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On Sat, 9 Aug 2014, bad apple wrote:
Ok, another request for recommendations (this one will probably be best answered by Gordon I suspect). I'm only a few years late, but I finally need to buy myself a couple of Pis for various hackjobs and overdue projects. Believe it or not, I still haven't even seen one yet, let alone hacked on one. Not wanting to waste time or money, I'm keen to avoid arseing about with random flaky power supplies, dodgy SD cards or unsupported USB hubs and I don't mind paying extra to get that flawless, no hassle "everything works out of the box" experience. I want a Pi (or 5) with: # a nice little case, although I don't mind ordering this separately # decent compatible SD card, at least 16Gb # USB hub that will work immediately # no hassle PSU that will drive everything correctly I'm only interested in model B's which I understand have just been refreshed, so I don't want the old model. Recommendations for suitable USB wifi dongles that play nicely with Pis would be appreciated too, although most of them will probably be wired.
You want (and will get) the model B+.It's not possible to get a Revision 1 or 2 Model B right now (well, not from most dealers - you'll have to look really hard!) Model B/2's will be available again, but really - you do not want them - they're (now) only for industrial/embedded users who have platforms that need the B/2 physical form factor - and only until they re-tool to accept the B+ or build a compute-module solution.
The B+ has 4 USB sockets, capable of a total current source of 1.2 amps. (So you may not need a USB hub at all).
If 8GB is enough, then this bundle is fine: http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-model-b-with-pibowHowever if you really need 16+GB then you'll need to shop around. You want to look for a good brand name from a reputable dealer.
The SD in that bundle will come pre-installed with "Noobs" - either boot it up with keyboard & screen and install Raspbian, or re-flash with Raspbian directly.
Raspbian is Debian Wheezy compiled specifically for the Pi's ARMv6 architecture. The current Pi kernel is 3.12.x. All the foundation patches are open source, so if you want to build your own ...
First thing you do is remove mathematica to free-up some 800MB of SD card space...
Wireless: http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/wireless-n-nano-usb-adaptor PSU: http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/power-adaptor-uk-5v-1a-dc the Official foundation PSU is this: http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supplyPersonally, I'd choose the first one as it's £1 cheaper and you get a choice of cable colours.
USB Hub (if needed): http://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pihub
Is there any possibility of driving these things with PoE by the way? I've got a bunch of expensive PoE 24 port gigabit switches that so far are only driving a couple of Cisco VOIP phones.
Not directly. You can buy PoE -> 5v adapters, but they cost as much as the Pi.
* In case anyone is wondering, yes, I am home alone, the missus is away and unusually I have the credit card, hence the shopping spree :] I'm also looking at 3D printers, but that is one highly confusing field... Anyone got one yet?
Think: What is more useful to you - a 3D printer or a lasercutter... I thought about that a while back and I now have a lasercutter. Gordon
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