That image for the USB card reader can’t possibly be right. Some intern just shoved it in the wrong way, right?
Nope, it’s correct. I ordered one of these a few weeks back.
The only difference from the picture is that the case I received is clear plastic and not black. The controllers are a bit cheesy but over all I am happy. Running RetroPi and having lots of fun showing my kids all the games I played as a kid.
Im trying to get my son interested in computing and think one of these might be a good way to do it. Can anyone list off some good uses for home projects for that young teen could do or might be into doing? I have really been wanting one.
Same price as Amazon, but on Amazon you get the newer pi 3 B+
There are hundreds of projects for this device. If you will google search “raspberry pi projects” you will find all kinds of projects.
But, for the price… I would buy a Rapsberry PI 3 B+. It is a bit faster and is the latest release. You can get the board and a power brick for $40. The cases, if you need one, range from $5 to $20. If you have a 3d printer, you can make your own case easily. The memory card reader/writer is only needed to write the system files on the memory card once. Most folks will already have a writer on hand.
These boards, including the one sold here, are freaking awesome for learning and projects. I have quite a few…
One running Pi-Hole (a great free add blocker for your entire network)
Two more running Resilio Sync for automatic backup of my NAS. One in the basement and one at my brother’s house in case my house burns down.
Three more running Octopi (Octoprint) servers for 3 different 3d printers (Prusa MK2, MK3, and Creality CR-10S)
One running retro-pi for all of the arcade greatness of the past.
And a couple spares for anything else I might fancy.
But, I am a major geek…
True! However, it looks like the kit you are referring to on Amazon doesn’t come with an HDMI cord and SD card with NOOBS pre-loaded on it. Still, not bad with the B+ included!
Thank you for the reply. Lots of good info in there.
I recommend the Adafruit learning website. Tons of projects for the Pi, as well as Ardrino and others! It sparks my creativity each time I check it out!
https://learn.adafruit.com/category/raspberry-pi
well… try a small, “build your own radio” kit. Small diodes, anodes, and pieces one will have to put together. Some small amount of soldering is needed too. It will definitely get them going when they turn it on and the radio actually works!!!
If you’re gonna do a retro pie game console, here’s my tip. (just the tip, though)
Don’t run out and install every ROM file you can find. Instead, only put the games you actually want to play on there.
My thought process was to load-up everything I could possibly ever want, but that just created a whole mess of games for various consoles that take forever for me to scroll through to find anything worth playing. In other words, be a little selective about what you install. This will help you avoid duplicates and your collection will be more manageable. You can always add more games later.
“My understanding is…”
the newest B+ does not run retropie. So if your goal is an old-timey gaming machine, this kit will do just fine - whereas going to amazon for the latest will not.
TBH the difference between B+ and B is minimal. This is an excellent package, regardless of “OMG YOU COULD GET A BETTER THING FOR THREE DOLLARS MOAR” etc etc.
The Raspberry Pi is a modern miracle, no less.
The only comparable one I see is the $69.99 one. It doesn’t come with controllers.
Still worth the $10 more imo.
I’ll buy these at $40-45 maybe.
This is a quick and easy way to get started, but be advised that you’ll likely wind up replacing everything but the pi, the SD card and the cables. Everything else is crap. The power supply is too weak, you’re probably going to want another case down the road, and the controllers are junk.
Despite it’s popularity with the maker/hacker community, the Raspberry Pi was actually developed as an inexpensive computer to help kids become interested in computer science. It is developed by the Raspberry PI Foundation, a UK non-profit organization with the mission of promoting computer education. It is the perfect tool for getting your son interested in computing.
The official operating system for the Raspberry Pi, Raspbian, comes with several applications pre-installed that have the foundation’s education mission in mind–including Scratch (a graphical drag-and-drop tool for learning to program), Sonic Pi (a tool to teach programming concepts while synthesizing music), tools for programming in Python and Java, and Mathmatica (a very powerful math visualization tool).
In addition to all of that, there are a ton of add-on boards (called HATs) that can be added to the Pi to add sensors, motors, LCD displays and all sorts of other things to create IoT devices, robots, toys, and more. The Pi is a great tool for learning both about software and hardware. There are even HATs that let you design your own electronics.
Personally, I’m a software developer and I have several Pis both at home and at work, though I use mine for more practical uses than educational:
- I have two with external hard drives attached to them (one at home, on in my office) that serve as backup servers, continually backing up all of my other computers)
- Another (also with an attached hard drive) that serves as a base server for Resilio Sync, ensuring that I aways have at least one computer online to sync files with
- One connected to a TV running OSMC, a media player, to stream web content.
- One serves as a development web server.
- One runs the controller software for my commercial-grade home WiFi network (a fringe case, I know, but I have a background in network engineering, so…)
I think your son will really enjoy having a Pi and I hope it does encourage him to explore computing.
That’s what mine is for, Unifi controller. 
This is not true. RetroPie v4.4 was released on April 14th, 2018 and supports the B+ without issue.
See: RetroPie 4.4 is released - RetroPie
See also: RetroPie 4.4 Is Out With Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Support - YouTube
Links to the best prices for latest Pi 3+ kit.
Arrow computers has a free Pi 3+ with $50 purchase. But it subtracts the $35 of the Pi itself.
So create an order of the Pi and a Google AI Hat, and you’re out the door for $18.