I got my hands dirty with this small cute computing device called Raspberry Pi.
What pushed me towards it is Internet of things (IOT) buzz i keep hearing about.
Though Arduino ecosystem rules IOT world, i thought to start with one layer above with Raspberry Pi.
What i mean by one layer above is that Arduino is a microcontroller motherboard vs a Raspberry Pi which is a general-purpose computer capable of running Linux operating system.
Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+
- VPN server
- Network Storage Server
- Printer Server
- Media Center
- Web Server
I have bought Model B+ which is recently launched and better version than previous one. It costed me Rs. 3,299.00 in India (Amazon) which i consider quite affordable.
You may need more things to use the device, like external monitor, keyboard and mouse which definitely adds to the cost. Despite I feel it's a great machine which lowered the barrier to computing.
Also, It has a very thriving ecosystem of accessories which enables extending the device with buzzers, DC motors, sensors, led lights, lcd screens etc. to create DIY kind of projects.
One specific area where its being used a lot is 3D printers. Recently in IIITB few graduate students demonstrated a 3D printer prototype which uses Raspberry Pi device at its core.
Only thing i miss in this device is a wireless LAN, i hope it will make an entry in future iterations of the device.