but they have some key differences in terms of their hardware, software, and use cases.

1. Hardware:

   • The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is a single-board computer with a quad-core ARM processor, up to 1GB of RAM, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, an Ethernet port, HDMI output, and a microSD card slot.
   • The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board with an 8-bit AVR processor, 2KB of RAM, 32KB of flash memory, several digital and analog I/O pins, and a USB port for communication and programming.

2. Software:

   • The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B runs a full Linux operating system such as Raspbian, which supports a wide range of programming languages and applications.
   • The Arduino Uno runs the Arduino IDE, which is a simple programming environment for writing, uploading, and debugging C++ code on the board.

3. Use Cases:

   • The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is suited for more complex projects that require a lot of computing power and connectivity, such as media centers, web servers, robotics, and IoT devices.
   • The Arduino Uno is suited for simpler projects that require real-time interaction with sensors and actuators, such as home automation, data logging, and basic robotics.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and the Arduino Uno have different strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them largely depends on the specific project requirements and the user's skill level and familiarity with programming and electronics.