# RaspberryPi Phenomenon

![[assets/rpi.jpg]]

_The more I look into the Raspberry Pi phenomenon, the more excited I get._

**Written By:** Geovian\
**Updated:** 5 November 2024

Being on the road, a resource hungry device like a laptop is just not a workable solution considering its requirement for AC power, that is unless you have a hefty portable power station (with an inbuilt inverter).

On the other hand, a RaspberryPi single board computer (SBC), can be powered by a USB connection - either back to a AC wall socket, or back to a portable power bank. The default power connection is a cable which has USB-C at one end, and an Australian AC power plug at the other end. 

The peripherals is where the RaspberryPi comes into its own:

  - Dual HDMI output to a standalone monitor (5" to 15.6')
  - USB Connections x 4 (USB 2.0 x 2, and USB 3.0 x 2)
  - Connect to a USB hard drive (1tb or 2tb for example) 
  - Wireless connect to a Telco pocket WiFi device for Internet connection. 
  - Or, hot-spot to another another device like a mobile, which has a Telco SIM.
  - Bluetooth 5.0 - for connecting Bluetooth enabled devices like keyboards, mouse and audio speakers.
  - SIM Card socket - for loading up the operating system such as RaspianOS. In fact you can have multiple SD Cards and put different ARM based Linux distros on them, while keeping your data on a separate storage device, like a USB thumb drive or an external USB Passport drive. 

Probably the only thing I would customise is to add a cooling case with a fan such as the **Argon One**. I'd prefer this than to put on a bulky heat sink which means not being able to house the SBC inside a case.

So, my basic setup is:

  - RaspberryPi 4b, with 8gb RAM.
  - 128gb SD Card with ARM based version of %RaspberryPi% Linux onboard.
  - 13.3" touchscreen monitor (Kenowa brand, purchased on Amazon).
  - USB wired keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard.
  - USB wired mouse or a wireless mouse. 
  - Various battery banks to power the RPi and touchscreen. 
  - Lapdesk.
  - Smartphone with WiFi hotspot and tethering.
  
>When installing a new distro onto a RaspberryPi, you'll initially require a USB wired keyboard. The Bluetooth services don't become available until after you have installed the distro. 

**Additions**
Maybe the one thing I might think about is a portable WiFi router, but I'll hold off in the meantime and wait to see what happens with Starlink during the first few months of 2025.

And there we go!

The other main reason for looking at an RPi solution is that it is supported in Australia and New Zealand, meaning that delivery costs are minimal.

**Footnote:** the RPi kit now has a fan cooled case by default.