Innovation

Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+: A closer look at the new $25 board

By · November 15, 2018, 12:00 AM PST · nickjheath

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  • The Pi 3 Model A+

    The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ packs most of the specs of the $35 Pi 3 B+ into a more compact, even cheaper board.

    The tiny computer is a massive upgrade over the old Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+, which is based on the same single core system-on-a-chip as the first-generation Pi, released back in 2012. Like the original, the new A+ is a single-board computer designed to be built into homemade hardware -- such as this remote-controlled robot -- thanks to its small size and low-power consumption.

    Despite the very noticeable bump to its specs, the price of the board is $25, only slightly more than the old A+.

    Click through the gallery for a guided tour of all the new features on the board.

    Read more about the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Pi 3 A+ vs B+

    As you see here, the A+ is noticeably shorter than the B+, giving it a more compact, square shape.

    The squashed size of A+ is made possible by removing the Ethernet port and by only sporting a single USB port.

    Otherwise the specs of the two boards are almost identical, with the only other major difference being the A+ has half the memory of the B+.

    Size-wise, the A+ is 65mm × 56.5mm -- the same as the first-generation Raspberry Pi A+ -- compared to the B+'s 85.6mm × 56.5mm.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Underneath the board

    This is the underside of the Pi 3 A+, sporting the board's RAM and the SD card reader.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • The CPU

    Like the Raspberry Pi 3 B+, the A+ runs on a Broadcom BCM2837B0, a quad-core Arm Cortex A53-based processor, running at 1.4GHz.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Wi-Fi antenna

    Wireless connectivity is also identical to the Pi 3 B+, with the A+ offering dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, and the same wireless antenna hidden inside this Raspberry-branded tin.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • The ports

    The Pi 3 A+ offers one full-sized HDMI 1.3 port, which should work well with 1080p monitors and TVs, as well a microUSB connector for power, and a 4 pole stereo audio output and composite video jack.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Ports from above

    Another view of the ports on the right-hand side of the board.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • 512MB RAM

    Here you can see the chip for the A+'s onboard RAM. With only 512MB, compared to 1GB on the Pi 3 B+, this is probably the biggest difference between the two boards.

    If you're looking to use the Pi as a desktop PC, the constrained memory will likely cause the Pi to struggle once you've got a few programs open.

    However, for those who work mainly in the command line, and use the Pi to run software as part of a larger system, say as a control unit on a robot, this memory may be plenty.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Single USB 2.0

    While only having a single USB 2.0 port may seem limiting, mouse and keyboard can also be connected via Bluetooth, and keeping the ports down helps lower the A+'s power consumption compared to the B+.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • 40-pin GPIO header

    Like the Pi 3 B+, the A+ also sports a 40-pin general purpose input-output (GPIO) header for hooking up other boards, sensors, motors, and homemade hardware to the Pi.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • SD card storage slot

    While there are other options for storage, the A+ typically boots from and stores data on a microSD card, that slots into the reader seen here. If you're looking for other forms of storage, the Raspberry Pi Foundation says the Pi 3 A+ offers "improved mass-storage booting" compared to the B+.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • DSI display connector

    Useful for hooking up small LCD screens to the Pi, so it can be used on the move, the usual DSI connector found on Pi boards is also present.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)

    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

  • Side-by-side with Pi 3 B+

    While the A+ is the shorter board, both the B+ and A+ are the same width.

    Another advantage over the B+, according to The Raspberry Pi Foundation, is better thermal management, suggesting lower running temperatures and less throttling of the processor when under heavy load.

    SEE: More Raspberry Pi coverage (TechRepublic Flipboard magazine)


    Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

The Pi 3 Model A+

The new Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+ packs most of the specs of the $35 Pi 3 B+ into a more compact, even cheaper board.

The tiny computer is a massive upgrade over the old Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+, which is based on the same single core system-on-a-chip as the first-generation Pi, released back in 2012. Like the original, the new A+ is a single-board computer designed to be built into homemade hardware -- such as this remote-controlled robot -- thanks to its small size and low-power consumption.

Despite the very noticeable bump to its specs, the price of the board is $25, only slightly more than the old A+.

Click through the gallery for a guided tour of all the new features on the board.

Read more about the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+

Image: Nick Heath / TechRepublic

Related Topics:

Innovation Open Source Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Internet of Things Smart Cities Hardware

By Nick Heath

Nick Heath is a computer science student and was formerly a journalist at TechRepublic and ZDNet.

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