The new Raspberry Pi B+ is announced! "In the two years since we launched the current Raspberry Pi Model B, we’ve often talked about our intention to do one more hardware revision to incorporate the numerous small improvements people have been asking for. This isn’t a “Raspberry Pi 2″, but rather the final evolution of the original Raspberry Pi. Today, I’m very pleased to be able to announce the immediate availability, at $35 – it’s still the same price, of what we’re calling the Raspberry Pi Model B+. (...) It runs the same software, and still has 512MB RAM; but James and the team have made the following key improvements: - More GPIO. The GPIO header has grown to 40 pins, while retaining the same pinout for the first 26 pins as the Model B. - More USB. We now have 4 USB 2.0 ports, compared to 2 on the Model B, and better hotplug and overcurrent behaviour. - Micro SD. The old friction-fit SD card socket has been replaced with a much nicer push-push micro SD version. - Lower power consumption. By replacing linear regulators with switching ones we’ve reduced power consumption by between 0.5W and 1W. - Better audio. The audio circuit incorporates a dedicated low-noise power supply. - Neater form factor. We’ve aligned the USB connectors with the board edge, moved composite video onto the 3.5mm jack, and added four squarely-placed mounting holes. (...) we’ll be keeping Model B in production for as long as there’s demand for it." Source: http://www.raspberrypi.org/introducing-raspberry-pi-model-b-plus/ Well, it was about time to they release a four-port USB Raspberry Pi. I am very intrigued with the ultra-low power consumption, it looks like something unreal! The new model will be the same price than the old model B, and the hopes for getting this new model is high for me. What’s your opinion about the new model?
Your title needs to be fixed I'll probably get one at some point. Better power regulation is a big plus, should be able to power a USB HDD. It will be interesting to see if any new addons are released that make use of some of the extra GPIOs. I keep an extra SD card back with a raspbian image already configured for internet, SSH etc, so 2 USB ports has always been enough. Though I guess 2 more wont hurt. One thing I really don't like is having the power input on the side. I would have preferred it to stay along the back edge. I guess you can't really complain at getting a better board for the same price as the old one. Given the lower power consumption, I wonder if they will make a model A+? Might look a bit empty with just one USB port along the front.
A huge downside of that redesign is that none of the current cases will fit... You can backpower Pis via the 5V/Gnd GPIO pins or the USB ports, apparently. No need to use that power connector at all.
Yeah, the title is wrong. It's the Raspberry Pi B+, the Raspberry Pi 2 will presumably use a different SoC. It's certainly an improvement on the original design, but I'm not about to rush out and buy one.
