The Raspberry Pi foundation continues to provide exciting new products, and with each new product, their popularity grows due to a focus on a high level of functionality and low cost. The Raspberry Pi 400 is just such a product being incredibly versatile and accessible to Makers of all ages. This Raspberry Pi 400 Computer Kit contains all the parts needed to get you up and running in no time, making it one of the best all-in-one computer kits for Makers.
As with other Raspberry Pi foundation products It is easy to see that plenty of thought has gone into the design of the Raspberry Pi 400 keyboard. The keyboard features the iconic red and white colours of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. While it may look like other compact keyboards you can find online it is the heart of the keyboard that makes it so unique. A unique and purpose-built Raspberry Pi board, based on the Raspberry Pi 4, is integrated into the keyboard with spaces left in the casing to allow access to all the necessary ports. Enclosing the board means that cooling options are far more limited but to counter this a large heat sink/shield has been added keeping the Pi 400 cool during even the most intensive operations. Improved cooling is needed as the newer iteration of the Broadcom BCM2711 is capable of higher clock speed, 1.8GHz compared to the 1.5GHz of the Raspberry Pi 4 B. Combining all these features has resulted in a keyboard that can function as a device to browse the web, create, and edit documents, watch videos, and learn to program using the Raspberry Pi OS desktop environment.
It is easy to get lost in the exciting features of the Pi 400 keyboard and miss the other accessories included in the kit. This wouldn’t be a proper kit if it didn’t include all the parts needed to get up and running and as this is an official kit it doesn’t disappoint. An ergonomic optical mouse that matches the colours of the keyboard is included and provides all the functionality of a standard computer mouse. Power is provided thanks to the official Raspberry Pi Power Supply which makes use of the EU two-pole plug. One of the most useful accessories is the Official Raspberry Pi Beginners Guide which features 252 pages crammed full of information to get you started and projects for you to try. To wrap up the included accessories is a simple but incredibly useful MicroSD card adapter so that you can update or replace the software on the included MicroSD card.
If you already have the accessories needed and are looking for a more affordable option, then keep a look out for the standalone Raspberry Pi 400 Keyboard.
Raspberry Pi 400 Computer Kit – US Layout - Technical Specifications: |
|
|
|
|
– Broadcom BCM2711 (Quad-Core Cortex-A72) |
|
– 1.8GHz |
|
– 4GB LPDDR4-3200 |
|
– MicroSD Card (16GB MicroSD Included) |
|
– Horizontal 40-Pin GPIO Header |
|
– 2 x USB 3.0 | 1 x USB 2.0 |
|
– 2 x Micro HDMI Ports (Supports up to 4Kp60) |
|
– H.265 | H.264 | OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics |
|
– Gigabit Ethernet |
|
– IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) |
|
– Bluetooth 5.0 | BLE |
|
– 5V DC via USB-C Connector |
|
– 79-Key Compact Keyboard (US) |
|
– 1.4kg (Package) |
|
– 290 x 170 x 100mm (Package) |
Parts Included with the Raspberry Pi 400 Computer Kit – US Layout: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Typical Applications for Raspberry Pi 400 Computer Kit – US Layout:
The Raspberry Pi 400 provides a platform for Makers to get started with Raspberry Pi and coding. It can be used in educational environments to allow students to learn coding or in a work environment as a storefront web browser for online shopping. The Pi 400 has taken a step towards making the world of Raspberry Pi more accessible.
For a review and breakdown of the Raspberry Pi 400 Computer Kit check out the following video from ETA Prime.
The primary aim of The Raspberry Pi Foundation is to enable people from all walks of life to understand, learn and develop our digital world with ideas that actually matter to them. Their single-board computers are designed with an open-source style, while being both easy to use and versatile. This allows people to build their own systems to cater to unique problems within their environment, while allowing them to share with and learn from others who are building similar types of systems – growing and developing the open-source movement in every step of the way.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation also takes their initiative a step further by building accessories like cameras, control interfaces and other products that can be seamlessly integrated into projects, made with high quality components but without the unnecessary frills that many brands choose to add on for “extra value”. This “no frills” approach makes their products more affordable while catering to consumers throughout the world, regardless of their financial condition. In doing so, people in almost any situation can use these products to improve their lives, better the world around them, and help develop both their local communities, as well as online communities of Makers.
Finally, like the cherry (or perhaps raspberry) on top of an already-great Sundae, The Raspberry Pi Foundation utilises the profits that they make to sponsor and host outreach and education efforts, with the intent to help people by making computing and digital development more accessible. They train educators and offer free resources online for people to learn from, giving consumers the power to change the world around them, and ultimately do their small part in developing the ever-expanding digital world too.