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The Raspberry Pi Model 3 B+ is one of the newest, fastest, and easiest to use Raspberry Pi boards. Â Let's take a closer look at it and its features!
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USB ports - These are used to connect to peripherals such as a keyboard and mouse. Other HID devices such as a game controller or a USB drive can be connected to it.
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Ethernet port - This is used to connect the Raspberry Pi to a network via an Ethernet cable. Alternatively, the Raspberry Pi can also connect to a network via wireless connectivity.
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3.5mm audio & composite video jack - Connect headphones or speakers here.
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Camera Serial Interface Connector (CSI Connector) - This port allows a camera module to be connected directly to the board.
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HDMI Port - This is where you'll connect a monitor to via a HDMI cable, or an appropriate adaptor for a DVI monitor.
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5V MicroUSB (Input power Only) - This is where the power supply is connected to. It should always be done last, after you have connected all other components.
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MicroSD card slot - This is where you insert the microSD card, normally where the operating system software and files are stored.
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Display Serial Interface (DSI) Connector - This connector accepts a flat ribbon cable that can be used to communicate with an LCD or OLED display screen.
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Wireless Module -Â The Raspberry Pi 3B+ has built-in WiFi unlike older models such as the Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+ or Raspberry Pi Zero. This is the wireless module on the board. Note: 802.11ac is now supported, which means the Pi can do WiFi at 5 GHz as well as 2.4 GHz.
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Broadcom CPU - This is the Broadcom BCM2837B0 chip, an updated and improved version of the 64-bit Broadcom application processor that was used in the Raspberry Pi 3B. So what's new? It improves the power supply to the ARM cores, which means it can be clocked at 1.4GHz (previously 1.2 GHz) which is a 16.7% increase. It also has a heat spreader (that's the shiny metal bit you see in the photo) which assists in heat dissipation and help maintain higher clock speeds. This means it can run at lower voltages to reduce power consumption, and to more accurately monitor and control the temperature of the chip.
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40-Pin GPIO Header - These pins allow you to connect electronic components such as sensors and actuators i.e. LEDs and buttons to the Raspberry Pi.