What can you do with the Raspberry Pi 400?

Can you really buy a personal computer for $70? The answer is yes. With an all-in-one design reminiscent of vintage home computers of the 1980s-1990s, the Raspberry Pi 400 has a built-in keyboard and can be connected to any monitor or TV using the HDMI socket.

Based on the same quad-core system-on-chip as the Raspberry Pi 4, it can run a wide range of desktop applications in the official Raspberry Pi OS based on Debian Linux.

Let's take a closer look at the Pi 400's capabilities and what you can use it for.

Hardware Raspberry Pi 400

In theory, the Pi 400's specs might not be comparable to many entry-level desktops and laptops, but it's about a third the price. This is basically a modified version of the Raspberry Pi 4, using the same Broadcom BCM2711 SoC powered by a 64-bit Cortex-A72 (ARM v8) quad-core processor; This is clocked at 1.8GHz by default, although you can easily overclock it up to 2.2GHz.

The Pi 400 has 4GB of RAM, so it can't quite match the performance of the 8GB Pi 4 version. However, it's still pretty fast: about 40 times more powerful than the first Raspberry Pi model that came out in 2012.

The Pi 400's compact keyboard features chiclet keys including a special Raspberry key for displaying on-screen menus. Conveniently, you can also power up and down the Pi 400 with a key combination (Fn + F10). The Pi 400 can be supplied with any international keyboard layout.

Ports

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At the rear, you'll find 3 USB-A ports (2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0) for connecting peripherals like external storage drives and mice. As on other Raspberry Pi models, there is a microSD card slot for storing the operating system and memory, although you can replace it with an SSD for improved performance.

Two micro HDMI ports are provided for connecting one or two displays, with resolutions up to 4Kp60. However, you will need a special micro HDMI to HDMI cable.

Other ports on the rear include USB-C for power (using the official 15W PSU, supplied separately) and Gigabit Ethernet for wired Internet connectivity, though you'll likely use a ribbon wireless LAN Built-in dual frequency for WiFi. The Pi 400 also has Bluetooth 5.0 BLE for connecting devices.

The Pi 400, on the other hand, lacks the 3.5mm AV port, camera and display connectors found on the full-size Raspberry Pi board. However, there is a 40-pin GPIO (General-Purpose Input/Output) header on the rear, as found on other Raspberry Pi models. This allows you to connect electronic circuits and add-on boards.

Personal Computer Kit

Please note that the $70 standalone Pi 400 doesn't come with a PSU, mouse, HDMI cable, or microSD card. You can buy it separately. These, along with a 252-page beginner's manual, are all included in the Personal Computer Kit Pi 400 package, which retails for $100.

Operating system

Like other Raspberry Pi computers, by default, the Pi 400 hosts its operating system on a microSD card, which is also used for storage.

The most popular operating system option is the official Raspberry Pi OS based on Debian Linux, although many other operating systems can be installed, including Ubuntu and specialized operating systems for classic gaming, home entertainment. homes and even digital signage.

With a little difficulty, it is even possible to run Windows 10 on a Raspberry Pi 400 or Pi 4, but it is not very available.

The versions of the Raspberry Pi OS that can be installed from the Raspberry Pi Imager card flash tool are all 32-bit, but there is a 64-bit version (in beta) you can download and try it out. on 64-bit models including Raspberry Pi 400 and Pi 4.

Software and desktop environment

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The standard With Desktop version of the Raspberry Pi OS has a graphical user interface with a menu of applications organized into categories. By default, there are only a few core applications, including the email client, but you can install many more for free using the Recommended Software tool.

Available applications include the full LibreOffice productivity suite that includes word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.

The default web browser is Chromium, the open source platform for Google Chrome, which works really well. Unlike on some previous Raspberry Pi models, YouTube videos play very smoothly.

Programming and Electronics

The core applications of the Raspberry Pi OS include the Thonny IDE for Python programming, along with the Scratch block-based coding tool. Both of these allow you to use the Raspberry Pi 400's GPIO header to interact with the electronics to its pins. Starting by blinking LEDs, you can create all manner of complex circuits, just like with Arduino.

You can also connect add-in expansion boards (commonly known as HATs) to the GPIO header.

One problem with this is that, while still working, the board will be facing the back; so if there is any screen you won't be able to see it. In this case, you'll want to connect your HAT or expansion board to the Pi 400 with a 40-pin ribbon cable or a GPIO breakout board (printed board with electronic sensors, ICs, and electronic components with pins) communicate).

As a result, the Pi 400 can be used in any electronic project in place of the standard Raspberry Pi model, although it's obviously not ideal if you want to put your finished project/device in a single box. limited space. In that case, a standard full-size Raspberry Pi or a smaller Raspberry Pi Zero - including the new 2 W Pi Zero - would be more practical.

Can Raspberry Pi 400 run Minecraft?

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A special version of Minecraft, called Minecraft: Pi Edition, can be installed using the Recommended Software tool in the Raspberry Pi OS. However, this is a stripped down version based on the Pocket Edition and limited to Creative Mode.

It is mainly for educational purposes, as you can use the Minecraft Python API to code and make different blocks appear in the game.

You can also set up a Minecraft server on a Raspberry Pi. This will require a 16GB microSD card and a wired Ethernet connection is recommended as it is faster than a wireless connection. Once set up, you can join the server from other devices running Minecraft.

Alternatively, you can technically also install and play Minecraft Java Edition on the Raspberry Pi 400, although it doesn't run at too high a resolution or frame rate. You will need a 64-bit operating system to install the latest version of Minecraft.

Is the Raspberry Pi 400 worth it?

With its built-in keyboard and quad-core 64-bit processor, the Raspberry Pi 400 becomes a perfect basic Linux desktop that can be used at a very low cost. As for the display, you can simply connect the Pi 400 to any monitor or TV with an HDMI input.

A major plus is that the Pi 400 retains the 40-pin GPIO connector of other Raspberry Pi models, so you can connect and control your own electronic circuits, as well as use it with a wide selection of boards. Raspberry Pi expansion board available.

Micah Soto

Update 09 November 2021