Raspberry Pi
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This series of pages provides details about the development of the Raspberry Pi Maker PCB Project that started in the summer of 2020.
The aim of this project was to initially consolidate a number of components previously used in separate breadboard-based educational projects, along with some additional options, in a more robust, permanent assembly using a custom Printed Circuit Board (PCB); this new platform would then allow an even wider range of projects to be developed.
Whilst a breadboard approach is still a very good way for a user to understand how individual components can be assembled into an electronic circuit that is controlled by a Raspberry Pi, it is not very good for prolonged use since breadboard connections can become intermittent or components completely disconnected.
Building a more permanent assembly from a set of components that includes a custom PCB, not only allows an extra 'soldering' skill to be practiced, but also allows the more robust populated PCB to be used over an extended period of time to develop different software options.
A series of PCB designs were prototyped, starting in September'20, with comprehensive testing carried out to validate the evolving design, with each subsequent design addressing individual identified improvements.
This series of web pages documents the evolving design and use of the Raspberry Pi PCB to enable a user to build up a comprehensive 'library' of software methods that can be combined for the development of many different projects.
It should be noted however that whilst the PCB provides a convenient, and robust way to connect devices to a Raspberry Pi, all of the software methods and projects can obviously still be used with direct connections to the Pi's GPIO pins.
The annotated image below shows how all the components and connectors are assembled on the latest PCB design:
The 3D print designs for a set of 'stands' to mount the PCB can be downloaded at the Prusa site here, and all the currently available Raspberry Pi software for exploring how the PCB can be used is available here.
The following links provide more details on various aspects of this evolving Raspberry Pi Maker PCB Project development:
Details for all the Maker PCB projects:
All the currently available maker project information: