The Arduino and Raspberry Pi platforms have become increasingly popular among those new to electronics and project development. Arduino has been used in millions of projects and applications because of its simple and accessible user interface. Raspberry Pi can browse the internet and stream high-definition video, as well as spreadsheets, word processing, and gaming, just like a desktop computer. Suppose you're unsure about the differences between these two boards, Arduino vs. Raspberry Pi, then you have come to the right place. This tutorial will explain the differences between Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
What Is Arduino?
Audrino is an open-source electronic device that reads and generates outputs based on inputs (such as light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a tweet, such as turning on an LED or activating a motor). Audrino was developed at the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea as a basic tool for students who had no prior knowledge of electronics or programming. It evolved to suit new demands and obstacles after gaining popularity.
Arduino boards are microcontrollers, not full-fledged computers with their own operating system like the Raspberry Pi. They just execute C/C++ programs stored in their firmware. The Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is free software that allows you to program an Arduino board and upload your code to it.
What Is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a small, low-cost computer the size of a debit card that connects to a monitor or television and utilizes a conventional keyboard and mouse.
It has a dedicated processor, memory, and a graphics driver, just like a PC. It also comes with its operating system, Raspberry Pi OS, a modified version of Linux.
Although the Raspberry Pi lacks storage, you can use microSD cards to store whichever operating system you choose (Raspberry Pi, Ubuntu Mate, etc.). Because the Raspberry Pi has Bluetooth, ethernet, and Wi-Fi connectivity, it may be used to transfer files over the internet. The software and the design of the Raspberry Pi project are not open-source.
Arduino vs. Raspberry Pi
License
Arduino is an open-source electronics platform that uses simple hardware and software to make it easy. It's for everyone who want to do interactive projects. Arduino perceives the environment by receiving data from various sensors and controls lights, motors, and other actuators to influence its surroundings. |
Raspberry Pi's hardware and software are both proprietaries. The Raspberry Pi has never claimed to be an open source. Many aspects of it, particularly the software, are open source, but not all of it is. The Raspberry Pi has been criticized for having closed-source components. |
Control Unit
Arduino is a member of the Atmega family of microcontrollers. A microcontroller chip common on Arduino Uno boards is the ATmega328. The 8-bit AVR microcontroller family includes ATmega328 microcontrollers. You can see a surface-mount ATmega328 chip on some Arduino Uno boards. |
The Raspberry Pi is an ARM Control Unit (ACU). Broadcom chips based on Arm's Cortex-A application processors have powered Raspberry Pi from its release. The Raspberry Pi 3 is the latest version of the Raspberry Pi, launched in February 2016. It has a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, making it the first Raspberry Pi with compatibility for the arm64 architecture. |
Architecture
The Harvard architecture is used by Arduino's CPU, which means that the program code and program data have distinct memory. It comprises two types of memories: program memory and data memory. The data is saved in the memory, while the code is kept in the flash program memory. |
Raspberry Pi contains a single-core ARMv6 processor running at 700 MHz, a VideoCore IV GPU, and 512MB RAM. Its operating system and data are stored on an SD card. Raspbian, a lightweight Linux OS based on Debian, is officially supported by the Raspberry Pi. |
Specifications
Arduino (Uno R3) |
Raspberry Pi 4 |
Microcontroller: ATmega328P Operating Voltage: 5V Input Voltage (recommended): 7-12V In/out Voltage (limit): 6-20V Digital I/O Pins: 14 (of which 6 provide PWM output) PWM Digital I/O Pins: 6 Analog Input Pins: 6 DC Current per I/O Pin: 20 mA DC current for 3.3V Pin: 50 mA Flash Memory: 32 KB (ATmega328P) of which 0.5 KB used by bootloader SRAM: 2 KB (ATmega328P) EEPROM: 1 KB (ATmega328P) Clock Speed: 16 MHz LED_BUILTIN: 13 Length: 68.6 mm Width: 58.4 mm Weight: 25 g |
1.5GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 CPU 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB RAM On-board wireless LAN (dual-band 802.11 b/g/n/ac) On-board Bluetooth 5.0, low-energy (BLE) 2x USB 3.0 ports 2x USB 2.0 ports Gigabit Ethernet Power-over-Ethernet GPIO 40-pin 2× micro-HDMI ports OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics DSI-display port CSI-camera port Combined 3.5mm analog audio-video jack Micro-SD card slot and USB-C power |
Types of Boards
Arduino Uno Arduino Nano Arduino Micro LilyPad Arduino Arduino Mega Arduino Leonardo Arduino Red Board Arduino Shields |
Raspberry Pi 1 Model B Raspberry Pi 1 Model A Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+ Raspberry Pi 1model A+ Raspberry Pi Zero Raspberry Pi 2 Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Raspberry Pi Zero W |
Applications
Weighing Machines, Traffic Light Countdown Timer, Parking Lot Counter, Embedded systems, Home Automation, Industrial Automation, Medical Instrument, Emergency Light for Railways. |
Desktop PC Wireless Usage Game Servers Retro Gaming Machine Robot Controller Stop Motion Camera Time-Lapse Camera |
Operating System
Arduino boards are single-board microcontrollers (SBMCs) with firmware rather than an operating system. A firmware program is a piece of software installed on a hardware device. It doesn't have an operating system, but you can program firmware using several IDEs, including the Arduino IDE. |
The Raspberry Pi operating system for PC and Mac is Debian with Raspberry Pi Desktop. It installs the Raspberry Pi OS desktop and most of the recommended applications that come with Raspberry Pi OS on any PC or Apple Mac. |
Conclusion
Both Arduino and Raspberry Pi have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. The best option for you will be determined by the nature of your job and your budget.
Arduino is ideal for automating repetitive operations such as opening and closing doors, turning on and off lights, etc. Arduino should be your first pick if your project has any repeating elements and requires generating output depending on sensory inputs.
Raspberry Pi is ideally suited for complex activities such as controlling complex robots, weather monitoring, and internet publishing. If your project necessitates advanced functionality and internet access, the Raspberry Pi is the answer.
Next Steps
Hope this tutorial on 'Arduino vs Raspberry Pi' has given you a good understanding of the Raspberry Pi and Arduino ideas and their differences. Course certification will benefit you if you plan to study these technologies and work as a developer or programmer.
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