To celebrate its 4th birthday, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is releasing the Raspberry Pi 3! It’s 50% more powerful than the previous version, but above all comes already equipped with WiFi and Bluetooth! It's also compatible with the Pi2 accessories.
Ten times more powerful than the original launched 4 years ago, this microcomputer certainly lives up to its name! Since launching its first microcontroller, the Raspberry brand has rapidly won the hearts of makers and academia alike.
What the Raspberry Pi 3 has that its predecessors did not:
The Raspberry Pi 3 is equipped with a quad-core 64-bit Broadcom BCM2837 ARM Cortex-A53 SoC processor running at 1.2 GHz, making it about 50% more powerful than the Pi 2. Which means the new Raspberry Pi 3 can be used for office applications and web browsing.
The great innovation in this third version is undoubtedly the addition of a WiFi chip and Bluetooth Low Energy. This not only saves space (you no longer need to connect WiFi and Bluetooth dongles), but also frees up more USB ports for connecting other devices.
By adding these two features, Raspberry Pi has made it clear that this new version is geared to the Internet of Things (IoT) and home automation. The Raspberry Pi 3 is also compatible with Windows 10 IoT Core, an operating system designed for creating and developing applications destined for home automation, robotics and connected objects.
The Raspberry Pi 3 board is the same size as the Raspberry Pi 2 and has an almost identical connector and component configuration. “All that’s changed is the position of the LEDs, which have been moved to the other side of the SD card to make room for the WiFi antenna. All the connectors are in the same place and have the same functionalities.”So you can also use your Pi 2 and B+ accessories with the RasPi 3.
Windows 10 + Raspberry Pi 3: Controlling a Closed-Loop Wheel
Technical specifications of the Raspberry Pi 3 microcontroller
Clock frequency: 1.2 GHz
Chipset (SoC): Broadcom BCM2837
Processor: 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53
Graphics processor: Broadcom Dual Core VideoCore IV (OpenGL ES 2.0, H.264 Full HD @ 30 fps)
Memory (SDRAM): 1 GB LPDDR2
Number of USB 2.0 ports: 4
Port extension: 40-pin GPIO
Video outputs: HDMI and RCA, plus 1 CSI camera connector
Audio outputs: 3.5 mm stereo jack or HDMI
Data storage: MicroSD card
Network connection: 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 (BLE - Low Energy)
Peripherals: 17 x GPIO
Supply: 5V 2.5A via micro USB
Dimensions: 85.60 mm × 53.98 mm × 17 mm
Weight: 45 g
Although the Raspberry Pi 3 board works with a 5V 2A power supply, for intensive use we recommend a 5V 2.5A power supply.
Raspberry Pi 2 / Raspberry Pi 3 Comparison
Raspberry Pi 2
Raspberry Pi 3
Processor: 32-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A7
Processor: 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53
Clock frequency: 1000 MHz
Clock frequency: 1200 MHz
RAM: 1024 MB
RAM: 1024 MB
Wi-Fi : No
Wi-Fi : Yes
Bluetooth : No
Bluetooth : Yes, 4.1
Power supply : 5v 2A
Power supply : 5v 2.5A
Storage: MicroSD card
Storage: MicroSD card
Network adapter: Ethernet network card
Network adapter: Ethernet network card
USB ports: 4
USB ports: 4
2.5A USB: No
2.5A USB: Yes
Resources for the Raspberry Pi 3 board
There are lots of resources providing assistance for projects on Raspberry Pi 3. Below you’ll find some links and guides to help you get rapidly up and running.
To celebrate its 4th birthday, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is releasing the Raspberry Pi 3! It’s 50% more powerful than the previous version, but above all comes already equipped with WiFi and Bluetooth! It's also compatible with the Pi2 accessories.