HANDS ON Raspberry Pi has unveiled a totally loaded model of its computer-in-a-keyboard, that includes oodles of RAM, an SSD, and a clicky, mechanical keyboard. Nevertheless, you may pay a relative premium for these options.
At first look, the Raspberry Pi 500+ might be an strange Pi 500, Raspberry Pi’s different computer-in-a-keyboard providing. Nevertheless, look a bit nearer, and there are some refined and not-so-subtle hints that that is one thing just a bit completely different. The case is barely greater (it measures 312 mm x 123 mm x 35.8 mm). The machine is barely heavier. And the keyboard… the keyboard is the primary clue that this can be a distinct beast.
Though attaching clicky keyboards to one of many USB ports on a Raspberry Pi shouldn’t be new, incorporating a mechanical keyboard into the machine marks a primary for the corporate, and one other step on the trail to recreating the aesthetic of ’80s tech icons such because the BBC Micro. Tapping away on the laptop-like keyboard of contemporary gadgets is likely to be environment friendly, but there’s nothing fairly like banging away at one thing based mostly on mechanical switches.
The Pi 500+ makes use of Gateron Blue KS-33 low-profile switches and comes with instruments to take away the keycaps, permitting for straightforward alternative with options.
Prying off the keys with the instruments offered (click on to enlarge) – Pic: Richard Pace
And sure, the keyboard lights up. There are some headache-inducing RGB presets, however we suspect many individuals will possible accept a easy backlight or, as within the case of Pi supremo, Eben Upton, flip them many of the method down in common use.
Rainbow shiny if you happen to’re quick a nightlight (click on to enlarge) – Pic: Richard Pace
The RGB LEDs beneath the keys will be managed from the command line or by way of a Python library. Alternatively, the keyboard consists of some presets, accessible from the F4 key.
The keyboard is probably the most vital visible change on the Pi 500+. There are actually 12 perform keys and devoted PgUp, PgDn, House, and Finish buttons. The three lights have gone, though the ability key lights up appropriately, and the keyboard seems to be and feels just a bit bit greater.
The remainder of the {hardware} matches the Pi 500 (Upton informed us that the PCB and silicon stepping had been similar). This implies a 2.4-GHz quad-core, 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, Twin-band (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth 5. Nevertheless, the LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM has been doubled to 16GB.
In day-to-day use – writing articles, browsing the online, and many others – we had no efficiency issues utilizing the machine and Raspberry Pi OS, which is predicated on the Debian Linux distribution. The Pi 500+ comes with the standard suspects preloaded, reminiscent of LibreOffice, and we encountered no slowdowns in regular use. That stated, an try to fireplace up 50 tabs of Google Maps brought on free reminiscence to drop like a stone. 100 tabs of The Register, however, had been superb.
Unscientific, however you get the thought. Efficiency was greater than acceptable.
The identical can’t be stated for the GPIO port. As within the instances of the Pi 500+’s stablemates, the Pi 400 and 500, it’s mounted horizontally reasonably than utilizing the vertical orientation of the fundamental laptop. Which means some HAT ({Hardware} Connected on Prime) {hardware} will want an adaptor for use. It is a essential and acquainted compromise for the computer-in-a-keyboard type issue, however will nonetheless be doubtlessly annoying to some hobbyists.
Along with being barely thicker and bigger than the Pi 500, the unit can be heavier. The brand new keyboard goes some option to explaining this, and there’s additionally an unlimited lump of metallic – a one-piece aluminum heatsink acquainted to Pi 500 house owners – seen to anybody curious to know what’s contained in the case.
5 strange screws are all that stand between a person and the machine’s internals. Whereas the metallic shields many of the vital bits, the opposite star of the present, a 256GB SSD, is accessible and simply upgradeable. Sizes as much as the M.2 NVMe 2280 type issue will be slotted in, though it is a disgrace that the corporate did not tweak the case by including an Amiga 500-style trapdoor.
The microSD card slot stays, and it’s attainable as well from microSD if required, nevertheless, booting a Pi from an SSD is a delight. The SSD, which comes preinstalled with Raspberry Pi OS, is screamingly quick in comparison with what went earlier than – correctly.
This isn’t the cheap laptop gathering mud within the drawer of unfinished initiatives. The Pi 500+ is a premium product and carries (within the Pi world at the very least) a premium price ticket of $200.
Sure, $200. You possibly can choose up a Pi 500, with 8 GB RAM and no SSD, for $113.97 at The Pi Hut. For the advisable retail worth of $200, now you can get the Pi 500+ with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and a mechanical RGB keyboard. An influence provide and video cable are additional, though Upton informed us that plans are afoot to promote a equipment model.
It’s undoubtedly a great machine, and peak Pi in the interim, however that worth places the Pi 500+ in some highly effective firm. Store round, and you’ll simply discover diminutive gadgets packing simply as a lot, if not significantly extra, punch.
We requested Upton why the corporate, which is traditionally recognized for its {hardware} that may be cheaply picked up and performed with by hobbyists and companies alike, would launch such a tool.
He replied, “As a result of it is there?”
“The objective of Raspberry Pi (as a shopper/hobbyist/instructional product, as distinct from its fashionable use as an embedded/industrial compute platform) has all the time been to supply reasonably priced PC-like merchandise throughout a spread of worth/efficiency factors.
“This simply extends that up and to the precise a bit, for the ability person who desires a no-holds-barred Arm-based Linux PC in a good looking type issue.”
There are not any plans to retrofit the Pi 500+ elements to a Pi 500; the remainder of the connectors stay unchanged, together with the 40-pin GPIO header. The micro HDMI connectors additionally stay, as do a pair of USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port. USB-C is strictly for energy solely, and Upton informed us that “Raspberry Pi is probably going USB-A ride-or-die for at the very least yet one more technology.”
There’s additionally, fortunately, no AI key on the keyboard.
5 regular screws are all that stand between you and and the heart of the machine, together with a replaceable SSD (click on to enlarge) – Pic: Richard Pace
As for potential prospects, GPIO quibbles apart (which aren’t distinctive to the Pi 500+), it is a dream machine for fans in search of a manufacturing unit machine with SSD fitted. Nevertheless, for customers the place the mechanical keyboard is not an important, and efficiency from a microSD card is greater than satisfactory, the Pi 500 might be a greater guess – it has half the RAM, however as The Reg famous in our 16 GB Pi 5 review, consideration must be given to workloads, and for a lot of customers 8 GB will likely be lots.
All in all, that is certainly peak Pi – for the second, at the very least. The keyboard is a pleasure to make use of and brings again loads of recollections of pounding the keys of a faculty’s BBC Micro when an Elite session did not go as hoped. The SSD, whereas not probably the most capacious obtainable, retains the pc working at a powerful tempo, and the nod to expandability is appreciated.
Nevertheless, that price ticket is off-putting when in comparison with the remainder of the vary. Whereas guaranteeing the SSD will be changed is sweet, it is a disgrace the corporate did not go additional and engineer an enclosure able to accepting completely different Compute Modules.
We additionally requested Upton in regards to the different finish of the product spectrum, the place the distinctly long-in-the-tooth Pi Zero 2 will be discovered. In the mean time, there stays no touch upon an replace. ®
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