Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest generation of single-board computers from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, offering significant performance improvements, new hardware features, and enhanced I/O compared to previous models. It is designed for advanced DIY projects, edge computing, embedded systems, and even light desktop use.
Projects & Use Cases​
- Desktop Replacement: Dual 4K displays, fast SSD storage, USB 3.0 peripherals
- Edge AI/ML: Accelerated inference with external PCIe AI accelerators
- Media Centers: 4K video playback, Kodi, Plex
- IoT Gateways: High-speed networking, NVMe storage for data logging
- Robotics & Automation: Real-time control, multiple camera inputs, GPIO expansion
- Retro Gaming: High-performance emulation with Vulkan support
Essential Commands & Tools​
# Update firmware and bootloader (Pi 5)
sudo rpi-eeprom-update
sudo raspi-config
# Check hardware info
cat /proc/cpuinfo
vcgencmd measure_temp
lsusb
lspci
i2cdetect -y 1
# PCIe/NVMe info
lsblk
sudo nvme list
# Control GPIO (Python)
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)
GPIO.setup(18, GPIO.OUT)
GPIO.output(18, GPIO.HIGH)
Tips & Geeky Details​
- Overclocking: Supported via
/boot/config.txt
(e.g.,arm_freq=2700
), but requires adequate cooling and power supply. - NVMe SSD: Use the official NVMe HAT for best compatibility and performance.
- Fan Control: Connect a PWM fan to the dedicated header for automatic cooling.
- RTC: Add a coin cell battery for persistent timekeeping.
- PCIe Expansion: Experimental support for custom PCIe devices (requires kernel/device tree tweaks).
- Headless Setup: Enable SSH by placing an empty
ssh
file in/boot
on the SD card. - Thermal Management: Use active cooling (fan, heatsink) for sustained high performance.