This little gadget, versatile and accessible to most pockets, has been sold by the millions around the world. The 2019 version of Raspberry Pi 4 is four times more powerful than its previous version.
Being a mini desktop computer is just one of its possible uses And in this article we will show you some of the best projects that developers have done with this board.
Learn everything you need to know about the Raspberry Pi 4, before a new version is released, the characteristics of which have not yet been released.
What is the Raspberry Pi 4 and what is this development board for electronics lovers?
This team has a Major upgrade to Raspberry Pi 3 model, which has been widely accepted by technology lovers and that have put the components of the device into multiple personal projects. It is a single board with updated components such as Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Ethernet, which are the three types of connectivity that this model has.
Its performance is four times higher than the previous model and, one of its novelties, is that they can be adapted two monitors capable of 4K quality, so it is a useful board for gamers who, in addition, also like technology. At the beginning of this project, the idea was to offer a learning tool for schools and universities, but today the Raspberry Pi has become an accessible alternative for technological development.
What are the most interesting main features and functions of the Raspberry Pi 4?
This Latest version of the manufacturer Raspberry Pi manages to resemble more of a mini desktop computer, but its main uses remain accessible alternatives.
These are the main features of this model:
- Supports 4K: It is something that had not been seen in previous products, the graphic support is improved in the B model, which was the only one to go on the market with some variants. Encodes and decodes 4k footage, whose resolution is 4,096 px × 2,160 px.
- Three variants: the Raspberry Pi 4 model has 1 Gb, 2 Gb and 4 Gb versions. The value between the three ranges from € 35 to € 60. The correct choice of the model will depend on the type of use that is going to be given to it.
- New processor: One of the great expectations was fulfilled, now the team has an ARM Cortex-A72 processor whose clock frequency is 1.5 GHz. It is faster in tasks and, if you prefer the 4 Gb version, it shows that the performance is older.
- More ports: one of the criticisms is its size, but it is not limiting for all the ports that version 4 has. It has two USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 CSI ports, it has a micro SD slot and a USB-C Jack audio connector, which serves as power.
- Dual HDMI: There are many reasons why people want to connect two monitors to a single computer, and this equipment allows it with its spectacular ability to display 4K video.
Raspberry Pi 4 performance Is it the best we can buy to develop hardware?
The first computers barely had 700 MHz processors and RAM memory of 512 Mg, for the year 2012 perhaps it was enough, but not in this new era. The model Raspberry Pi 4 quadruples the speed of tasks because it has a 1,500 MHz processor and up to 4Gb RAM, so the performance is better and there may even be a more equitable comparison between this device and a mid-range mini laptop.
The fact that you have the ability to playing videos in 4K gives an idea of the potential it has in terms of user demand to view content with a better resolution. If your interest is to have a device that connects in different ways, that responds better to your requirements and maintains its compact design, this is undoubtedly It is one of the best options at a low cost and with similar hardware characteristics.
Usefulness of the Raspberry Pi 4 What are the best uses that can be given to these boards?
This plate is like a Swiss Army knife, has different uses and in this section we will show you some of them and how you can get the best out of your Raspberry Pi 4.
Let’s see:
- As a surveillance camera: Instead of using a computer or laptop to record live what happens on your property, you can use a plate like this to receive what a camera captures. With the support of additional programs, you can record and broadcast to mobiles.
- As a server for Minecraft: This is a game in which everything is built with the help of blocks and in which you interact with other people. A server is also required and the Raspberry Pi 4 works for this. You can use it as support to save your projects with your own hosting within this game.
- Emulator: If you are passionate about video games, the new version of the board has enough to build your own video game console and install a project that you have created yourself. It will not have the performance of a PSP 5, but it will guarantee performance.
- Automate bots: you can create your own digital mining machine and even program robots for social networks like Twitter. So you publish content at all times as long as you know how to integrate Python to the team.
- Photo frames: Although you see it as a basic project, this is very useful for people who are just starting with development. Build a modern portrait frame in which through transitions you can see a large infinity of family photographs.
- Like Roku: You can turn your old television into a Smart TV special in which you can watch series via streaming through platforms such as Netflix and Disney +. The Raspberry Pi 4 can support Linux as an adapted version of Windows 10, and that is an advantage when you want to install programs that run with these operating systems and are required to dock them to a TV.
- Convert a computer to wireless: There are equipment such as printers that are old, but powerful and faithful that are worth saving, but they require to work through Wi-Fi. For this, the plate that serves as a bridge between that printer and the device that issues the print order is adapted. This order is done via wifi.
Raspberry Pi 4 Versions What are there and how to choose the best one to use in your project?
As we tell you, it was thought at some point to launch a series A of this model, but that project was discarded because there were no major changes in its structure.
Instead, the company made a B + version with which it offers 8 Gb of RAM:
- 1 Gb version: This option is best when you want to experiment with simpler tasks, such as setting up a printer to go wireless or to be a console that controls your smart home.
- 2 Gb version: It is ideal for office automation jobs that require simulating office tasks. If using Linux and programs “Open Source” there will be better overall team performance.
- 4Gb version: this is the version that is required if you want to work with high resolution videos. With the 2 Gb version it would be tedious to work with streaming and playback of 4K videos.
- Raspberry Pi 4 B +: This is definitely the model to use if you want to use the board as a mini desktop computer. All that RAM memory will help you program and multitask on your computer.
List of the best projects with Raspberry Pi 4 that you can do yourself to learn
There are some home uses that you can do without having to be an expert programmer or computer technician.
We leave you a guide and suggestions of what you should do if you want to experiment with this equipment:
Home music system
This device has wifi, a 3.5 mm Jack and different ports, so making the connection with your sound equipment is very simple, so you avoid wearing down your smartphone with the music to the sound receiver. Pi MusicBox installation required, which you can download for free from the official website of the manufacturer foundation. This program makes the hardware become a streaming receiver for your favorite music.
Control your camera’s shutter
This device has a camera module that allows you to integrate a webcam or any cell phone camera so that you can remotely regulate the shot. What does that work for? You can automate, through a special program, some video techniques such as Time Lapse, Stop Motion and photographs where greater exposure is required.
Network monitor
In the same house there are at least 12 computers connected to a Wi-Fi network. If you don’t want to keep your laptop or desktop on for personalized network usage monitoring, it’s best to use inexpensive equipment like this to do this. You only need to install the Nagios program and receive notifications in the event of service outages, the devices that connect and disconnect and the consumption that each mobile makes on that network.