What’s a Raspberry Pi? The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming. When will the device be available to purchase? We were hoping to have the Raspberry Pi available to order by the end of 2011. We still expect to be auctioning some of our first batch of beta boards before the end of the year (keep an eye on the site after Christmas); we’ll be moving to main production in January. How much will it cost? The Model A will cost $25 and the Model B $35. Can I join the mailing list? You certainly can. Head to the home page, and you’ll see a form at the top right you can fill in. People who are signed up will get an email as soon as we have confirmed a release date. What are the dimensions of the Raspberry Pi? The Raspberry Pi measures 85.60mm x 53.98mm x 17mm, with a little overlap for the SD card and connectors which project over the edges. It weighs 45g. Why doesn’t the Raspberry Pi include <insert name> piece of hardware or <insert name> sort of port? Our main function is a charitable one – we’re trying to build the cheapest possible computer that provides a certain basic level of functionality, and this means we’ve had to make hard decisions about what hardware and interfaces to include. How do I connect a mouse and keyboard? Mice, keyboards, network adapters and external storage will all connect via a USB hub. What display can I use? There is composite and HDMI out on the board, so you can hook it up to a digital or analogue television or to a DVI monitor. There is no VGA support, but adaptors are available. What about audio? There’s a standard 3.5mm jack, or you can use HDMI. You can add any supported USB microphone via a hub. Does the device support networking? Is there Wi-Fi? The Model B version of the device includes 10/100 wired Ethernet. There is no Ethernet on the Model A version (which we expect to be taken up mostly by the education market), but Wi-Fi will be available via a standard USB dongle. What are the power requirements? The device is powered by 5v micro USB. You can read more about it here. Will there be a buy-one-give-one program? Yes. We plan to implement a program of this sort, but you can also just buy one if you prefer. Will the device be available internationally, or just in the UK? We intend to ship worldwide from launch. We may establish a distribution network in due course. Will there be a minimum order quantity? The minimum order quantity will be one unit. Are you accepting pre-orders? No. We are adequately funded, and don’t want to take your money until we have finished hardware. I want to be a Raspberry Pi reseller. What should I do? Because we are a charity with very small margins, our model for resellers is a little unusual. We are not able to offer any discount to people buying in bulk, although you will be able to save money on freight if you buy a large number at a time; and we will not be making any exclusivity deals with any resellers in any area. If you want to get your hands on Raspberry Pis to resell, you’ll have to buy them from our website first like regular customers; there is no special procedure for resellers. Is there a GPU binary? Yes. The GPU binary also contains the first stage bootloader. What SoC are you using? The SoC is a Broadcom BCM2835. Can I run power Raspberry Pi from batteries as well as from a wall socket? wtf? Allways plug it into a wall socket you idiot Will it run <insert name of program here>? In general, you need to look to see whether the program you want can be compiled for the ARMv6 architecture. In most cases the answer will be yes. Specific programs are discussed on our forum, so you might want to look there for an answer. Will it run WINE (or Windows, or other x86 software)? No. What Linux distros will be supported at launch? Unknown distros will be supported from the start. We hope to see support from other distros later (perhaps Tuquito GNU con Linux is willing to help us a little, who knows). We will be selling SD cards with the distros preloaded. (Sept 4 2011 – originally, this FAQ suggested that Ubuntu would be supported. Because of issues with newer releases of Ubuntu and the ARM processor we are using, Ubuntu can’t commit to support Raspberry Pi at the moment.) Is there a case? Not for the initial version, but there will be a (removable, in case you want to do some soldering) case available later. Is PoE (power over ethernet) possible? Not in the base device, but it’s been a very commonly requested feature, so we’re examining options for later releases. What happens if I brick the device? You can restore the device by reflashing the SD card. http://www.raspberrypi.org/faqsU -- Gerardo Díaz email: [email protected] blog: http://QueHacemosConLasPilas.WordPress.com