New Raspberry Pi B+ announced

by
in hardware on (#3QP)
story imageThe Raspberry Pi keeps getting better: an updated version of model B Raspberry Pi has been announced by the Foundation. Looks like a great device.

Main changes are:
  1. More GPIO. The GPIO header has grown to 40 pins, while retaining the same pinout for the first 26 pins as the Model B.
  2. More USB. We now have 4 USB 2.0 ports, compared to 2 on the Model B, and better hotplug and overcurrent behaviour.
  3. Micro SD. The old friction-fit SD card socket has been replaced with a much nicer push-push micro SD version.
  4. Lower power consumption. By replacing linear regulators with switching ones we've reduced power consumption by between 0.5W and 1W.
  5. Better audio. The audio circuit incorporates a dedicated low-noise power supply.
  6. Neater form factor. We've aligned the USB connectors with the board edge, moved composite video onto the 3.5mm jack, and added four squarely-placed mounting holes.
The price is still $35.

Interestingly, Hackaday was there first, via a post just yesterday about a guy who got one of these things even before they were announced: probably a simple shipping error. They point out that the new form factor means old cases won't work. And they - and I - are excited about the better SD slot too: that was an important defect.

Re: Woo hoo! (Score: 1)

by axsdenied@pipedot.org on 2014-07-15 07:09 (#2GR)

Regarding the price point, remember that the components hardly changed in this upgrade. The main change is the layout and they added few extra connectors or replaced them. I doubt the new power supply increased the cost much, if at all. The SoC and memory are the same and their price went down since the original release.
So, I would have been surprised if the price changed much considering they are non-profit organisation.

By the way, the model B+ is already for sale at Element14 or similar stores. Also the old revision B disappeared overnight, I thought they will be getting rid of the old stock at discounted price???
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